1 year ago: the disappearance of Patrick Tambay (1949-2022)

Originally, Patrick Tambay considered a career in skiing. French Junior downhill champion in 1968, he saw his future blocked by the general level of the French team and decided to continue his studies in Colorado. With his young physique, his good education and his mastery of English, the Cannes native will have all the assets to succeed in motorsport... a bit by chance.

Attending the 1971 Monaco GP, he discovered a car of the flying school which has just opened at Paul Ricard (Var). He registered with no other ambition than to satisfy his curiosity and won in the final, becoming the first Elf Pilot in history. Starting in 1972, he finished 9th in the Critérium National de Formula. Renault at the wheel of a Alpine.

The following year was marked by a fierce duel with Rene Arnoux, Patrick narrowly losing the championship, despite six victories. Elf seeing in him a natural successor to François Cevert, he found himself propelled into F2, driving an Elf 2-BMW. He came out with honors, finishing 7th in the European Championship with three 4th places and a victory at Nogaro, outside the championship.

In 1975, he was ranked 3rd (tied for 2nd with Leclère, declared vice-champion based on the quality of places) in an official March, winning again at Nogaro. He did it again the following year behind the wheel of a Martini.

In 1977, he only raced sporadically in F2, winning the Malaysian GP in a March. Carl Haas allows him to debut in the resurgent Can-Am, replacing an injured Brian Redman. At the wheel of his Lola-Chevrolet, Patrick adapted so well that he was crowned with six victories.

F1 debut

Patrick Tambay driving the Ensign N177 Ford Cosworth for Theodore Racing Hong Kong in 1977 / © DPPI

His beginnings in F1 took place in Dijon (Côte d'Or), where Surtees invited him in the middle of the tests to replace Larry Perkins. Victim of an engine failure, the Frenchman failed to qualify. It was at Silverstone that he made his debut in earnest in an Ensign N177 from Teddy Yip's Theodore Racing. He scored his first point on his second start, at Hockenheim (Germany), before confirming with two 5th places at Zandvoort (Netherlands) and Mosport (Canada).

Tambay's F1 debut was so brilliant that Ferrari et McLaren disputed his services for 1978. To his misfortune, he chose the English team, which was going to begin a serious slump. At the wheel of the M26, he did not stand out compared to James Hunt, the two teammates finishing tied for 13th place.

6th in Buenos-Aires (Argentina), Brands Hatch (UK) and Watkins Glen (USA), 5th in Monza (Italy) and 4th in Anderstorp (Sweden), the Frenchman failed to get on the podium. In F2, victory escaped him at Pau, when his engine exploded one lap from the finish. Burned by… his fire extinguisher, he had to withdraw from the Belgian GP and the 24H of Le Mans, where he had to drive a Renault-Alpine for the 3th time.

1979 was a terrible season for McLaren: M26, M28, M29… none of them allowed Patrick to score points. Not qualified in Zolder (Belgium) and Monaco, he cannot do better than 7th at Silverstone (UK) and 10th in Kyalami (South Africa), Dijon and Zeltweg (Austria). With his reputation damaged, he found himself without a steering wheel in 1980 and fell back on Can-Am.

Once again, Patrick Tambay offers the title to Lola and Carl Haas with six successes. This allowed him to return to F1 in 1981, as did Theodore, who had become a constructor. After a dream start in Long Beach (USA), sanctioned by the point of 6th place, Tambay was no longer able to score, having to settle for 7th place in Monaco.

Following Jabouille's resignation, Guy Ligier invited him to join his team from the French GP. But this second part of the season will only be a long series of abandonments. Ousted in favor of Eddie Cheever, Patrick signed with Arrows for the first three Grands Prix of the 1982 season, replacing an injured Marc Surer. But in the middle of the drivers' strike, he announced to Kyalami his withdrawal from F1 which "disgusted" him.

He returns to Can-Am within the VDS team, for which he will only compete in the first round. Because F1 needs his services again.

The call of Maranello

Tambay will have made Number 27, dear to the Scuderia, shine / © DPPI

This time, the call comes from Didier Pironi and it involves replacing Gilles Villeneuve (Patrick's close friend) in the cockpit of the No. 27 Ferrari.

After a few days of reflection, he accepts this delicate mission. Discovering the 126 C2 at Zandvoort, Patrick was satisfied with 8th place, but by finishing 3rd at Brands Hatch, he finally obtained his first Grand Prix podium. After a 4th place at Paul Ricard, he found himself the team's sole driver at Hockenheim, following Pironi's accident during testing.

Far from giving in to the pressure, Tambay achieved the feat of winning the German GP after overtaking Arnoux's Renault. 4th at Zeltweg and 2nd at Monza, he withdrew from Dijon for the Swiss GP, as well as Las Vegas (USA), due to a herniated disc.

Despite everything, he finished his half-season in 7th place having largely contributed to the Scuderia's Constructors' title. He was rewarded with a starting place in 1983 alongside his best enemy, René Arnoux. After a 5th place in Rio, he obtained his first pole position in Long Beach, where he suffered a collision.

After a 4th place at Paul Ricard, he won at Imola after the Brabham de Patrese crashed: a highly symbolic victory with this No. 27 so dear to fans. 4th in Monaco, then 2nd in Zolder, Patrick is then in the running for the world title, but his teammate Arnoux takes the lead at Ferrari.

After two 3rd places in Montreal and Silverstone, Tambay signed two pole positions at Hockenheim and Zeltweg, where he was each time betrayed by his mechanics in the race. Despite a 2nd place at Zandvoort and a 4th at Monza, he will be satisfied with the final 4th place. A new pole position at Kyalami will not prevent the upcoming arrival of Michele Alboreto at Maranello.

>> ALSO READ: Patrick Tambay's victories in F1: Germany 1982 (1/2)

The Renault years

Tambay at the 1985 Dutch Grand Prix with Renault / © DPPI

Patrick finds refuge at Renault, where he replaces Alain Prost in 1984. A task made even heavier by the fact that Alain joined Lauda within a McLaren-Porsche above the rest. In this context, Renault is no longer a candidate for the title, the RE50 proving too greedy and unreliable.

5th in Rio, Patrick is having his best weekend in Dijon. Author of the 5th pole position of his career, he leads the way before giving in to Lauda. This 2nd place will be his only podium of the season, especially since in Monaco, the two Renaults are hanging on at the start.

Victim of a fractured fibula, Patrick withdrew from Montreal after free practice, before returning to Detroit. 5th at Hockenheim and 6th at Zandvoort, the leader of the Renault team finished the season in a disappointing 11th place, being beaten four places by Derek Warwick. This duo was renewed in 1985 within a Renault team which announced its withdrawal at the end of the season.

With an identical result for Patrick: 11th with 11 points… but two places ahead of his teammate, this time. After a good start to the season (5th in Rio, 3rd in Estoril and Imola), the Frenchman will only obtain a modest 6th place at Paul Ricard.

End of F1 career at Haas Lola

1986 will be his last season, within a Lola team managed by an old acquaintance, Carl Haas. With the Hart engine, the start of the season only brought an 8th place to Jerez. The highly anticipated Ford V6 turbo only arrives at the 4th Grand Prix, in Monaco, but it is a disappointment.

In addition, Patrick was injured at the tests in Montreal (Canada) and had to withdraw, as well as in Detroit (USA). He could not do better than 5th at Zeltweg and retired from F1 at the same time as the American team.

He continued his career in rally-raids (3rd in the Paris-Dakar in 1988 and 89). It was also in 1989 that he placed 8th in the World Sports Prototype Championship on a Jaguar, finishing 2nd at Jarama and 4th at Le Mans. We will then see it in IMSA, on the Bugatti EB110 of Gildo Pallanca-Pastor (1995-96) as well as in Grand-Prix Masters (2005-06). While following the career of his son Adrien, Patrick remained involved in F1 by commenting on Grands Prix on RMC until the 2010s.