< > There are few sensations in life sure to equal the thrill of a driver’s first grand prix victory, even more so when that victory comes at your home circuit, as it did for Gilles Villeneuve in 1978. Widely regarded as one of Formula 1’s greatest ever talents, the legend began for Villeneuve on a frosty October day at the then-called Circuit Île Notre-Dame (a circuit which now bears his name) in Montreal, which was coincidentally making its F1 debut with that year’s race as the 16th and final of the 1978 season. Villeneuve started P3 in his Ferrari, just 0.215 of a second off Lotus’ Jean-Pierre Jarier for pole in what was a particularly mixed-up grid. Freshly crowned...
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