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For anyone of my generation, the Montreal paddock inevitably makes you think, at some point, of Gilles Villeneuve. In his tragically brief career, Gilles competed at the circuit named for him only four times, finishing first, second, third and fifth - and it was this last result, interestingly, that an old friend and I reflected on over lunch at the track one day.
This was 1980, the year of the dread Ferrari 312T5. If the previous season's T4 had been a success, with Jody Scheckter and Villeneuve first and second in the world championship, time caught up with the lightly developed T5.
Pioneered by the Lotus 79, an effective 'ground-effect' chassis was by now essential for competitiveness, and the shape of Ferrari's flat-12 engine militated against such a thing. In 1980, Villeneuve and Scheckter had good horsepower at their disposal, but not much else. As they arrived for the Canadian Grand Prix - run back then in late autumn - Gilles was 15th in the points standings, Jody 19th.
