Patrick Gaillard (born 12 February 1952 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

) is a former racing driver from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. He participated in 5 World Championship

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

Grands Prix, debuting on 1 July 1979. He scored no championship points. After performing well in French Formula Renault and Formula 3, Gaillard moved into

Formula 2 Formula Two (F2 or Formula 2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009–2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name re ...

in 1979, the same year as he drove for

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in Formula 1. The Ensign N179 was not a good car and Gaillard struggled on occasions, failing to qualify three times out of five, before being dropped in favour of

Marc Surer Marc Surer (born 18 September 1951 in Arisdorf) is a former racing driver from Switzerland currently working as TV commentator and racing school instructor. He participated in 88 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 9 Septembe ...

. In 1980 Gaillard returned to Ensign for the

Spanish Grand Prix The Spanish Grand Prix ( es, Gran Premio de España, ca, Gran Premi d'Espanya) is a Formula One motor racing event currently held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The race is one of the oldest in the world still contested, celebrating it ...

and finished in a points-paying 6th place—the last of 6 cars still running at the finish, 5 laps down. However, the result did not count as this race was subsequently downgraded to non-Championship status due to the

FISA–FOCA war The FISA–FOCA war was a political battle contested throughout the early 1980s by two now defunct representative organizations in Formula One motor racing, the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA) and the Formula One Construct ...

(F1 sporting body versus the F1 manufacturers), making Gaillard's only point nullified. Thereafter he drove in Formula 2, CanAm, and

sports cars A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

including the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose ...

before retiring. He later became a racing instructor.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Sources

Profile at www.grandprix.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaillard, Patrick French racing drivers French Formula One drivers Ensign Formula One drivers European Formula Two Championship drivers 1952 births Living people Racing drivers from Paris 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers World Sportscar Championship drivers