Inducted 2017
Born in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, our inductee grew up in Monaco where his parents Gilles and Joann lived the dream of his famous father – racing in Formula One for Ferrari.
He first stepped into a kart three years after his father died in a qualifying crash a the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix, and began to create his own racing legend.
After racing in Formula 3 in Italy and Japan, he returned to North America to try his hand at Formula Atlantic with Forsythe/Green Racing. 5 wins in 15 starts and 3rd overall in the 1993 championship earned him a spot with the Forsythe/Green CART IndyCar team the next season.
It was a partnership that delivered the 1995 CART championship and a sensational victory in that year’s Indianapolis 500, recovering from 2 laps down early in the race.
A move to Formula One in 1996 brought more success with a pole in his very first F-1 race, and a 2nd place finish in his debut race after an oil leak slowed his progress.
A year later, our inductee became the first Canadian to win a Formula One World Driving Championship, in a dramatic show-down with Ferrari’s Michael Shumacher.
With his F-1 title he became one of only 3 drivers to win the CART Championship, the Indianapolis 500 and a Formula One World Championship, joining Emerson Fittipaldi and Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame International inductee Mario Andretti.
