Dijon July 1st, 1979.
the Renault cars driven by the respective french Jabuille and Arnoux already dominate the weekend at home, bringing the vehicles immediately to the lead in qualifying proving to be the fastest thanks to the innovative modifications studied and delivered Grand Prix of France. The turbocharged cars make the fastest laps on Saturday in qualifying to monopolize the first row chased in third place by the Canadian tightrope walker Gilles Villeneuve.
The wait for the race is over.
With the traffic lights off, Villeneuve immediately takes the lead, followed by Jabuille.
The single-seater of the other Renault -Arnoux driver, start to be revised, lose many positions at the start, and find himself 9th at the end of the initial lap.
However, the French driver did not win and made himself the protagonist of an incredible comeback, overtaking Jones on lap 3, Lauda, and Jarier arriving at the fourth place on lap 11. On lap 15°, he managed to pass the other Ferrari driver of Jody Scheckter, with evident tire problems.
At the 47th lap, Jaboulle overtakes Villeneuve reaching the top of the race, and in a few laps, he manages to build a reassuring advantage over the Ferrari driver who was pissing behind him.
Arnoux, at this point, takes confidence and begins to believe firmly in the second place. A few laps from the end, the hooking up happens, and Arnoux and Villeneuve – the latter in crisis with the brakes – decide to blur Jabuille’s leadership now alone towards the victory.
In the last three laps, the two drivers give life to an anthology duel, overtaking at the limit, braking with smoking wheels, and cornering contacts at the regulation boundaries.
Jabuille wins the race, but this race will not be remembered for his victory but the unforgettable Leonine fight between the two contenders for second place. With nails and teeth, Villeneuve manages to grab the second position, proving that talent and courage always manage to be superior to a patched car.
Villeneuve gives a lesson of tenacity and confidence in his means showing how the limit dictated by reality can be crossed with imagination.
As Walt Disney said, if you can dream it, you can do it.