The Frenchman died at the age of 73 after battling Parkinson’s disease for several years. He won two Grands Prix in 1982 and 1983.
Sad news crosses the world of motorsport this Sunday: after several years of fighting against Parkinson’s disease, died aged 73 French Formula 1 driver Patrick Tambay.
This was reported by family sources, who confirmed the death of the driver who throughout his career won two Grand Prix one in 1982 and another in 1983.
During his 10 years in Formula 1 raced for McLaren, Ligier and Renaultbut his best results were obtained with Ferrarifor which he raced for two seasons and with which he celebrated his only two victories.
The first of them was dedicated to his colleague Gilles Villeneuve, whom he replaced in the Italy team after his death. It was there that he scored his first podium, finishing third in the British Grand Prix. Dwarf wins its first Grand Prix in Germany.
The following year, in 1983, he repeated his victory at the Grand Prix of San Marino, in a championship where finished fourth obtaining its best result in the highest category.
Patrick Tambay and his career in Formula 1
Born in Paris on June 25, 1949, Patrick Tambay made his debut in Formula 1 in 1977 with the Théodore team. He then joined McLaren in 1978 and Ferrari in 1982.
He joined the Italian team after the death of Canadian Gilles Villeneuve then joined Didier Pironi, victim of a serious accident a few weeks later during qualifying for the German Grand Prix. Tambay took the win that year.
During his two seasons with the French team, he finished 11th in the championship in 1984 and 12th in 1985.
Considered a “gentleman driver”, Tambay participated four times in the 24 hours of Le Mans, his best participation being a 4th place with Jaguar in 1989. He also participated in the Paris-Dakar rally, obtaining third place twice (1988 and 1989).
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