Jeremy Clarkson’s favourite-ever F1 driver never won a World Championship

Jeremy Clarkson's favourite-ever F1 driver never won the World Drivers' Championship.

The Top Gear icon, born in 1960, grew up watching the likes of Jim Clark, Sir Jackie Stewart and Graham Hill do battle for world titles.

During his first run as Top Gear presenter between 1988 and 1999, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Damon Hill would, at different points, hold the World Drivers' Championship.

There was, of course, Michael Schumacher's seven world titles up to 2004, before Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen would all have periods of dominance in the sport.

But Clarkson's favourite driver of all time is none of those names.

Instead, in an interview with Formula 1's official website in 2022, the 64-year-old named Gilles Villeneuve ahead of them all.

Regarded by many as one of - if not the - fastest drivers of all time, Villeneuve's driving was defined by his fierce determination and aggression to set the fastest lap possible.

The Canadian entered F1 in 1977 with an initial 11th place for McLaren at the 1977 British Grand Prix, before signing with Ferrari later that year.

He finished in second place in the Drivers' Championship in the 1979 season, winning three races, but finished seven points behind team-mate Jody Scheckter.

After an uncompetitive 1980, Ferrari were then dogged by reliability issues in 1981 but Villeneuve still won two races.

The 1982 season was meant to be Villeneuve's big opportunity to become world champion, despite two retirements from the opening two races and being disqualified from third place in the third Grand Prix due to an illegal rear wing.

Second place in the fourth race at San Marino - behind team-mate Didier Pironi - was his first result of the season, although there was huge controversy when Pironi defied a team order to overtake Villeneuve and win the race.

Hoch Zwei/Corbis/Getty)

That incident was set to define the championship battle, but Villeneuve was killed two weeks later in a huge qualifying crash at Zolder in Belgium.

The Canadian was attempting to improve on his time to beat Pironi to pole position, but smashed into the back of another car at around 120mph - launching his Ferrari into the air - and suffered a fatal neck fracture from the subsequent landing.

Since his death, the Montreal circuit was renamed as Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in his honour, while his son Jacques won the world championship in 1997.

Pironi, meanwhile, would suffer severe leg injuries in a practice crash at Hockenheim later in the season and never raced in F1 again. That year's Drivers' Championship was won by Williams' Keke Rosberg - the father of 2016 champion Nico.

Clarkson told F1's official website of his support for the elder Villeneuve: "There was the 1979 French Grand Prix in Dijon.

"He was racing for second place with Rene Arnoux. How many times did they hit each other on that last lap, five times? They took it in turns to be knocked off and then came charging back on again.

Getty)

"It was absolutely fantastic racing and I just thought, 'Okay, he's my favourite racing driver'. I've never really seen anyone race like him since."

"I definitely had pictures of his racing car on the wall. I bought a Ferrari because of Gilles Villeneuve, the 355 - I loved Ferraris because of Gilles Villeneuve."

He added: "I know where I was [when he was killed]. Well, I was watching television.

"I can remember Gilles dying. I know where I was when Senna died: you remember those things for sure."