Forced to retire from Formula 1 due to leg injuries, Pironi moved to powerboating but perished in a crash in 1987. Pironi took up racing a little later than some of his rivals as he was from a construction background and only really got into racing when half-brother Jose Dolhem started racing. Pironi overshadowed his step-sibling by winning the 1974 and 1976 European Formula Renault Championship, before becoming a race winner in Formula 3, 2 and 1 and he won Le Mans in 1978. After Pironi's accident in 1982, he did try, during his long rehabilitation to return to the sport, coming close to an AGS drive in 1986 but his injuries were too severe to return properly.

Biography last updated 30 Jan 2016