Spanish Grand Prix

Villeneuve's masterpiece

The Ferrari 126CK had no business winning at Jarama. It was a turbo car on a tight, twisty circuit where its power advantage meant nothing. But Gilles Villeneuve drove the most inspired defensive race in F1 history, weaving and blocking a train of four faster cars – Laffite, Watson, Reutemann, and de Angelis – for the entire race. He won by just 0.22 seconds. Pure racecraft, pure heart, pure Villeneuve.

Defensive driving as an art form

These days you'd get a penalty for what Villeneuve did at Jarama, and that tells you everything about how far the sport has fallen. The man wrestled that turbo Ferrari around a track it was completely unsuited to and held off four cars that were faster in every sector. Laffite, Watson, Reutemann, de Angelis – all quicker, none could get past. The gap at the end was two tenths of a second. They don't make drivers like Gilles anymore.

The most heroic win I've ever seen

I don't know how many times I've watched this race and I still can't believe Villeneuve pulled it off. The turbo Ferrari was a handful at the best of times, and Jarama was all about traction and precision. He had Laffite's Ligier right on his gearbox for lap after lap, with Watson, Reutemann, and de Angelis queued up behind. Any mistake, any misjudgment, and at least one of them gets through. He made zero mistakes. Victory by 0.22 seconds. Incredible.