Patrick Tambay

Patrick Daniel Tambay (; 25 June 1949 – 4 December 2022) was a French racing driver, broadcaster and politician, who competed in Formula One from to . Tambay won two Formula One Grands Prix across nine seasons.

Born and raised in Paris, Tambay gained training as a racing driver at the Winfield Racing School in 1971. Between and , he raced for an assortment of teams including Surtees, Theodore, Ligier and McLaren with mixed results; he additionally won two Can-Am titles under Carl Haas in 1977 and 1980. Tambay was hired by Ferrari after the death of Gilles Villeneuve in , taking his maiden victory four races later at the . His second and final victory came the following season in San Marino, finishing the season a career-best fourth in the World Drivers' Championship. In , Tambay moved to Renault, before ending his Formula One career at Haas Lola, having achieved two wins, five pole positions, two fastest laps and 11 podiums.

Tambay competed in various forms of motorsport following his departure from Formula One, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the World Sportscar Championship, and the Dakar Rally.

Racing career Tambay at the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix where, like many others, he retired after hitting a wall. Early in his career, Tambay was a part of Formula 5000 with the team run by Carl Haas.

In 1977, winning the Can Am championship with Haas, Tambay debuted in Formula One on a one-off basis with Surtees, driving in only one session at the 1977 French Grand Prix before spending the rest of the season with Theodore. This partnership proved fruitful, and Tambay moved to McLaren to race Formula One full-time for the 1978 and 1979 seasons. In 1980, he returned to Can Am with the Lola team run by Carl Haas, immediately winning early in the season and then winning his second Can-Am championship. Later in 1982, he was offered a place with the Scuderia Ferrari after the death of his close friend Gilles Villeneuve. He was the godfather to 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, while his son Adrien raced in the DTM championship between 2012 and 2016. After suffering from Parkinson's disease for several years, Tambay died on 4 December 2022 at home, at age 73. His son Adrien announced his death.

Racing record Career summary Graded drivers not eligible for European Formula Two Championship points.

Complete European Formula Two Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pts Ecurie Elf Alpine A367 BMW BAR HOC PAU SAL HOC MUG KAR PER HOC VAL 7th 11 March Engineering March 752 BMW EST THR HOC NÜR PAU HOC SAL ROU MUG PER SIL ZOL NOG VAL 2nd 36 Automobiles Martini Martini Mk 19 Renault HOC THR VLL SAL PAU HOC ROU MUG PER EST NOG HOC 3rd 39 Ardmore Racing Chevron B40 Hart SIL THR HOC NÜR VLL PAU MUG ROU NOG PER MIS EST DON NC 0 Chevron Cars Chevron B42 Hart THR HOC NÜR PAU MUG VLL ROU DON NOG PER MIS HOC NC 0

Complete Grand Prix Masters results (key) Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap. Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 2005 Team Lixxus Delta Motorsport GPM Nicholson McLaren 3.5 V8 RSA 2006 Team Lixxus Delta Motorsport GPM Nicholson McLaren 3.5 V8 QAT ITA GBR MAL RSA