Patrick Depallier

PATRICK DEPAILLER d1980. French Formula 1 racing driver with Tyrrell / Ligier and Alfa Romeo between 1972-1980. He participated in 95 World Championship F1 GPs (scoring two wins) debuting on 2nd July 1972. A talented and charismatic performer, he never quite drove the kind of machinery his talent deserved during his career. He joined a Tyrrell team that was beginning a long slow decline, eventually moving to the erratic Ligier  team, before finally ending up with the revived Alfa Romeo team in 1980. He was helping to advance this team up the grid when he was killed in a crash at Hockenheim aged 35 on 1st August 1980 during a private testing session.