Villeneuve Pironi: Racing’s Untold Tragedy – Watch the documentary on Formula 1’s rivals on Sky Sports | F1 News

The tragic story of the relationship between Ferrari teammates Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi is finally revealed; Watch Villeneuve Pironi: Racing’s Untold Tragedy on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Documentaries at 18:30 on Saturday or 19:00 on Sunday

Former World Champion Damon Hill has praised the “sensitive” narration of one of Formula 1’s most tragic stories ahead of the release of Villeneuve Pironi: Racing’s Untold Tragedy.

The documentary that will premiere on SkySports F1 And Sky documentaries right after qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at 18:30 on Saturday, tells the story of a friendship that turned into a feud between Ferrari drivers Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi that preceded their untimely deaths.

The documentary features interviews with the families of both drivers and revolves around the 1982 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, where a controversial incident led to the sudden collapse of their relationship.

Through compelling archive footage, interviews with Jacques Villeneuve (Gilles’ son) and fellow F1 World Champions Alain Prost and Sir Jackie Stewart, the profound story of their rise to fame culminating in that infamous and tragic 1982 season is revealed.

“It feels strange talking about the highlights because it’s actually a tragic story and unfortunately both of those drivers are no longer with us,” Hill said Sky Sports F1 Podcast.

“Gilles, he was a legendary driver, the starting point was his drive and his driving and his lack of fear. He was crazy fast.

“Then he got into a relationship on the team with Pironi and it’s a story of that friendship, the bond they had badly broken and ultimately maybe some of the energy that went into Gilles’ accident.

“It told the story very well and very sensitively.”

Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok, who attended a screening of the documentary alongside Hill in London on Tuesday, described it as “in many ways a very powerful, emotional rollercoaster ride”.

“It’s always a little weird looking at these movies when we know how they end,” Chandhok said.

“For me at least, it was the first time I had heard the whole family talk about the events in such detail. Jacques himself was always very reticent when it came to talking about his father, but he spoke about it very eloquently.

Hill, who drove alongside Jacques Villeneuve at Williams in 1996, added: “It was fascinating to hear what Jacques had to say about his father and to admit that in some ways and on some occasions he was afraid of his father .

“His father was a very direct person, a very honest person, and all of that was well commented on and comes out in the story.”

Watch Villeneuve Pironi: Racing’s Untold Tragedy on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Documentaries at 18:30 on Saturday or 19:00 on Sunday. Get Sky Sports