F1 race winner Jean-Pierre Jabouille dies aged 80

Jean Pierre Jabouille

F1 race winner Jean-Pierre Jabouille dies aged 80

Jabouille scored Renault's first F1 win at the 1979 French Grand Prix

Sam Hall

Friday 3 February 2023 12:20 Updated: 12:28

Two-time F1 race winner Jean-Pierre Jabouille has died, aged 80.

Jabouille completed two stints in F1 between 1974-75 and 1977-81, these periods separated by a championship-winning F2 campaign.

Although the Frenchman drove for Frank Williams Racing Cars, Surtees, Tyrrell and Ligier, he became synonymous with the Renault team with which he contested four seasons.

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Joining the manufacturer in his comeback year in 1977, Renault fielded Jabouille at five races with little success - four retirements and one failure to qualify.

This set an unfortunate trend for his career with the Parisian enduring dreadfully bad reliability throughout.

But his breakthrough result came at the 1979 French Grand Prix when he not only qualified on pole position, leading team-mate Rene Arnoux as Renault locked out the front row, but he converted this into a dominant victory, taking the flag ahead of Gilles Villeneuve by 14 seconds.

Jabouille took his second and final victory one year later in Austria but ended his F1 career with a record of just 10 classified finished from 49 starts.

Prior to joining the F1 grid, Jabouille had enjoyed moderate success in sportscar racing, registering back-to-back third-place finishes for Matra in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1973 and '74.

And it was in this discipline that Jabouille thrived after F1, competing for Renault, Sauber and Peugeot, again finishing third with the latter in 1992 and '93.

Jabouille would continue to enjoy a brief period at the helm of the Peugeot team but was replaced in 1995.

F1 and FIA tributes to Jaboiulle

Very sad to learn that Jean-Pierre Jabouille has passed away. He was a driver who left an indelible mark on @F1 history, scoring the 1st win for Renault & for a turbocharged engine. On behalf of the @FIA community, our thoughts are with his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/Paa3I7KHKk
— Mohammed Ben Sulayem (@Ben_Sulayem) February 3, 2023

Un grand homme nous a quittés. Je salue la mémoire de Jean-Pierre Jabouille, une légende du sport français qui a marqué à jamais l'histoire de la F1 et de Renault.

Repose en paix champion, et merci pour tout. pic.twitter.com/PPy2Sg8nSc
— Esteban Ocon (@OconEsteban) February 2, 2023

Stefano Domenicali:

I am saddened by the news that Jean-Pierre Jabouille has passed away. He gave so much to motorsport and F1 and we cherish his memory and achievements. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time pic.twitter.com/hHuDwdDV0u
— F1 Media (@F1Media) February 2, 2023

It marks another sad moment in French motorsport after the passing of both Patrick Tambay and Philippe Streiff in December. Jean-Pierre, Patrick and Philippe will forever be in our thoughts. pic.twitter.com/bTZgEyy0R9
— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) February 2, 2023