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Born on June 25, 1949, Tambay went on to spend a decade in F1, racing for some of the biggest teams in grand prix racing including McLaren, Ferrari and Renault.

He made his debut at the French Grand Prix in 1977 with Surtees but failed to qualify, before switching to Theodore Racing for the second half of the season.

His first season with McLaren the following year yielded a best result of fourth, which would remain his best result in Formula 1 until he was called up by Ferrari to replace Gilles Villeneuve during the middle of the 1982 season following the Canadian’s death at Zolder.

After claiming a podium finish in only his second race with the Scuderia at Brands Hatch, Tambay notched up his maiden victory at the German GP just weeks later. He later scored a memorable second-place on Scuderia Ferrari ’s home turf at Monza in the final European race of the campaign.

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The 1983 Dutch Grand Prix was held at Zandvoort on 28 August 1983. It was the twelfth race of the 1983 FIA Formula One World Championship.

The 72-lap race was won by René Arnoux, driving a Ferrari, with team-mate Patrick Tambay second and John Watson third in a McLaren-Ford. Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet collided midway through the race while challenging for the lead, allowing Arnoux to move into second in the Drivers’ Championship, eight points behind Prost. However, this would turn out to be Arnoux’s last Formula One victory. Derek Warwick finished fourth to score his and the Toleman team’s first points. Mauro Baldi in the Alfa Romeo and Michele Alboreto in the Tyrrell completed the top six.

The victories with Rene Arnoux at the German and the Dutch GPs confirmed the strength of the new single-seater and the Scuderia won the Constructors’ Title again that year:

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Having arrived in F1 via the circuitous route of downhill skiing, the US college system and the American CanAm series, Patrick Tambay ended up driving for the Prancing Horse after the death of close friend Gilles Villeneuve. He then helped carry the team through one of its most tumultuous periods, famously providing spirit-lifting victories in Germany and San Marino.

In an episode of Formula 1’s official podcast – Beyond The Grid, from back in 2020, the amiable Frenchman talked us through his memorable career, regaling Tom with anecdotes of partying with former team mate James Hunt, Villeneuve’s madcap antics off-track and that turbulent Ferrari period:

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French F1 driver Patrick Tambay took over the Scuderia Ferrari race seat of his great friend, Gilles Villeneuve, following his tragic death in 1982 during the Belgian Grand Prix. He thrilled Ferrari fans world-wide when he brought Gilles’ #27 to victory that same year at the Germany Grand Prix at Hochenheim. It was also his first Grand Prix victory.

But the 1982 German GP had a tragic epilogue for the then leading man of the championship Didier Pironi (Patrick Tambay’s Ferrari teammate) who crashed in qualifying and sustained heavy injuries. Hockenheim had been modified for 1982 with slower first chicane and cars were extremely fast in the last year of ground effect aerodynamics, which enabled the generation of unseen levels of downforce, and in 1983 there was a big change in rules which banned designing the car around this aerodynamic concept.

A wet qualifying session saw championship leader Didier Pironi put in a lap good enough for pole, yet he continued to try and better his time. Disaster struck and, unsighted in the spray, he crashed into the back of the slow-moving Renault of Alain Prost. The Ferrari was catapulted into the air and Pironi’s legs were destroyed in the crash. He would never race again.

The incident had psychological ramifications for Prost too, who claimed he was haunted by the crash and never felt comfortable again driving an F1 car in conditions of limited visibility.

1982 German Grand Prix – full race

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Rene Arnoux kept the lead at the start, but it was soon clear that the Brabham had the best race pace. On lap 6, Patrese went into the lead, only losing it after losing time in a pit stop on lap 34. In the closing stages, the spectators were treated to a thrilling duel between Patrese and Patrick Tambay which might have posed a hypothetical problem for the Italian crowd: should it cheer for an Italian driver or a Frenchman in a Ferrari? Of course, there was no doubt where their support lay, with the home team.

In the end, they didn’t have to worry, because while Patrese attacked and passed Patrick Tambay at Tosa six laps from the flag, shortly afterwards he made a mistake at the Acque Minerali chicane, ending up in the barriers. The crowd were vocal in their delight for the Maranello marque and were dubbed from then on as the Italian national team of motorsports. Driving the #27 car, Tambay dedicated his win to the man he had replaced in the Ferrari team, the late Gilles Villeneuve.

This would be the last time that Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari saw his Formula One team score a victory in person. Enzo never attended races outside Italy at the time, and Ferrari would not win on Italian soil again until after Enzo died in 1988.

Video: Tifosi celebrate Ferrari winner Patrick Tambay

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