Patrick Jean Gaillard, born on 12 February 1952, earned his Formula One opportunity through promising performances in Formula Renault and Formula Three. By 1979 he was competing in Formula Two when Ensign offered him a place in its N179.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | French |
| Birthplace | Paris, France |
| Born | 12 February 1952 |
| First Grand Prix | 1979 French Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1979 Dutch Grand Prix |
| Years Active | 1979 |
| Current/Last Team | Ensign |
His first World Championship entry came at the French Grand Prix on 1 July 1979. Five entries produced two starts and three failures to qualify, with no points. Marc Surer subsequently took over the seat, ending Gaillard’s brief run in the championship.
There was one further Formula One race. He returned with Ensign for the 1980 Spanish Grand Prix and finished sixth, five laps behind the winner. The event’s status was caught up in the FISA–FOCA dispute and it did not count towards the World Championship, so that sixth place added nothing to his official points total.
Gaillard continued in Formula Two, Can-Am and sports-car racing, including Le Mans appearances, before moving into driver instruction. His championship statistics are modest, but they sit within a wider career that crossed several demanding categories and eventually put his experience to use teaching others how to handle racing cars.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 5 |
| Race Starts | 2 |
| Did Not Start | 0 |
| Best Race Start | 23rd |
| Best Race Finish | 13th |
| Retirements | 1 |
| First-Lap Retirements | 0 |
| Not Classified | 0 |
| Disqualified | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 3 |
Qualifying
| Qualifying Sessions | 5 |
| Reached Q3 | – |
| Q2 Eliminations | – |
| Q1 Eliminations | – |
| Did Not Qualify | 3 |
Stats by Season
| Year | Constructor | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Ensign | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 13 | 0 | 0 | NC |
