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Didier Pironi
Nationality	French
World Championship Career
Active years	1978-1982
Team(s)	Tyrrell, Ligier, Ferrari
Races	72
Championships	0
Wins	3
Podium finishes	13
Pole positions	4
Fastest laps
First race	1978 Argentine Grand Prix
First win	1980 Belgian Grand Prix
Last win	1982 Dutch Grand Prix
Last race	1982 German Grand Prix

Didier Pironi (b. 26 March 1952, Villescresnes, Val-de-Marne - d. 23 August 1987, Southampton, UK) was a motor racing driver from France. During his career he competed in 72 Formula One Grands Prix, mostly driving for Tyrrell and Ferrari, and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1978 driving a Renault Alpine A442B.

Initially Pironi began studying as an engineer, but this fell by the wayside following his enrollment at the Paul Ricard driving school. He was awarded the Pilot Elf sponsorship bursary in 1972, with the French national oil company funding his early career, mostly in Renault-powered vehicles. Benefiting from this same Elf sponsorship, to promote young French motorsport talent, that bequeathed the likes of Patrick Tambay and Alain Prost to Formula One, Didier Pironi made his top-flight debut on January 15, 1978. This was with Ken Tyrrell's team which, despite being British, had a strong working relationship with Elf, dating back to the late 1960s. In the same year, Pironi was part of the massive Renault squad tasked with winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Partnering Jean-Pierre Jaussaud in the team's second car, the unusual "bubble roof" A442B, he won the race by four laps from the rival Porsche 936s.

Two seasons with the underfinanced Tyrrell team demonstrated enough promise for Guy Ligier to sign Pironi to his rather erratic eponymous French team in 1980, a season in which Didier recorded his first victory, in the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder, as well as several podium finishes. Indeed, such were Pironi's performances that as early as the second race of the season, Enzo Ferrari expressed an interest in the Frenchman's services, which he secured for 1981.

Teamed with Gilles Villeneuve, Pironi was rather shaded in his first season with Ferrari; for someone so preoccupied with becoming the first French driver to win the Formula One title, the events of this year may have played a role in the turbulent and unhappy 1982 campaign. Establishing a fine rapport with the senior members of the team, Pironi arguably exploited this good relationship in the aftermath of the notorious San Marino race where he is widely thought to have duped Villeneuve into conceding victory by giving the impression that he would follow his Canadian team-mate through the final lap, only to unexpectedly power past Gilles into the Tosa hairpin. Pironi's friendship with senior members in the team resulted in his dubious story of "engine problems" for both cars gaining widespread currency, much to Villeneuve's chagrin. The Canadian would be killed in qualifying at the following race, and his furious state of mind is often considered a contributory cause to his accident.

With a fast, reliable car, the title looked to be Pironi's for the taking, but the Frenchman's own state of mind underwent severe stress with the antipathy directed toward him in the wake of the Zolder tragedy, the breakdown of his marriage and observing first hand the death of Riccardo Paletti in the Canadian Grand Prix, the young Italian ploughing into Pironi's stalled Ferrari on the starting grid. Some of these events may have resulted in the over-confidence and arrogance that team members are reported to have observed in Pironi's behaviour at subsequent events (including an absolute certainty that he would win the title), and in such a mindset he unnecessarily lapped a drenched Hockenheim in a meaningless practice session at the German Grand Prix at high speed. Passing Derek Daly's Williams, Pironi, unsighted, smashed into the back of Prost's Renault, triggering a horribly violent accident with ghastly echoes of that suffered by Villeneuve. Pironi survived, but injuries to his legs meant he never raced again in 1982. Despite the accident, he still finished runner-up in the 1982 championship, a reminder of what might have been.

In 1986 it looked as if Pironi would make a come back. He tested for the French AGS team, and proved that he was still fast enough to be competitive in Formula One. But when he could not find a seat in a good team in 1987 he resorted to powerboat racing. On August 23, 1987, Didier Pironi was killed in an accident near the Isle of Wight,that also took the life of his two crew members: journalist Bernard Giroux and his old friend Jean-Claude Guenard.

In his Formula One career Didier Pironi won 3 races, achieved 13 podiums, and scored a total of 101 championship points. He also secured 4 pole positions.

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Yr	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Team	WDC	Points
1978	Tyrrell	ARG 14	BRA 6	SAF 6	SAW Ret	MON 5	BEL 6	SPA 12	SWE Ret	FRA 10	GBR Ret	DEU 5	AUT Ret	DUT Ret	ITA Ret	USA 10	CAN 7	Tyrrell	15	7
1979	Tyrrell	ARG Ret	BRA 4	SAF Ret	SAW DSQ	SPA 6	BEL 3	MON Ret	FRA Ret	GBR 10	DEU 9	AUT 7	DUT Ret	ITA 10	CAN 5	USA 3		Tyrrell	11	14
1980	Ligier	ARG Ret	BRA 4	SAF 3	SAW 6	BEL 1	MON Ret	FRA 2	GBR Ret	DEU Ret	AUT Ret	DUT Ret	ITA 6	CAN 3	USA 3			Ligier	5	32
1981	Ferrari	SAW Ret	BRA Ret	ARG Ret	RSM 5	BEL 8	MON 4	SPA 15	FRA 5	GBR Ret	DEU Ret	AUT 9	DUT Ret	ITA 5	CAN Ret	LAS 9		Ferrari	13	9
1982	Ferrari	SAF 18	BRA 6	SAW Ret	RSM 1	BEL WD	MON 2	SAE 3	CAN 9	DUT 1	GBR 2	FRA 3	DEU DNS	AUT	SWI	ITA	LAS	Ferrari	2	39

• Didier Pironi Memorial

Preceded by Jacky Ickx Hurley Haywood Jürgen Barth

Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1978 Jean-Pierre Jaussaud Didier Pironi

Succeeded by Klaus Ludwig Bill Whittington Don Whittington