Drivers/France
Patrick Tambay
- 1977–1986
- TAM
- Born 25 June 1949 in Paris
- Died 4 December 2022
- Patrick Daniel Tambay
- Starts113123 entries
- Wins22% of starts
- Podiums1110% of starts
- Pole positions55× started from P1
- Fastest laps2
- Titles0best finish P4
Career numbers
- Avg grid position11
- Avg finish6.2
- Retirement rate50%
- Pole-to-win conversion0%
- Positions gained+248
- Points scored103
- Longest winning streak1
- Longest podium streak2
- Longest points-scoring streak6
- TeamsSurtees (1977) · Ensign (1977) · McLaren (1978–1979) · Theodore (1981) · Ligier (1981) · Ferrari (1982–1983) · Renault (1984–1985) · Lola (1986)
Pole position means the fastest time in qualifying. That is not the same as a start from P1 – grid penalties move a driver down the grid. Up to the 2000s the two numbers coincide.
The career at a glance
Season by season
Every race
123 entries, 113 of them started. DNQ: did not qualify; DNS: did not start; DNF: retired.
- First entryFrench Grand Prix 1977DNQ · Surtees
- First startBritish Grand Prix 1977DNF · Ensign
- First winGerman Grand Prix 1982P1 · Ferrari
- Last winSan Marino Grand Prix 1983P1 · Ferrari
- Last startAustralian Grand Prix 1986NC · Lola
All 123 races, season by season
Against team-mates
Same car, same races. In the race only those where both reached the finish count – a retirement says nothing about the head-to-head.
| Team-mate | Years | Races | Qualifying | Quali gap | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derek Warwick | 1984–1985 | 4:3 | 14:16 | +0.02% | 22 : 28 | Compare |
| René Arnoux | 1983 | 4:3 | 8:7 | −0.07% | 40 : 49 | Compare |
| James Hunt | 1978 | 3:2 | 1:14 | +0.61% | 8 : 8 | Compare |
| John Watson | 1979 | 1:2 | 2:11 | +0.55% | 0 : 11 | Compare |
| Alan Jones | 1986 | 1:1 | 10:3 | −1.08% | 2 : 4 | Compare |
| Brett Lunger | 1978 | 2:0 | 8:0 | −1.91% | 4 : 0 | Compare |
| Jacques Laffite | 1981 | 0:0 | 1:7 | +1.18% | 0 : 27 | Compare |
| Clay Regazzoni | 1977 | 0:0 | 2:4 | +0.50% | 5 : 2 | Compare |
| Bruno Giacomelli | 1978 | 2:0 | 3:1 | −0.85% | 3 : 0 | Compare |
| Didier Pironi | 1982 | 0:3 | 0:3 | +0.97% | 7 : 19 | Compare |
| Nelson Piquet | 1978 | 1:0 | 3:0 | −1.54% | 2 : 0 | Compare |
| Mario Andretti | 1982 | 1:0 | 0:1 | – | 6 : 4 | Compare |
| François Hesnault | 1985 | 0:0 | 1:0 | – | 0 : 0 | Compare |
| Philippe Streiff | 1984 | 0:0 | 1:0 | – | 0 : 0 | Compare |
Green: Patrick Tambay came out ahead in that duel. Quali gap: the median difference in the last session both set a time in, as a share of the lap – minus is faster. At least three sessions; a dash where there were fewer.
Strongest circuits
Circuits with at least two starts, most wins first.
| Circuit | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hockenheimring | 8 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Enzo e Dino Ferrari | 5 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Red Bull Ring | 9 | 7.3 | ||
| Monza | 9 | 1 | 4.5 | |
| Zandvoort | 8 | 1 | 6 | |
| Nelson Piquet | 6 | 6.3 | ||
| Monaco | 6 | 6 | ||
| Brands Hatch | 6 | 1 | 7.3 | |
| Silverstone | 5 | 1 | 5 | |
| Paul Ricard | 5 | 5.8 | ||
| Gilles Villeneuve | 5 | 1 | 6 | |
| Kyalami | 4 | 10 | ||
| Long Beach | 4 | 9 | ||
| Juan y Oscar Gálvez | 3 | 6 | ||
| Jarama | 3 | 13 | ||
| Dijon-Prenois | 3 | 1 | 6 | |
| Spa-Francorchamps | 3 | 1 | 2 | |
| Detroit | 3 | – | ||
| Estoril | 3 | 1 | 5 | |
| Watkins Glen | 2 | 6 | ||
| Nürburgring | 2 | – | ||
| Adelaide | 2 | – |