Pironi: The Champion that Never Was

by David Sedgwick

Pironi: The Champion that Never Was relates the remarkable story of motor racing's forgotten man, ex-Ferrari F1 driver and offshore powerboat racer, Didier Pironi. The book charts an incredible journey which took the young Parisian to the heights of triumph and the depths of despair. Before he joined the legendary Ferrari stable, Pironi was already a Formula Renault, Le Mans and grand prix winner. By 1982, the time had surely come for the enigmatic Frenchman to become his country's first Formula 1 world champion. He was to come tantalisingly close to achieving that lifetime ambition, ahead in the world championship and in pole position for the German Grand Prix – before crashing so disastrously in practice. Over the next five years he fought a long and painful battle to return to the cockpit to reclaim the title that had eluded him that grim morning. It was not to be. Thereafter Didier turned his attention to offshore powerboating where his remarkable life would come to a shattering end

256 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Dominic · Rating 3 out of 5]

The life and times of a man who lived and died harder and faster than most of us would ever want to. Sedgwick's tale is a standard in the pantheon of F1's forgotten men who are either half-forgotten or were unknown to those who weren't around by the time he was making headlines (and not always in the way he would probably like).

I would've been in the latter part of these categories. I was only an infant when he had passed away but like most children being attracted to noise, F1 was attractive - no more so than in Monaco - and being an avid magazine reader, I would pick up my first issue of F1 Racing and would read about the unfortunate accident of Riccardo Palletti dying on impacting against Pironi's stalled Ferrari. The story woven of this and Pironi's resolve to "drive like a man possessed" certainly impressed me. Of course it had mentioned the spectre of Gilles Villeneuve's death at Zolder and the impact Pironi's win at Imola would have on Gilles. Even when knowing the impact of Senna's death at Imola in 1994, I was impressed with the story of daredevilry and sheer bloody-mindedness. The advent of Youtube has meant that I can see these races (if they don't get copywright stricken) that were before my time and of course become part of the armchair punditry that is part of the whole shebang.

So I read this with a sense of anticipation because even though I had read various pieces on this (and probably will again depending on my mood), I wondered what this could bring given that there is precious little on Pironi other than Wikipedia pieces, GP overviews and those who will perenially blame him for Villeneuve's death. And? Well it's a passionately put together piece that can be riddled with the usual syntax and reliance on national stereotypes. Not always a bad thing as its passion is what helps keeps your interest. However, given that the writer was a fan of Pironi it becomes somewhat problematic when he throws all objectivity out of the window when he presents what he feels are reasons for a certain performance deficit at Imola for qualifying. What some see as proof, others would dismiss as excuses. Pironi was unfairly maligned at Imola but reasons behind qualifying statistics mean nothing. There are also times where the author's imagination tends to go into a speed much like Pironi's Ferrari 126C/2 and will leave you thinking of a sordid tabloid journalist who has got himself one hell of a scoop! Above all it sometimes reads like a tabloid piece - no harm in that at all.

Overall though, it paints a picture of Pironi as an impatient man who while undoubtedly brilliant lacked both the right machinery and sometimes temperament to fully succeed in F1. He was always in a hurry. And that would prove to be his downfall. Not once but twice!

P.S.: This book still made me feel all the glut of emotions but also that there should be a biography of Jacques Laffite. There's also what appears to be an admission (I would think) that the author, by paraphrasing Derek Warwick's wife's views on Ayrton Senna, that he's not a huge fan of "Professeur" Alain Prost. I suppose nothing should be gleaned by reading between the lines though.

[Diogo Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are into F1 driver bios read it

Well written and easy to read, this book provides a balanced perspective on a complex character. I was never into the “Didier killed Gilles” nonsense, but always had the impression that he was a troubled man whose competitive intensity eventually led to self destruction. I think i have a more balanced view now

[Darren Galpin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The good thing about this book is that it tells the story of the 1982 F1 season from the other point of view. For the most part, the story has been told by journalists such as Nigel Roebuck who were friends of Villeneuve, and the story is told from that point of view, with the biases that entails. This is the counterpoint. An interesting read, although there were a few things stylistically I wasn't so keen on, it covers the life and thoughts of Pironi through quotes from numerous interviews and letters. Worth the read.

[Misty Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

My love of Formula 1 largely died in 1978 with the death of my 'hero' Ronnie Peterson, although I did soldier on for a few more years while his contemporaries were still racing. I think it was Pironi's major accident, along with the realisation that many of the new generation of drivers were largely a different 'breed', and the demise of Team Lotus, which ultimately made me lose interest.

Didier Pironi had not been high on my radar but, had he not been forced to leave Formula 1 when he did, I might well have been a fan. This book is a wonderful read - it takes the reader deep into the world of Pironi and his wider family and 'circle' and captures the machinations that take place behind the scenes of the highest levels of motorsport, without becoming too specialised or exclusively for petrolheads. It brought back many memories of the late 1970s and early 1980s and should be enjoyable to a wide audience, even if the reader is only marginally interested in motor racing

[Jozef Ostrowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed it. Lots of details about Pironi’s life before racing and also his personal life during his F1 days. Although I would’ve liked a bit more about his powerboat days.