Patrick Tambay: Former Formula 1 Ferrari driver Tambay dies aged 73

Patrick Tambay won the 1983 San Marino Grand Prix - 1 of his 2 expansive prix victories

Former Formula 1 operator Patrick Tambay has died aged 73.

Tambay, who had been suffering from Parkinson's Disease, was astir celebrated for his relation with Ferrari.

He was a starring subordinate of a procreation of apical French F1 drivers that included the likes of Alain Prost, Rene Arnoux, Didier Pironi and Jacques Laffite.

Tambay was astir celebrated for his affectional play and a fractional with Ferrari successful 1982 and 1983, and the mode his vocation was intertwined with his friend, the legendary Gilles Villeneuve.

The brace made their expansive prix debuts unneurotic astatine the 1977 British Grand Prix; Villeneuve for McLaren, Tambay for Theodore.

Despite a starring debut by Villeneuve astatine Silverstone, which has gone down successful F1 legend, McLaren preferred Tambay for a full-time thrust successful 1978.

That freed up Villeneuve for a determination to Ferrari, wherever the Canadian became an iconic fig for his bravery, velocity and daringly acrobatic benignant done conscionable implicit 4 seasons with the team.

Tambay's career, by contrast, stalled aft 2 years with McLaren, arsenic helium returned to struggling Theodore for 1980, and past finished the 2nd fractional of 1981 with a determination to Ligier.

In 1982, his clip successful F1 seemed to beryllium over, but erstwhile Villeneuve was killed successful a horrific clang successful qualifying astatine the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix, Ferrari turned to Tambay arsenic his replacement.

Tambay made his debut for the squad astatine the Dutch Grand Prix alongside Pironi, whose triumph astatine Zandvoort confirmed his presumption arsenic title favourite.

But 3 races later, Pironi suffered career-ending limb injuries successful a clang successful qualifying successful Germany that bore singular similarities to the mishap that had killed Villeneuve.

Tambay won the contention the pursuing day, successful a car bearing Villeneuve's celebrated fig 27, and instantly secured a spot successful the hearts of the celebrated Ferrari fans, the tifosi.

Tambay joined Ferrari pursuing the decease of his person Gilles Villeneuve

His presumption arsenic a Ferrari leader was secured astatine the San Marino Grand Prix successful 1983.

The contention astatine Imola the erstwhile twelvemonth had marked the illness of Villeneuve's narration with Ferrari.

Pironi stole triumph from nether his team-mate's chemoreceptor erstwhile Villeneuve thought they were nether squad orders to cruise one-two to the finish. Team main Marco Piccinini sided with Pironi, and Villeneuve vowed ne'er to talk to the Frenchman again.

Two weeks later, Villeneuve had crashed to his death, inactive furious with the mode events had played out, and alert his clip astatine Ferrari would beryllium implicit astatine the extremity of the year.

At Imola successful 1983, Tambay started from the aforesaid 3rd spot connected the grid arsenic Villeneuve had the twelvemonth before, and a Canadian emblem had been painted connected to the way successful beforehand of his car.

And erstwhile Ricciardo Patrese crashed his Brabham retired of the pb successful the last stages, Tambay inherited a triumph galore successful Italy saw arsenic destiny, sending the assemblage into raptures.

Tambay and team-mate Rene Arnoux were rubric contenders that twelvemonth but some mislaid retired to eventual champion Nelson Piquet of Brabham and Prost astatine Renault.

And erstwhile Ferrari signed Michele Alboreto alongside Arnoux for 1984, Tambay moved to Renault for 2 years.

The team, who had conscionable fired Prost aft they failed to triumph the 1983 rubric together, were opening a decline. They failed to triumph a contention successful the 2 seasons Tambay partnered Englishman Derek Warwick, though Tambay did instrumentality rod presumption astatine the 1984 French Grand Prix.

He joined the caller US-based Haas squad for 1986, but the outfit were uncompetitive. They collapsed aft conscionable 1 play and Tambay's F1 vocation ended with it.

After a two-year interruption from the sport, Tambay returned to the cockpit successful the satellite sportswear title successful 1989, finishing 4th astatine Le Mans successful a Jaguar, and past took up godforsaken rallying, doubly finishing successful the apical 3 of the celebrated Paris-Dakar Rally.

Tambay was besides godfather to Gilles Villeneuve's lad Jacques, and was progressive successful his racing improvement successful a vocation successful which helium won the 1995 IndyCar rubric and Indianapolis 500, and past the F1 satellite title with Williams successful 1997.