Editing Gilles Villeneuve (section)

==Death==

{{See also|1982 Belgian Grand Prix}}
On May 8, 1982, Villeneuve died after an accident during the final qualifying session for the {{F1GP|1982|Belgian}} at [[Zolder]]. At the time of the crash, Pironi had set a time one-tenth of a second faster than Villeneuve for sixth place. Villeneuve was using his final set of qualifying tyres; some say he was attempting to improve his time on his final lap, while others suggest he was specifically aiming to beat Pironi.<ref>Bamsey (1983) p.50, Lang (1992) pp.96–97, Watkins (1997) p.98  and Fearnley (May 2007) all write that Villeneuve was attempting to beat Pironi. Jenkinson (June 1982) writes only that he "was in the middle of a last desperate bid to improve his grid position."</ref>  However, Villeneuve's biographer Gerald Donaldson quotes Ferrari race engineer [[Mauro Forghieri]] as saying that the Canadian, although pressing on in his usual fashion, was returning to the pit lane when the accident occurred. If so, he would not have set a time on that lap.<ref name=GD1>Donaldson (2003) pp.296–298</ref>

With eight minutes of the session left, Villeneuve came over the rise after the first chicane and caught Jochen Mass travelling much more slowly through ''Butte'', the left-handed bend before the ''Terlamenbocht'' double right-hand section. Mass saw Villeneuve approaching at high speed and moved to the right to let him through on the [[racing line]]. At the same instant Villeneuve also moved right to pass the slower car. The Ferrari hit the back of Mass' car and was launched into the air at a speed estimated to be {{convert|200-225|km/h|mph|||abbr=on}}. It was airborne for more than {{Convert|100|m|ft|abbr=on}} before nosediving into the ground and breaking apart as it somersaulted along the edge of the track. Villeneuve, still strapped to his seat, but now without his helmet, was thrown a further {{Convert|50|m|ft|abbr=on}} from the wreckage into the [[Catch fence|catch fencing]] on the outside edge of the ''Terlamenbocht'' corner.<ref name=GD1 /><ref>Lang (1992) p.97</ref>

Several drivers stopped and rushed to the scene. [[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson]] and [[Derek Warwick]] pulled Villeneuve, his face blue, from the catch fence.<ref>Fearnley (May 2007)</ref> The first doctor arrived within 35&nbsp;seconds to find that Villeneuve was not breathing, although with a pulse; he was [[intubate]]d and ventilated before being transferred to the circuit medical centre and subsequently by helicopter to [[UZ Leuven|University St Raphael Hospital]] in [[Leuven]] where a fatal [[cervical fracture|fracture of the neck]] was diagnosed.<ref>Watkins (1997) pp.96–98</ref> Villeneuve was kept alive on [[life support]] while his wife travelled to the hospital and the doctors consulted specialists worldwide. He died at 21:12 [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]] ([[UTC+2]]).<ref name=GD1 /> An inquiry into the accident was led by Derek Ongaro, the safety inspector for [[Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile]] (FISA),<ref>{{Cite news|date=May 9, 1982|title=The horrifying crash that snapped the life from race...|work=[[United Press International]]|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/05/09/The-horrifying-crash-that-snapped-the-life-from-race/4136389764800/|url-status=live|access-date=May 14, 2020|archive-date=November 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105075808/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/05/09/The-horrifying-crash-that-snapped-the-life-from-race/4136389764800/}}</ref> which concluded that an error from Villeneuve caused him to strike Mass' car and exonerated the latter of any responsibility for the accident.<ref>{{Cite news|date=May 28, 1982|title=Sports People; Auto Racer Cleared|work=The New York Times|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/28/sports/sports-people-auto-racer-cleared.html|url-status=live|access-date=May 14, 2020|archive-date=May 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524122352/http://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/28/sports/sports-people-auto-racer-cleared.html}}</ref>