Patrick Tambay
Patrick Tambay | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Paris, France |
| Died | December 4, 2022 (aged 73) |
| Occupation(s) | Racing driver, commentator, political figure |
| Years active | 1977–1986 (Formula One) |
| Known for | Formula One racing driver, two Grand Prix wins |
Patrick Daniel Tambay (25 June 1949 – 4 December 2022) was a French racing driver, commentator, and political figure who participated in Formula One from to . Throughout his nine-season career, he achieved two victories in Formula One Grands Prix.
Hailing from Paris, Tambay honed his skills at the Winfield Racing School in 1971. Between and , he drove for several teams such as Surtees, Theodore, Ligier, and McLaren, experiencing varied levels of success. He also earned two titles in the Can-Am series under the guidance of Carl Haas in 1977 and 1980. After the tragic passing of Gilles Villeneuve in , Tambay joined Ferrari, securing his maiden victory just four races later at the Grand Prix. His second triumph came at the 1983 San Marino Grand Prix, culminating in a fourth-place finish in the World Drivers' Championship that year, marking his personal best. In , he transitioned to Renault before ending his F1 tenure with Haas Lola, accumulating two wins, five poles, two fastest laps, and eleven podium finishes.
Following his Formula One career, Tambay took part in competitions including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the World Sportscar Championship, and the challenging Dakar Rally.
Racing career
Early on, Tambay competed in the Formula 5000 category with Carl Haas’s team. He claimed the Can Am championship in 1977 under Haas’s management and made his Formula One debut at the 1977 French Grand Prix driving for Surtees. Later that year, he moved to Theodore for the remainder of the season. Tambay then spent full seasons with McLaren in 1978 and 1979. In 1980, he returned to Can Am racing with Haas’s Lola outfit, where he secured early victories en route to his second championship title.
In 1981, Tambay re-entered Formula One, starting with Theodore before concluding the year at Ligier. The following year, he was briefly linked to a seat at Arrows, but withdrew amid complications on race day. Later in 1982, after Gilles Villeneuve’s fatal accident, Tambay stepped into a role at Ferrari. He captured his first Grand Prix win at the 1982 German Grand Prix and followed this with a second victory in 1983 at Imola, piloting Villeneuve’s #27 car. Despite finishing fourth overall in the 1983 World Championship and aiding Ferrari in securing the Constructors’ title, Tambay was replaced by Michele Alboreto for the 1984 season.
He then signed with Renault, a team that had shown promise recently but declined after 1983. During two seasons with Renault, his highlight was earning pole position and finishing second at the 1984 French Grand Prix. In 1986, Tambay reunited with Carl Haas at the newly formed Haas Lola F1 team alongside former World Champion Alan Jones. Although powered exclusively by Ford’s TEC V6 turbo engine, Tambay’s performance was hampered by underdeveloped machinery; his best result was fifth place at the 1986 Austrian Grand Prix. Following a loss of significant backing from Beatrice Foods mid-year, Haas shut down operations, leaving Tambay without a drive for 1987 and prompting his retirement from Formula One.
After leaving F1, Tambay established a sports promotion enterprise based in Switzerland in 1987 but resumed racing activities by 1989. He competed in the World Sportscar Championship with Jaguar and secured fourth place at the prestigious 24 hours of Le Mans. Subsequently, he took part in desert rally raids achieving two podium finishes in the demanding Paris-Dakar, alongside engagements in ice racing events and jet ski contests such as the Tour de Corse.
Later years and passing
Following his retirement from professional racing, Tambay transitioned to a role as a French television motorsport analyst and took on the position of deputy mayor in Le Cannet, located close to Cannes. He was the godfather of 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, and his own son, Adrien, participated in the DTM series between 2012 and 2016. After enduring several years with Parkinson's disease, Tambay passed away on 4 December 2022 at the age of 73. The news of his death was confirmed by his son Adrien.
Career overview
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | Fastest Laps | Podiums | Points | Final Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | European Formula Two | Écurie Elf | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 7th |
| 1975 | European Formula Two | March Engineering | 14 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 36 | 2nd |
| 1976 | European Formula Two | Automobiles Martini | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 39 | 3rd |
| SCCA Continental Championship | Theodore Racing Hong Kong | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21st | |
| 1977 | Formula One | Theodore Racing Hong Kong | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 18th |
| Can-Am | Carl Haas Carl A. Haas Racing | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1st | |
| 1977 European Formula Two Championship | Ardmore Racing | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| Season !Series !Team !Races !Wins !Poles !Fastest Laps !Podiums !Points !Final Standing | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 1978 Formula One season | Marlboro McLaren | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 14th |
| 1978 European Formula Two Championship | Chevron Cars Ltd | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NCTemplate:Smallsup│‡ | |
| 1979 | 1979 Formula One season | Marlboro McLaren | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 1980 | 1980 Can-Am season | Carl Haas A. Haas Racing | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1st |
| rowspan=3│1981 | 1981 Formula One World Championship | align=left│Équipe Ligier Talbot Gitanes | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | rowspan=2│1 | rowspan=2│19th |
| align=left│Theodore Racing | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 1981 | align=left│1981 24 Hours of Le Mans | align=left│Oceanic Jean Rondeau (racing driver) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF |
| 1982 | align=left│1982 Formula One World Championship | align=left│Scuderia Ferrari | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 7th |
| 1983 | align=left│1983 Formula One World Championship | align=left│Ferrari | 15 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 40 | 4th |
| 1984 |
align=left│1984 Formula One World Championship |
align=left│Renault in Formula One Elf Aquitaine |
15 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
11 |
11th |
| 1985 |
align=left│1985 Formula One World Championship |
align=left│Renault Elf Aquitaine |
15 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
11 |
12th |
| 1986 |
align=left│1986 Formula One World Championship |
align=left│Haas Lola Team Haas (USA) Ltd. |
14 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
15th |
| 1989 |
align=left│1989 World Sportscar Championship |
align=left│Silk Cut Jaguar |
8 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
30 |
8th |
| 2005 |
align=left│Grand Prix Masters#2005 |
align=left│Team Lixxus |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
– |
| 2006 |
align=left│Grand Prix Masters#2006 |
align=left│Team Lixxus |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
– |
| Template:Center | |||||||||
Graded drivers were ineligible for scoring points in the European Formula Two Championship.
Complete European Formula Two Championship results
(key) (Entries in bold denote pole positions; entries in italics signify fastest laps)
| Year | Team | Car | Power Unit | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:F2 | Ecurie Elf | Alpine A367 | BMW | BAR 10 |
HOC 5 |
PAU Ret |
SAL 4 |
HOC Ret |
MUG NC |
KAR Ret |
PER Ret |
HOC 4 |
VAL 4 |
7th | 11 | ||||
| Template:F2 | March Engineering | March 752 | BMW | EST Ret |
THR 2 |
HOC Ret |
NÜR 2 |
PAU Ret |
HOC Ret |
SAL 15 |
ROU 2 |
MUG Ret |
PER Ret |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | SIL 4 |
style="background:#DFDFDF;" | ZOL 2 |
style="background:#FFFFBF;" | NOG 1 |
style="background:#EFCFFF;" | VAL Ret |
2nd | 36 |
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key) (Entries in bold represent pole positions; entries in italics indicate fastest laps)
| Year | Team | Car Model | Engine Type | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | "WDC" | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Durex Surtees Racing Organisation | Surtees TS19 | Cosworth DFV Ford Cosworth DFV, 3.0 L V8 |
style="background:#FFCFCF;" | 1977 French Grand Prix |
colspan=8 | |
18th |
5 | |||||||||||||||
| Theodore Racing Hong Kong | Ensign N177 | Ford Cosworth DFV, 3.0 L V8 |
colspan=9 | |
style="background:#EFCFFF;" | 1977 British Grand Prix |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | 1977 German Grand Prix |
style="background:#EFCFFF;" | 1977 Austrian Grand Prix |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | 1977 Dutch Grand Prix |
style="background:#EFCFFF;" | 1977 Italian Grand Prix |
style="background:#FFCFCF;" | 1977 United States Grand Prix |
style="background:#DFFFDF;" | 1977 Canadian Grand Prix |
style="background:#EFCFFF;" | 1977 Japanese Grand Prix |
|- |- ! rowspan=2 | 1978 ! Marlboro McLaren ! rowspan=2 nowrap | McLaren M26 ! rowspan=2 nowrap | Ford Cosworth DFV, 3.0 L V8 | style="background:#DFFFDF;" | ARG | style="background:#EFCFFF;" | BRA | style="background:#EFCFFF;" | RSA | style="background:#CFCFFF;" | United States Grand Prix West | style="background:#CFCFFF;" | MON | 1978 Belgian Grand Prix | style="background:#EFCFFF;" | ESP | style="background:#DFFFDF;" | SWE | style="background:#CFCFFF;" | FRA | style="background:#DFFFDF;" | GBR | style="background:#EFCFFF;" | GER | style="background:#EFCFFF;" | AUT | style="background:#CFCFFF;" | NED | style="background:#DFFFDF;" | ITA | ! 14th ! 8 |- ! rowspan=1 | Löwenbräu Brewery McLaren | colspan=14 | | style="background:#DFFFDF;" | USA | style="background:#CFCFFF;" | CAN | ! ! |} |- ! rowspan=6 | 1979 ! Löwenbräu Brewery McLaren ! rowspan=2 | McLaren M28 ! rowspan=6 | Ford Cosworth DFV, 3.0 L V8 | colspan=3 | | style="background:#EFCFFF;" | USW | colspan=13 | ! NC ! 0 |- ! rowspan=5 nowrap="" | Marlboro McLaren | style="background:#EFCFFF;" | ARG | ! (style and results for subsequent races not detailed) |}
24 Hours of Le Mans results
Complete Canadian-American Challenge Cup results
(key) (Bolded races signify pole position) (Italicized races denote fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car Model | Engine Type | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Final Position | Points Earned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Carl A. Haas Racing | Lola T333CS | Chevrolet V8 | MTR | LAG | WGL 1 |
ROA 4 |
MOH 1 |
MOS 1 |
CTR 1 |
SON 1 |
RIV 1 |
1st | 159 | |
| 1980 | Carl A. Haas Racing | Lola T530 | Chevrolet V8 | SON 1 |
MOH 1 |
MOS 1 |
WGL 1 |
ROA | BRA 1 |
CTR] 1 |
ATL 4 |
LAG 18 |
RIV] 3 |
style="background:#FFFFBF;" | 1st |
style="background:#FFFFBF;" | 61 |
Complete Grand Prix Masters Results
(key) Events highlighted in bold denote pole position, while those in italics represent the fastest lap.
| Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Team Lixxus | Delta Motorsport GPM | Nicholson McLaren 3.5 V8 | RSA 11 |
||||
| 2006 | Team Lixxus | Delta Motorsport GPM | Nicholson McLaren 3.5 V8 | QAT 11 |
ITA C |
GBR 11 |
MAL C |
RSA C |