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Patrick Tambay - great talent without the corresponding F1 successes

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Created on January 2, 2023

Reading time 8min

Written by:

Hartmut Lehbrink (1977) / Daniel Reinhard (2022)

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Daniel Reinhard

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Patrick Tambay anlässlich des Grand Prix von Portugal

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Ferrari (1983) - Patrick Tambay - Grand Prix Silverstone 1983

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Ferrari (1983) - Patrick Tambay - Grand Prix Silverstone 1983

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Renault (1984) - Patrick Tambay - Grand Prix Monaco 1984

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Renault (1984) - Patrick Tambay - Grand Prix Hockenheim 1984

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Haas-Lola (1986) - Patrick Tambay anlässlich des Grand Prix von Spa 1986

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Haas-Lola (1986) - Patrick Tambay - Grand Prix von Frankreich in Le Castellet 1986

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Renault Alpine A442 Turbo #19 (Jabouille / Tambay / Dolhem) gefolgt vom Gesamtsieger der 24 Stunden von Le Mans 1976: Porsche 936 von Ickx/van Lennep

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Start zum 400. Grand Prix der Formel 1 - Piquet vor Prost und Tambay; im Hintergrund greift Senna Nigel Mansell - GP von Österreich 1984

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Ferrari 312 T5 (1980) - Patrick Tambay im Ex-Villeneuve-Auto anlässlich des Grand Prix de Gollion 1985

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Summary

French racing driver Patrick Tambay was not one of the most successful drivers in Formula 1, even though he was not lacking in talent. However, 114 Grand Prix starts resulted in two victories, both with Ferrari. If he had been a little luckier in life when choosing his team and car, significantly more successes would have been possible. This racing driver portrait tells the story of the Frenchman, who died in December 2022, illustrated with images from the time.

This article contains the following chapters

Efficient driving
Learning racing from the bottom up
F1 entry not to measure
McLaren was a big mistake
Finally with Ferrari
From Ferrari to Renault
Away from Formula 1
Mostly in the wrong team

Estimated reading time: 8min

Preview (beginning of the article)

"This is the most important day of my life," smiled Frenchman Patrick Tambay, "my first Grand Prix." That was in Dijon in July 1977, shortly before practice for the French Grand Prix. The Ensign N177 that Tambay was to drive for the rest of the season was not yet ready, John Surtees had stepped in with a rental car. After just a few laps, the dream of "success at the first attempt" ended in the catch fences. Surtees was seething with anger, nobody was particularly impressed. Four Grand Prix later, in Holland, Tambay was tormented by the choice between Ferrari or McLaren for 1978 - a remarkable alternative indeed. In Zeltweg at the latest, it dawned on the old guard of Grand Prix sport that someone was playing a joke on them, inconspicuously and effectively, because Tambay is no rude bolter, no virtuoso of the drift angle, but cool and in control.

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