Jacques Villeneuve
The modern-day racing driver is an incredibly glamorous figure in a sport where image is everything. Yet F1's corporate culture and the hawkish nature of some sections of the media have now perhaps turned these superstars into comparatively bland individuals whose thoughts and opinions are screened and shaped before being made public via non-controversial press releases or media conferences. Whether naturally or by intention, the one man who stood out as an exception was Villeneuve.
The Canadian's grunge look, complete with sporadically bleached hair, appealed to the younger pop-culture generation and his outspoken views on Formula One often caused agitation within the portals of the FIA. Indeed, young master Jacques' maverick streak got him into hot water back in 1997 when he criticised the new technical regulations in his own inimitable style.
Being the son of such a legendary father naturally helped Jacques to get his fledgling career off the ground but after a none-too-impressive three seasons spent in Italian Formula Three between 1989 and 1991, it seemed that his 'name' was greater than his talent. However, he was soon to prove the doubters wrong when a move to Japan to race in Formula Three saw him score three victories and take second place in the series. Luck can play a huge part in the shaping of any driver's career and in Villeneuve's case it came in the form of an invitation to compete in the 1992 Player's Trois Rivières race in Quebec. Then an unknown quantity, Jacques took a fine third place and his new mentor Craig Pollock set in motion a deal for him to race in Formula Atlantic full-time in 1993.
The young French-Canadian fought out a three-way battle for the title but, despite seven poles and five wins from fifteen starts, made just a few errors too many and came up short. Crucially, though, Jerry Forsythe and Barry Green decided Jacques was the driver to stick with when they made the move up to the Indy Car championship in 1994. Villeneuve took to the series like a duck to water, and winning a race at Elkhart Lake and finishing a very close second in the Indy 500 contributed to an impressive sixth place in the final standings. The destination of the 'Rookie of the Year' award was a foregone conclusion.
Things were to get even better the following year, as Jacques not only became the youngest-ever PPG Cup champion, but also scooped the Indy 500 despite being two laps down at one stage. His stock was at its highest and, astutely, Villeneuve and Pollock decided that the chance of a dream move to Formula One with Williams-Renault for 1996 was much too good to pass up. Jacques blew into the new F1 season like a full-force gale. He could easily have won his maiden Grand Prix in Australia and, as the season progressed, he grew into an ever-stronger threat to Damon Hill. In fact, he came closer to beating his more experienced team-mate than the final points table showed. Crucially, Villeneuve's performances convinced the Williams management that they could dispense with the services of their loyal stalwart and put their faith in the bouncy, self-assured enfant terrible.
Villeneuve duly delivered in 1997 when, with a cocktail of brilliance mixed with some notable gaffes – both on and off track – he squared up to the challenge of Michael Schumacher and Ferrari, and slugged it out right up to the thrilling finale at Jerez, where the German attempted his outrageous blocking manoeuvre. To win the World championship is hard enough in itself, but to achieve such a feat in only his second year in F1 was a truly remarkable performance. Jacques had to win the title that season for, with Renault pulling their works supported engine out of racing, Williams would no longer be the leading force of yore.
In 1998, Jacques hustled the garishly liveried Mechachrome-engined Williams FW20 for all it was worth, often placing it above quicker cars. But after spending the previous two seasons eyeing up the silverware, the French-Canadian's expectations were now lowered to a scramble for points-scoring finishes and the odd podium placing. If nothing else, it proved Villeneuve's calibre as a top-notch performer, with an added bonus being his realistic acceptance of the position Williams were in.
Certainly, Patrick Head would have liked to hold on to Jacques for a fourth year, but the attraction of the British American Racing project headed up by his mentor Craig Pollock was irresistible. Of course, history now records that the first year for the cocksure new team was one of self-inflicted humiliation as the acquisition of even a single World championship point proved beyond them. In fairness to Villeneuve, however, he extracted the very maximum from the car that, on a number of occasions, was quite useful. Crucially, he never became disheartened, always gave 100 per cent commitment and absolutely never gave up trying, showing the qualities of a champion.
That led to rumours that he was set to return to Williams, but Villeneuve honoured his BAR contract in 2000. He said, however, that, if the new Honda V10 did not turn around the team's fortunes, he would be off at the end of the season. Testing showed the car to be off the pace, but a whole lot more reliable than its predecessor, and some strong-arm drives allowed both Villeneuve and team-mate Ricardo Zonta to pick up points on a regular basis during the year, beginning in Melbourne. There were no podiums, but Jacques picked up four fourth-place finishes. However, a mid-season slump again brought gossip of a move elsewhere to the fore – with Benetton the new favourite to pick up the Canadian's tab – but Villeneuve once more decided to stay loyal to BAR, and manager Pollock, for 2001.
He was now partnered with the Frenchman Olivier Panis, who potentially had what it took to push the Canadian to the limits in 2001. It was Villeneuve who came out on top, taking the team's first podium finish in Spain and adding another at Hockenheim. The 003 was another disappointing car, however, and Villeneuve was once again linked to moves away from BAR. This time, the Canadian made up his mind quickly, and inked another extension to his contract. All seemed well until mentor and team boss Pollock announced his resignation on the eve of the official 2002 launch, leaving Prodrive boss David Richards to take charge. JV stayed on, despite being visibly upset by the news, only to find that the Honda-powered 004 was again well off the pace. The team didn't score a point until mid-season, at the British GP in July, where Villeneuve came home fourth with Panis fifth. It was one of only two promising races for the Canadian, the other the US GP, where he qualified seventh and came home sixth,
Although rumours that the Canadian might be forced out by the Richards regime, it was Panis who was eased aside by Jenson Button's arrival, leaving Villeneuve to be somewhat overshadowed by the rejuvenated Briton. Clearly Jacques talents were not favoured by Richards, who felt some his massive salary could be better used on research and development, and before the end of the season, BAR announced that it wouldn't be retaining the former world champion. But JV got his final punch in early, quitting ahead of the Japanese GP thus making way for Honda favourite Takuma Sato.
Most of 2004 was on the sidelines, as Villeneuve sought to recharge his batteries and secure a comeback for 2005. The opportunity to return came sooner than expected, however, and when Renault fell out with Jarno Trulli, Villeneuve was able to make his comeback three races early. His short time with the team was pretty uninspiring, though, and yielded an eleventh place finish to go with a pair of tenths.
Despite these results, Sauber had already committed to the Canadian by this point, and he was back on the grid full-time in 2005, having signed a two-year deal. Certainly his early drives were tentative to say the least, as he struggled to come to grips with a machine that was not to his liking. Despite persistent rumours he would be replaced, Villeneuve maintained the confidence of Peter Sauber and began to perform with more convincingly by mid-season. In truth though, his performances indicated he was now really something of a shadow of his former self.
With Sauber having sold out to BMW, Jacques retained a seat alongside Nick Heidfeld for 2006. That this was due to the considerable pay-off required should BMW have opted to look elsewhere, is open to question, but clearly the longevity of JV’s Grand Prix now career rested soundly on his performances in 2006.
Despite the fact that he Canadian generally matched the pace of his younger team mate, a heavy crash in the German Grand Prix, was ultimately to bring the curtain down early on the former Champion’s Grand Prix career. Robert Kubica, having stepped in to his seat for the Hungarian Grand Prix, did well enough to be promised further outings. Villeneuve, feeling he was being squeezed out by the BMW hierarchy, chose to walk away from Formula 1 rather than suffer the possible indignity of being shuffled in an out of the car.
Following the path of Juan Pablo Montya, Villeneuve is now looking towards NASCAR as a possible platform for his racing activities. But in the meantime he has also committed to driving for Peugeot at Le Mans in 2007. A win in the 24-hour sports-car classic would then match the “triple-crown” achieved by the late Graham Hill back in 1972.
