GP: Italian GP
Date: 12 September 1982
Winner: René Arnoux - Renault
Several stories came together in Monza.
Ferrari was dealing with a year of tragedy. Gilles Villeneuve died in Belgium on 8th May, then in August, Didier Pironi suffered terrible injuries in practice at Hockenheim. Patrick Tambay was called in to replace Gilles, but had to miss the Swiss Grand Prix, held in Dijon, France, because of an inflamed tendon.
For the race in Italy, the Prancing Horse squad called up an old friend, Mario Andretti, who had won the 1978 World Championship with Lotus.
At 42 years of age, Mario still displayed his legendary determination, securing pole which gave the fans an all too rare moment to cheer about after so much sadness.
He went on to finish third in the race won by Arnoux, who would join Ferrari the following year, with Tambay second.
1982 was the year in which Keke Rosberg took the title for Williams, despite only winning once, in the aforementioned Swiss GP. Despite missing six of the sixteen Grand Prix races, Pironi finished second.
Always in 1982, Villeneuve's death caused enormous shock. Also that year, the young Riccardo Paletti died in an accident at the start of the Canadian Grand Prix.
Paletti was born in Milan on 15 June 1958. He was driving an Osella and was making his second start in Formula 1.
In 2025 Pirelli will hit the 500 F1® Grands Prix mark during the season.
Legacy of Speed series looks back at the fifty most significant Grands Prix from Pirelli's time on the F1 World Championship trail.
