Difference between revisions of "Guillaume Gauthier"

From Formula Rejects Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
(→‎1987-1989: Lotus)
(→‎1990: Arrows)
 
(46 intermediate revisions by 5 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
−
{{msgbox|This page is currently under construction.}}
+
'''Guillaume Gauthier''' (born 6th January 1956 in Toulon, Var, France) is a former French racing driver and owner of [[Equipe Gauthier]]. Gauthier was considered one of the best drivers of his generation during the 1980s, winning the [[Formula One]] World Championship in [[1986 Alternate Formula One season|1986]].
−
{{msgbox|For the non-canon version of this page, please check the [[Talk:Guillaume Gauthier|Talk]] page.}}
 
−
'''Guillaume Gauthier''' (Born 6th January 1956 in Toulon, Var, France) is a former French racing driver and owner of [[Equipe Gauthier]]. He is the father of Arnaud Gauthier, and grandfather of F1RDS driver [[Aimée Gauthier]].
 
  
−
==Early Life==
+
==Early Life and Career==
 
Guillaume was born in 1956 in Toulon to Pierre and Gabrielle Gauthier. Pierre was briefly an amateur racing driver in the years before World War II, and fought in the French Resistance during it. After the war, he settled down and opened a successful chain of garages which eventually covered most of southern France, and which is still in operation today by Guillaume's older brother Robert.
 
Guillaume was born in 1956 in Toulon to Pierre and Gabrielle Gauthier. Pierre was briefly an amateur racing driver in the years before World War II, and fought in the French Resistance during it. After the war, he settled down and opened a successful chain of garages which eventually covered most of southern France, and which is still in operation today by Guillaume's older brother Robert.
  
−
In this position, much of Guillaume's pre-school days were surrounded by cars, and naturally he had a fascination with them that would shape his life. At first however, he wished to work on cars, like his father, not race them. That changed on his father's 50th birthday, when the family travelled to Monaco to watch the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix. After watching the race, Guillaume was certain: He wanted to be a Formula 1 driver. His brother, Robert was equally convinced and the two began working hard to ensure their dreams would come true. Eventually the pair earned enough to buy a kart; they would participate infrequently until the end of Guillaume's school days, with mixed success for both brothers.
+
In this position, much of Guillaume's pre-school days were surrounded by cars, and naturally he had a fascination with them that would shape his life. At first however, he wished to work on cars, like his father, not race them. That changed on his father's 50th birthday, when the family travelled to Monaco to watch the [[Monaco Grand Prix|1967 Monaco Grand Prix]]. After watching the race, Guillaume was certain: He wanted to be a Formula 1 driver. His brother, Robert was equally convinced and the two began working hard to ensure their dreams would come true. Eventually the pair earned enough to buy a kart; they would participate infrequently until the end of Guillaume's school days, with mixed success for both brothers.
  
−
==Racing Career==
 
−
===Early Career===
 
 
After leaving school at the age of 18 in 1974 with mostly average grades, Guillaume's father proposed a deal to Guillaume and Robert. He was looking to advertise his garage business, and so offered to buy them a competitive kart, and free use of his tools, on the condition that they service it themselves and purchase all necessary parts themselves. The only question left was who would drive. Guillaume and Robert took turns setting times around the local go-kart track, until Robert spun off on his third lap. Pierre decided at that point that Robert's driving style was too wild and declared that Guillaume would be the driver and Robert the mechanic - which was fortunate because Robert happened to be better than Guillaume at servicing cars anyway.
 
After leaving school at the age of 18 in 1974 with mostly average grades, Guillaume's father proposed a deal to Guillaume and Robert. He was looking to advertise his garage business, and so offered to buy them a competitive kart, and free use of his tools, on the condition that they service it themselves and purchase all necessary parts themselves. The only question left was who would drive. Guillaume and Robert took turns setting times around the local go-kart track, until Robert spun off on his third lap. Pierre decided at that point that Robert's driving style was too wild and declared that Guillaume would be the driver and Robert the mechanic - which was fortunate because Robert happened to be better than Guillaume at servicing cars anyway.
  
−
Very quickly upon joining the French karting scene proper, Guillaume found himself one of the chief protagonists there. Indeed, by the end of 1975, he was second only to Alain Prost. Pierre was more than happy to finance Guillaume's rise to Formula Renault for 1976, after his results had been matched with a marked increase in the business that Pierre's garages were doing. The 1976 French Formula Renault title was bitterly fought, with Prost only just beating Gauthier by 7 wins to 6. Prost then moved on to Formula Renault Europe for 1977, whereas Guillaume remained, allowing himself to win every race in French Formula Renault that year.
+
Very quickly upon joining the French karting scene proper, Guillaume found himself one of the chief protagonists there. Indeed, by the end of 1975, he was second only to [[Alain Prost]]. Pierre was more than happy to finance Guillaume's rise to Formula Renault for 1976, after his results had been matched with a marked increase in the business that Pierre's garages were doing. The 1976 French Formula Renault title was bitterly fought, with Prost only just beating Gauthier by 7 wins to 6. Prost then moved on to Formula Renault Europe for 1977, whereas Guillaume remained, allowing himself to win every race in French Formula Renault that year.
  
 
Guillaume then moved up to French Formula 3 for 1978, where he would again clash with his rival, Alain Prost. This time, Guillaume was determined to prevail, and did so, winning 5 races.
 
Guillaume then moved up to French Formula 3 for 1978, where he would again clash with his rival, Alain Prost. This time, Guillaume was determined to prevail, and did so, winning 5 races.
  
−
===Formula 1 career===
+
==[[Formula 1]]==
−
=====1986: [[Williams]]=====
+
===[[1978 Alternate Formula One season|1978]]-[[1981 Alternate Formula One season|1981]]: [[March]]===
 +
Amidst his French Formula 3 battle, Gauthier made a move up into [[Formula One]] for the first time with the [[March Engineering]] team. Initially joining the team at the non-championship 1978 [[Race of Champions]] at Brands Hatch, Gauthier replaced [[François Migault]] at March ahead of the [[Austrian Grand Prix]] - taking the seat for the remainder of the season.
 +
 
 +
Gauthier remained with the team into [[1979 Alternate Formula One season|1979]] alongside [[Harvey Jones]]. Gauthier's best results were a pair of eighth place finishes in Brazil and the European GP at Brands Hatch.
 +
 
 +
March held onto Gauthier for a third season in [[1980 Alternate Formula One season|1980]], scoring his first points in the opening race of the season with a fifth place in Argentina. Gauthier scored a maiden podium at the [[United States Grand Prix West]] with a shock third place finish. He also managed a first major international win in the non-championship [[BRDC International Trophy|XXII BRDC International Trophy]] at Silverstone.
 +
 
 +
===1986: [[Williams]]===
 
Gauthier won the [[1986 Alternate Formula One season|1986]] [[Formula One]] Driver's Championship.
 
Gauthier won the [[1986 Alternate Formula One season|1986]] [[Formula One]] Driver's Championship.
  
−
=====[[1987 Alternate Formula One season|1987]]-[[1989 Alternate Formula One season|1989]]: [[Lotus]]=====
+
===[[1987 Alternate Formula One season|1987]]-[[1989 Alternate Formula One season|1989]]: [[Lotus]]===
 
In [[1987 Alternate Formula One season|1987]], Gauthier chose to defend his title at the [[Lotus|Camel Team Lotus Honda]] team alongside British driver [[Derek Warwick]]. In a season plagued by poor reliability, Gauthier managed only a solitary win at the [[Monaco Grand Prix]].  
 
In [[1987 Alternate Formula One season|1987]], Gauthier chose to defend his title at the [[Lotus|Camel Team Lotus Honda]] team alongside British driver [[Derek Warwick]]. In a season plagued by poor reliability, Gauthier managed only a solitary win at the [[Monaco Grand Prix]].  
  
Line 27: Line 30:
 
Gauthier and Warwick both remained at Lotus for a second year, this time running Ford engines in the new 100 chassis. The car was an abject failure, with both drivers only managing to score a single point each in [[1988 Alternate Formula One season|1988]].
 
Gauthier and Warwick both remained at Lotus for a second year, this time running Ford engines in the new 100 chassis. The car was an abject failure, with both drivers only managing to score a single point each in [[1988 Alternate Formula One season|1988]].
  
−
A third engine supplier in as many years for Lotus saw the British team feature an all-French lineup, with [[Minardi]] refugee [[Frederic-Maxime Voeckler]] joining Gauthier in the Renault-engined 101 chassis in [[1989 Alternate Formula One season|1989]]. This season was far kinder to him, taking two podium finishes with a third in Monaco and a second place in the Lotus 1-2 behind Voeckler in [[Portuguese Grand Prix|Portugal]]. However, the results were not all that they seemed - in many races Gauthier had failed to capitalise on a front row or second row start and threw away victory in the [[Portuguese Grand Prix]]  
+
A third engine supplier in as many years for Lotus saw the British team feature an all-French lineup, with [[Minardi]] refugee [[Frederic-Maxime Voeckler]] joining Gauthier in the Renault-engined 101 chassis in [[1989 Alternate Formula One season|1989]]. This season was far kinder to him, taking two podium finishes with a third in Monaco and a second place in the Lotus 1-2 behind Voeckler in [[Portuguese Grand Prix|Portugal]]. However, the results were not all that they seemed - in many races Gauthier had failed to capitalise on a front row or second row start and threw away victory in the [[Portuguese Grand Prix]] by spinning from the lead of the race.
−
by spinning from the lead of the race.
+
 
 +
===[[1990 Alternate Formula One season|1990]]: [[Arrows]]===
 +
Having had a fairly frustrating time at Lotus, [[1990 Alternate Formula One season|1990]] saw Gauthier make the jump to the newly amalgamated [[Arrows|Benetton Arrows]] organisation alongside British driver [[Chris Dagnall]]. Gauthier took pole in the second race of the season in [[Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazil]] - but squandered the win away in the opening two laps. Things did not improve for Gauthier at the [[Pacific Grand Prix]], as a spin during the race saw him come home in only 7th position. Gauthier took his first podium of the season with a third place in Canada behind Dagnall and Berger.  
  
−
===[[WTCM]]===
+
Gauthier had a second pole position one race later in [[Mexican Grand Prix|Mexico]], but would retire after a collision with the lapped [[Thierry Boutsen]], meaning once again he could not convert pole position into a result.
−
Prior to the start of the 1989 season, Gauthier took part in two [[1989 World Touring Car Masters season|World Touring Car Masters]] race weekend at Watkins Glen driving a Ford Sierra RS500 for defending champions Kaliber Industrial Control Services Racing - replacing injured team owner Andy Rouse.  
 
  
−
This result encouraged the Frenchman and he accepted a further invitation for the [[Tooheys 1000]], driving a Sierra RS500 for Aegis Motorsport alongside New Zealander [[Paul Radisich]].
+
Gauthier continued his run of performing well on Saturday and underperforming on race day for much of the middle of the season - retiring from a commanding lead in the [[French Grand Prix]] and crashing out of fourth after a collision with [[Pierluigi Martini]]'s lapped [[Minardi]] at the [[British Grand Prix]] - causing an accident where several spectators and a marshal were injured by flying debris. However, Gauthier finally was able to break the near-three and a half year drought in race wins when he emphatically took victory in the [[German Grand Prix]] after defending from McLaren's [[Gerhard Berger]] and [[Alessandro Nannini]] for the latter part of the race. This would prove to be his final win as he opted to retire from F1 at the end of the season.
  
−
==Post-racing career==
+
===[[1995 Alternate Formula One season|1995]]: [[Oreca]]===
−
Following Guillaume's retirement from racing, he intended to return to the booming family business, now run by his brother Robert. However, he was contacted by Mercedes late in 1993, and offered a position at the head of their driver academy, specifically, looking to mentor young drivers to spear their single-seater efforts. Among the various drivers on Mercedes' books, Guillaume identified a young Welshman by the name of [[James Davies (F1RGP2C driver)|James Davies]] as the most promising, and proceeded to take him under his wing. Throughout 1994 and 1995, he encouraged Davies to be more forceful, both on and off the track, something which Davies would take to heart. Guillaume was also a key part in switching Mercedes' backing from Sauber to McLaren, and also in convincing [[F1 Rejects Grand Prix 2 Championship|F1RGP2C]] McLaren team boss [[Don Rennis]] to take on James Davies.
+
Gauthier came out of retirement in 1995, reuniting with former teammate Chris Dagnall at [[Oreca|Footwork Team Oreca]]. He shared the second car at the team with [[Hideki Noda]] and [[Nigel Mansell]].
  
−
Late in 1996, however, Guillaume quietly resigned from his position, and was employed by seatholder [[Éadbhard Ó'Caoimhín]] in an advisory role at Tyrrell, in an attempt to aid the struggling constructor. However, as he later revealed in interviews, Tyrrell's finances were in a sorry state, and the team was, "one [very] bad day away from bankruptcy". When Ó'Caoimhín's attempts at securing sponsorship for the team for 1997 failed, however, he bowed out of the team, and Tyrrell's future was in doubt, until Guillaume offered to buy it from Ken Tyrrell for a nominal fee, taking on the massive debts the team accrued.
+
==[[WTCM]]==
 +
Prior to the start of the 1989 season, Gauthier took part in the [[1989 World Touring Car Masters season|World Touring Car Masters]] race weekend at Watkins Glen driving a Ford Sierra RS500 for defending champions Kaliber Industrial Control Services Racing - replacing injured team owner [[Andy Rouse]].  
  
−
===Team owner===
+
This result encouraged the Frenchman and he accepted a further invitation for the [[Tooheys 1000]], driving a Sierra RS500 for Aegis Motorsport alongside New Zealander [[Paul Radisich]]. The pair finished the race in fifth overall.
−
====F1RGP2C (1997-)====
 
−
Guillaume's first year as a team owner was something of a baptism of fire. He had taken on a team in severe debt, without any sponsors or drivers, a somewhat more reliable update of Tyrrell's 1996 challenger, or even an engine supply. The first thing he did was agree to a two-year contact with Ford for their lowest-grade engines, the only ones the team could afford. On the driver front, Guillaume could hardly afford to take on a paid driver, so instead hired former F1RGP2C driver [[Samael Meerwick]] and occasional F3000 points-scorer [[Lawrence Tucker]] on the basis of their robust sponsor packages as opposed to their skill. Guillaume also ensured that there were numerous clauses in their contracts enabling them to be cancelled if certain conditions were not met, though Guillaume would retain the full amount of sponsorship. This would be a feature in all of Guillaume's driver contracts in 1997, and it would prove to be frequently used.
 
  
−
Guillaume also applied for a name change to the series bosses, given the change in ownership, though it would only be partially approved after a protest from Ferrari seatholder [[Andreas Stefano]]. Throughout the first 5 races, Gauthier's driver lineup was proclaimed to be the worst in F1RGP2C, culminating in a Reject of the Race for the team. Both Tucker and Meerwick were sacked from the team, and replacing them were [[Martin McFry (American)|Martin McFry]], who had shown some pace at Forti in 1996 amongst his litany of crashes and errors, and [[Robert Anderson]], who was heavily criticised for his lack of racing ability, and had recently recovered from severe injuries following a crash with Éadbhard Ó'Caoimhín at the 1996 Belgian Grand Prix. Anderson did, however, come with significant backing from British-American Tobacco, enabling Gauthier to pay McFry a meager salary.
+
Gauthier returned to the Mountain in [[1990_Tooheys_1000|1990]] with the Alan Moffat Enterprises Ford team alongside former Grand Prix star [[Gianfranco Brancatelli]]. The pair qualified in tenth for the race but retired.  
  
−
====F1RWRS (2016-)====
+
After retiring from Formula One, Gauthier embarked on a full-time assault on the WTCM series in [[1991_World_Touring_Car_Masters_season|1991]] - leading Courage Compétition's two car outfit alongside former BMW factory driver [[Fabien Giroix]]. Gauthier raced a Mazda 323F in the series but the Frenchman severely struggled in the early stages - failing to qualify for the first three rounds.
 +
 
 +
==Personal Life==
 +
Guillaume is the father of engineer and former [[Equipe Gauthier]] Technical Director [[Arnaud Gauthier]] and grandfather of [[AutoReject World Series]] driver [[Aimée Gauthier]].
 +
 
 +
After Gauthier's World Championship win and subsequent win drought, Gauthier began to suffer from severe depression which impacted his confidence during the later years of his [[Formula One]] career - causing him to retire from Grand Prix racing in [[1991 Alternate Formula One season|1991]]. This depression would continue to impact Gauthier in his later career as a team owner and would contribute to the collapse of [[Equipe Gauthier]] in late 2018.
 +
 
 +
Gauthier is close personal friends with the French restaurateur and chef Raymond Blanc, who owns several restaurants in the Oxfordshire area. Gauthier and Blanc became part of a very fashionable clique in the area during the late 1970s and 1980s.
  
 
==Complete Formula 1 Results==
 
==Complete Formula 1 Results==
Line 75: Line 85:
 
! Points
 
! Points
 
|-
 
|-
−
! [[1979 rFactor Alternate Formula One season|1979]]
+
! [[1978 Alternate Formula One season|1978]]
−
! Marlboro Team McLaren
+
! [[March Engineering]]
−
! McLaren M29
+
! [[March]] 781
−
! Ford Cosworth DFV
+
! [[Ford]] Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8
−
| bgcolor="#efcfff"|[[1979 Argentinian Grand Prix|ARG]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
+
|[[Argentine Grand Prix|ARG]]
−
| bgcolor="#cfcfff"|[[1979 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br /><small>14</small>
+
| [[South African Grand Prix|RSA]]
−
| bgcolor="#cfcfff"|[[1979 South African Grand Prix|RSA]]<br /><small>18</small>
+
|[[United States Grand Prix West|USW]]
−
| bgcolor="#cfcfff"|[[1979 United States Grand Prix West|USW]]<br /><small>13</small>
+
|[[Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]
−
| bgcolor="#dfffdf"|[[1979 Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]<br /><small>5</small>
+
|[[Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]
−
| bgcolor="#ffcfcf"|[[1979 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br /><small>DNQ</small>
+
|[[Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]
−
| bgcolor="#efcfff"|[[1979 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
+
| [[Swiss Grand Prix|SUI]]
−
| bgcolor="#efcfff"|[[1979 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
+
| [[Tuscan Grand Prix|TUS]]
−
| bgcolor="#efcfff"|[[1979 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
+
| [[British Grand Prix|GBR]]
−
| bgcolor="#dfffdf"|[[1979 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br /><small>7†</small>
+
| [[French Grand Prix|FRA]]
−
| bgcolor="#efcfff"|[[1979 Austrian Grand Prix|AUT]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
+
|  [[Dutch Grand Prix|NED]]
−
| bgcolor="#dfffdf"|[[1979 Dutch Grand Prix|NED]]<br /><small>7</small>
+
| [[German Grand Prix|GER]]
−
| bgcolor="#dfffdf"|[[1979 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br /><small>6</small>
+
|bgcolor="#ffcfcf"| [[Austrian Grand Prix|AUT]]<br /><small>DNPQ</small>
−
| bgcolor="#dfffdf"|[[1979 European Grand Prix|EUR]]<br /><small>4</small>
+
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| [[Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br /><small>14</small>
−
| bgcolor="#efcfff"|[[1979 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
+
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
−
| bgcolor="#efcfff"|[[1979 United States Grand Prix|USA]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
+
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| [[United States Grand Prix|USA]]<br /><small>12</small>
−
| bgcolor="#efcfff"|[[1979 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
+
|
−
! 14th
+
! —
−
! 16
+
! 0
 +
|-
 +
! [[1979 Alternate Formula One season|1979]]
 +
! [[March Engineering]]
 +
! [[March]] 791
 +
! [[Ford]] Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| [[Argentine Grand Prix|ARG]]<br /><small>12</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| [[Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br /><small>8</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| [[South African Grand Prix|RSA]]<br /><small>12</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[United States Grand Prix West|USW]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[Spanish Grand Prix|ESP]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| [[Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br /><small>10</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| [[European Grand Prix|EUR]]<br /><small>8</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[German Grand Prix|GER]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[Austrian Grand Prix|AUT]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
| [[Dutch Grand Prix|NED]]<br /><small>C</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| [[Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br /><small>18†</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| [[Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br /><small>9</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[United States Grand Prix|USA]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
! —
 +
! 0
 +
|-
 +
! [[1980 Alternate Formula One season|1980]]
 +
! [[March Engineering]]
 +
! [[March]] 791B
 +
! [[Ford]] Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8
 +
| RSA<br><small>C</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#dfffdf"| ARG<br><small>5</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#dfffdf"| BRA<br><small>4</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| USW<br><small>3</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#dfffdf"| ESP<br><small>4</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| BEL<br><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| MON<br><small>7</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| MEX<br><small>7</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#dfffdf"| SMR<br><small>5</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| FRA<br><small>7</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| GBR<br><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| GER<br><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| AUT<br><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| ITA<br><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#dfffdf"| CAN<br><small>6</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| CPA<br><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| DUB<br><small>Ret</small>
 +
! 8th
 +
! 15
 +
|-
 +
! [[1987 Alternate Formula One season|1987]]
 +
! [[Lotus|Camel Team Lotus Honda]]
 +
! Lotus 99T
 +
! Honda RA166E 1.5 V6t
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| AUS<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#dfdfdf"| SMR<br /><small>2</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| BEL<br /><small>8</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#ffffbf"| MON<br /><small>1</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#dfdfdf"| CAN<br /><small>2</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| DET<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#dfffdf"| FRA<br /><small>5</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| '''GBR'''<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| GER<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#dfffdf"| HUN<br /><small>4</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| YUG<br /><small>3</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| ITA<br /><small>3</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| POR<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| EUR<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| JPN<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| MEX<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|
 +
! 5th
 +
! 34
 +
|-
 +
! [[1988 Alternate Formula One season|1988]]
 +
! [[Lotus|Camel Team Lotus]]
 +
! Lotus 100
 +
! Ford Cosworth DFZ 3.5 V8
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| BRA<br /><small>10</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| SMR<br /><small>15</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| MON<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| MEX<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| CAN<br /><small>10</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| DET<br /><small>12</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| FRA<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| GBR<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| GER<br /><small>12</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| HUN<br /><small>14</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| YUG<br /><small>17</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| SOV<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#dfffdf"| ITA<br /><small>6</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| BEL<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| JPN<br /><small>13</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| AUS<br /><small>12</small>
 +
|
 +
! 19th
 +
! 1
 +
|-
 +
! [[1989 Alternate Formula One season|1989]]
 +
! [[Lotus|Camel Team Lotus]]
 +
! Lotus 101
 +
! Renault RS1 3.5 V10
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| BRA<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| SMR<br /><small>14†</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| MON<br /><small>3</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#dfffdf"| FRA<br /><small>4</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| USA<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| CAN<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#dfffdf"| GBR<br /><small>6</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| GER<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#dfffdf"| HUN<br /><small>4</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| SOV<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#dfdfdf"| '''POR'''<br /><small>2</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| ITA<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| BEL<br /><small>8</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| JPN<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| AUS<br /><small>8†</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| MEX<br /><small>8</small>
 +
|
 +
! 10th
 +
! 17
 +
|-
 +
! [[1990 Alternate Formula One season|1990]]
 +
! [[Arrows|Benetton Arrows Grand Prix International]]
 +
! Arrows A13
 +
! Ford HBA4 3.5 V8
 +
|bgcolor="#dfffdf"| [[United States Grand Prix|USA]]<br /><small>4</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#dfffdf"| '''[[Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]'''<br /><small>4</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"| [[Pacific Grand Prix|PAC]]<br /><small>7</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[San Marino Grand Prix|SMR]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#FFDF9F"| [[Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br /><small>3</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| '''[[Mexican Grand Prix|MEX]]'''<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| '''''[[French Grand Prix|FRA]]'''''<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#ffffbf"| '''[[German Grand Prix|GER]]'''<br /><small>1</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| '''[[Hungarian Grand Prix|HUN]]'''<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#dfdfdf"| [[Portuguese Grand Prix|POR]]<br /><small>2</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[Japanese Grand Prix|JPN]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"| [[Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|
 +
! 7th
 +
! 25
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
==Complete WTCM Results==
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%; text-align:center"
 +
|- valign="top"
 +
!Year
 +
!Team
 +
!Car
 +
!Class
 +
!colspan="23"|
 +
!valign="middle"| WDC
 +
!valign="middle"| Pts
 +
!align=center| Class
 +
!align=center| Pts
 +
|-
 +
!rowspan=4| [[1989 World Touring Car Masters season|1989]]
 +
!rowspan=2|
 +
!rowspan=2|
 +
!rowspan=2|
 +
!colspan=2| {{JPN}}
 +
!colspan=2| {{USA}}
 +
!colspan=2| {{RZA}}
 +
!colspan=2| {{FRA}}
 +
!colspan=2| {{CZE}}
 +
!colspan=2| {{ITA}}
 +
!colspan=2| {{FRA}}
 +
!colspan=2| {{GBR}}
 +
!colspan=2| {{BEL}}
 +
!colspan=2| {{GER}}
 +
!align=center| {{AUS}}
 +
!colspan=2|
 +
!rowspan=4| 40th
 +
!rowspan=4| 28
 +
!rowspan=4| 19th
 +
!rowspan=4| 38
 +
|-
 +
!width=20px| E
 +
!width=20px| S
 +
!width=20px| E
 +
!width=20px| S
 +
!width=20px| E
 +
!width=20px| S
 +
!width=20px| E
 +
!width=20px| S
 +
!width=20px| E
 +
!width=20px| S
 +
!width=20px| E
 +
!width=20px| S
 +
!width=20px| E
 +
!width=20px| S
 +
!width=20px| E
 +
!width=20px| S
 +
!width=20px| E
 +
!width=20px| S
 +
!width=20px| E
 +
!width=20px| S
 +
!width=20px| E
 +
|-
 +
! Kaliber Industrial Control Services Racing
 +
!rowspan=2| Ford Sierra RS500
 +
!rowspan=2| {{Class-A}}
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"|GLN<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|bgcolor="#cfcfff"|GLN<br /><small>16</small>
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
!Aegis Motorsport
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|bgcolor="#dfffdf"|BAT<br /><small>5</small>
 +
|-
 +
!rowspan=3| [[1990_World_Touring_Car_Masters_season|1990]]
 +
!rowspan=3| Alan Moffat Enterprises
 +
!rowspan=3| Ford Sierra RS500
 +
!rowspan=3| {{Class-A}}
 +
!colspan=2| {{JPN}}
 +
!colspan=2| {{USA}}
 +
!colspan=2| {{NGA}}
 +
!colspan=2| {{GBR}}
 +
!colspan=2| {{FRA}}
 +
!colspan=2| {{CZE}}
 +
!colspan=2| {{ITA}}
 +
!colspan=2| {{FRA}}
 +
!colspan=2| {{GBR}}
 +
!colspan=2| {{BEL}}
 +
!colspan=2| {{GER}}
 +
!align=center| {{AUS}}
 +
!rowspan=3| N/A
 +
!rowspan=3| 0
 +
!rowspan=3| 35th
 +
!rowspan=3| 3
 
|-
 
|-
−
!rowspan=2| [[1980 rFactor Alternate Formula One season|1980]]
+
!width=20px| E
−
! Marlboro Team McLaren
+
!width=20px| S
−
! McLaren M29B
+
!width=20px| E
−
! Ford Turbo
+
!width=20px| S
−
| bgcolor="#dfffdf"|[[1980 Australian Grand Prix|AUS]]<br /><small>6</small>
+
!width=20px| E
−
| bgcolor="#cfcfff"|[[1980 South African Grand Prix|RSA]]<br /><small>9</small>
+
!width=20px| S
−
| bgcolor="#cfcfff"|[[1980 Brazilian Grand Prix|BRA]]<br /><small>8</small>
+
!width=20px| E
−
| bgcolor="#dfffdf"|[[1980 Belgian Grand Prix|BEL]]<br /><small>5</small>
+
!width=20px| S
−
| bgcolor="#dfffdf"|[[1980 French Grand Prix|FRA]]<br /><small>6</small>
+
!width=20px| E
−
| bgcolor="#efcfff"|[[1980 Monaco Grand Prix|MON]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
+
!width=20px| S
−
| bgcolor="#cfcfff"|[[1980 Swiss Grand Prix|SUI]]<br /><small>7</small>
+
!width=20px| E
−
|  
+
!width=20px| S
−
| bgcolor="#efcfff"|[[1980 Canadian Grand Prix|CAN]]<br /><small>Ret</small>
+
!width=20px| E
−
|[[1980 Irish Grand Prix|IRE]]<br /><small></small>
+
!width=20px| S
−
|[[1980 British Grand Prix|GBR]]<br /><small></small>
+
!width=20px| E
−
|[[1980 German Grand Prix|GER]]<br /><small></small>
+
!width=20px| S
−
|[[1980 European Grand Prix|EUR]]<br /><small></small>
+
!width=20px| E
−
|[[1980 Austrian Grand Prix|AUT]]<br /><small></small>
+
!width=20px| S
−
|[[1980 Italian Grand Prix|ITA]]<br /><small></small>
+
!width=20px| E
−
|[[1980 Japanese Grand Prix|JAP]]<br /><small></small>
+
!width=20px| S
−
|[[1980 United States Grand Prix East|USE]]<br /><small></small>
+
!width=20px| E
−
!rowspan=2| 6th*
+
!width=20px| S
−
!rowspan=2| 14*
+
!width=20px| E
 
|-
 
|-
−
! Albilad Williams Racing
 
−
! Williams FW07b
 
−
! Honda Turbo
 
−
|
 
−
|
 
−
|
 
−
|
 
−
|
 
−
|
 
−
|
 
−
| bgcolor="#ffffbf"|[[1980 United States Grand Prix|USA]]<br /><small>1</small>
 
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
Line 143: Line 413:
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|bgcolor="#efcfff"|BAT<br /><small>Ret</small>
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 +
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none; border-top: 5px solid #78FF78; width: 500px; text-align: center;"
 +
!colspan=3| Sporting Accolades
 +
|-
 +
| width="33%"| Preceded by:<br>'''Unknown'''
 +
| width="34%"| '''[[Formula One]] World Champion'''<br>[[1986 Alternate Formula One season|1986]]
 +
| width="33%"| Succeeded by:<br>'''[[Gerhard Berger]]'''
 
|}
 
|}
  

Latest revision as of 16:41, 2 May 2023

Guillaume Gauthier (born 6th January 1956 in Toulon, Var, France) is a former French racing driver and owner of Equipe Gauthier. Gauthier was considered one of the best drivers of his generation during the 1980s, winning the Formula One World Championship in 1986.

Early Life and Career

Guillaume was born in 1956 in Toulon to Pierre and Gabrielle Gauthier. Pierre was briefly an amateur racing driver in the years before World War II, and fought in the French Resistance during it. After the war, he settled down and opened a successful chain of garages which eventually covered most of southern France, and which is still in operation today by Guillaume's older brother Robert.

In this position, much of Guillaume's pre-school days were surrounded by cars, and naturally he had a fascination with them that would shape his life. At first however, he wished to work on cars, like his father, not race them. That changed on his father's 50th birthday, when the family travelled to Monaco to watch the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix. After watching the race, Guillaume was certain: He wanted to be a Formula 1 driver. His brother, Robert was equally convinced and the two began working hard to ensure their dreams would come true. Eventually the pair earned enough to buy a kart; they would participate infrequently until the end of Guillaume's school days, with mixed success for both brothers.

After leaving school at the age of 18 in 1974 with mostly average grades, Guillaume's father proposed a deal to Guillaume and Robert. He was looking to advertise his garage business, and so offered to buy them a competitive kart, and free use of his tools, on the condition that they service it themselves and purchase all necessary parts themselves. The only question left was who would drive. Guillaume and Robert took turns setting times around the local go-kart track, until Robert spun off on his third lap. Pierre decided at that point that Robert's driving style was too wild and declared that Guillaume would be the driver and Robert the mechanic - which was fortunate because Robert happened to be better than Guillaume at servicing cars anyway.

Very quickly upon joining the French karting scene proper, Guillaume found himself one of the chief protagonists there. Indeed, by the end of 1975, he was second only to Alain Prost. Pierre was more than happy to finance Guillaume's rise to Formula Renault for 1976, after his results had been matched with a marked increase in the business that Pierre's garages were doing. The 1976 French Formula Renault title was bitterly fought, with Prost only just beating Gauthier by 7 wins to 6. Prost then moved on to Formula Renault Europe for 1977, whereas Guillaume remained, allowing himself to win every race in French Formula Renault that year.

Guillaume then moved up to French Formula 3 for 1978, where he would again clash with his rival, Alain Prost. This time, Guillaume was determined to prevail, and did so, winning 5 races.

Formula 1

1978-1981: March

Amidst his French Formula 3 battle, Gauthier made a move up into Formula One for the first time with the March Engineering team. Initially joining the team at the non-championship 1978 Race of Champions at Brands Hatch, Gauthier replaced François Migault at March ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix - taking the seat for the remainder of the season.

Gauthier remained with the team into 1979 alongside Harvey Jones. Gauthier's best results were a pair of eighth place finishes in Brazil and the European GP at Brands Hatch.

March held onto Gauthier for a third season in 1980, scoring his first points in the opening race of the season with a fifth place in Argentina. Gauthier scored a maiden podium at the United States Grand Prix West with a shock third place finish. He also managed a first major international win in the non-championship XXII BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone.

1986: Williams

Gauthier won the 1986 Formula One Driver's Championship.

1987-1989: Lotus

In 1987, Gauthier chose to defend his title at the Camel Team Lotus Honda team alongside British driver Derek Warwick. In a season plagued by poor reliability, Gauthier managed only a solitary win at the Monaco Grand Prix.

He trailed his teammate by a single point over the course of the season and finished in fifth place overall, with Lotus third in the constructor standings.

Gauthier and Warwick both remained at Lotus for a second year, this time running Ford engines in the new 100 chassis. The car was an abject failure, with both drivers only managing to score a single point each in 1988.

A third engine supplier in as many years for Lotus saw the British team feature an all-French lineup, with Minardi refugee Frederic-Maxime Voeckler joining Gauthier in the Renault-engined 101 chassis in 1989. This season was far kinder to him, taking two podium finishes with a third in Monaco and a second place in the Lotus 1-2 behind Voeckler in Portugal. However, the results were not all that they seemed - in many races Gauthier had failed to capitalise on a front row or second row start and threw away victory in the Portuguese Grand Prix by spinning from the lead of the race.

1990: Arrows

Having had a fairly frustrating time at Lotus, 1990 saw Gauthier make the jump to the newly amalgamated Benetton Arrows organisation alongside British driver Chris Dagnall. Gauthier took pole in the second race of the season in Brazil - but squandered the win away in the opening two laps. Things did not improve for Gauthier at the Pacific Grand Prix, as a spin during the race saw him come home in only 7th position. Gauthier took his first podium of the season with a third place in Canada behind Dagnall and Berger.

Gauthier had a second pole position one race later in Mexico, but would retire after a collision with the lapped Thierry Boutsen, meaning once again he could not convert pole position into a result.

Gauthier continued his run of performing well on Saturday and underperforming on race day for much of the middle of the season - retiring from a commanding lead in the French Grand Prix and crashing out of fourth after a collision with Pierluigi Martini's lapped Minardi at the British Grand Prix - causing an accident where several spectators and a marshal were injured by flying debris. However, Gauthier finally was able to break the near-three and a half year drought in race wins when he emphatically took victory in the German Grand Prix after defending from McLaren's Gerhard Berger and Alessandro Nannini for the latter part of the race. This would prove to be his final win as he opted to retire from F1 at the end of the season.

1995: Oreca

Gauthier came out of retirement in 1995, reuniting with former teammate Chris Dagnall at Footwork Team Oreca. He shared the second car at the team with Hideki Noda and Nigel Mansell.

WTCM

Prior to the start of the 1989 season, Gauthier took part in the World Touring Car Masters race weekend at Watkins Glen driving a Ford Sierra RS500 for defending champions Kaliber Industrial Control Services Racing - replacing injured team owner Andy Rouse.

This result encouraged the Frenchman and he accepted a further invitation for the Tooheys 1000, driving a Sierra RS500 for Aegis Motorsport alongside New Zealander Paul Radisich. The pair finished the race in fifth overall.

Gauthier returned to the Mountain in 1990 with the Alan Moffat Enterprises Ford team alongside former Grand Prix star Gianfranco Brancatelli. The pair qualified in tenth for the race but retired.

After retiring from Formula One, Gauthier embarked on a full-time assault on the WTCM series in 1991 - leading Courage Compétition's two car outfit alongside former BMW factory driver Fabien Giroix. Gauthier raced a Mazda 323F in the series but the Frenchman severely struggled in the early stages - failing to qualify for the first three rounds.

Personal Life

Guillaume is the father of engineer and former Equipe Gauthier Technical Director Arnaud Gauthier and grandfather of AutoReject World Series driver Aimée Gauthier.

After Gauthier's World Championship win and subsequent win drought, Gauthier began to suffer from severe depression which impacted his confidence during the later years of his Formula One career - causing him to retire from Grand Prix racing in 1991. This depression would continue to impact Gauthier in his later career as a team owner and would contribute to the collapse of Equipe Gauthier in late 2018.

Gauthier is close personal friends with the French restaurateur and chef Raymond Blanc, who owns several restaurants in the Oxfordshire area. Gauthier and Blanc became part of a very fashionable clique in the area during the late 1970s and 1980s.

Complete Formula 1 Results

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 WDC Points
1978 March Engineering March 781 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG RSA USW ESP BEL MON SUI TUS GBR FRA NED GER AUT
DNPQ 		ITA
14 		CAN
Ret 		USA
12 		— 0
1979 March Engineering March 791 Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 ARG
12 		BRA
8 		RSA
12 		USW
Ret 		ESP
Ret 		BEL
Ret 		MON
10 		EUR
8 		SMR
Ret 		FRA
Ret 		GBR
Ret 		GER
Ret 		AUT
Ret 		NED
C 		ITA
18† 		CAN
9 		USA
Ret 		— 0
1980 March Engineering March 791B Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 RSA
C 		ARG
5 		BRA
4 		USW
3 		ESP
4 		BEL
Ret 		MON
7 		MEX
7 		SMR
5 		FRA
7 		GBR
Ret 		GER
Ret 		AUT
Ret 		ITA
Ret 		CAN
6 		CPA
Ret 		DUB
Ret 		8th 15
1987 Camel Team Lotus Honda Lotus 99T Honda RA166E 1.5 V6t AUS
Ret 		SMR
2 		BEL
8 		MON
1 		CAN
2 		DET
Ret 		FRA
5 		GBR
Ret 		GER
Ret 		HUN
4 		YUG
3 		ITA
3 		POR
Ret 		EUR
Ret 		JPN
Ret 		MEX
Ret 		5th 34
1988 Camel Team Lotus Lotus 100 Ford Cosworth DFZ 3.5 V8 BRA
10 		SMR
15 		MON
Ret 		MEX
Ret 		CAN
10 		DET
12 		FRA
Ret 		GBR
Ret 		GER
12 		HUN
14 		YUG
17 		SOV
Ret 		ITA
6 		BEL
Ret 		JPN
13 		AUS
12 		19th 1
1989 Camel Team Lotus Lotus 101 Renault RS1 3.5 V10 BRA
Ret 		SMR
14† 		MON
3 		FRA
4 		USA
Ret 		CAN
Ret 		GBR
6 		GER
Ret 		HUN
4 		SOV
Ret 		POR
2 		ITA
Ret 		BEL
8 		JPN
Ret 		AUS
8† 		MEX
8 		10th 17
1990 Benetton Arrows Grand Prix International Arrows A13 Ford HBA4 3.5 V8 USA
4 		BRA
4 		PAC
7 		SMR
Ret 		MON
Ret 		CAN
3 		MEX
Ret 		FRA
Ret 		GBR
Ret 		GER
1 		HUN
Ret 		BEL
Ret 		ITA
Ret 		POR
2 		JPN
Ret 		AUS
Ret 		7th 25

Complete WTCM Results

Year Team Car Class WDC Pts Class Pts
1989 Flag of Japan svg.png Flag of the United States svg.png Flag of South Africa 1928-1994 svg.png Flag of France svg.png Flag of the Czech Republic svg.png Flag of Italy svg.png Flag of France svg.png Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Flag of Belgium svg.png Flag of Germany svg.png Flag of Australia svg.png 40th 28 19th 38
E S E S E S E S E S E S E S E S E S E S E
Kaliber Industrial Control Services Racing Ford Sierra RS500 A GLN
Ret 		GLN
16
Aegis Motorsport BAT
5
1990 Alan Moffat Enterprises Ford Sierra RS500 A Flag of Japan svg.png Flag of the United States svg.png Flag of Nigeria svg.png Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Flag of France svg.png Flag of the Czech Republic svg.png Flag of Italy svg.png Flag of France svg.png Flag of the United Kingdom svg.png Flag of Belgium svg.png Flag of Germany svg.png Flag of Australia svg.png N/A 0 35th 3
E S E S E S E S E S E S E S E S E S E S E S E
BAT
Ret


Sporting Accolades
Preceded by:
Unknown 		Formula One World Champion
1986 		Succeeded by:
Gerhard Berger
Retrieved from "http://formularejects.com/w/index.php?title=Guillaume_Gauthier&oldid=62693"