The 1997
F1 world champion was also quick with the criticisms of the policies governing two-race weekend engines, and the Friday third driver - which is for all teams but those in the previous year's top four.
Among his points were that Friday sessions were boring for fans because the regular F1 drivers are actually on track very little or not at all, in order to save their new V8 engines, which must last two races, and their seven sets of dry tyres. The fastest drivers so far on Friday have been 'third drivers', and many reckon that the only purpose of having a Friday driver is for the smaller teams to lure paying drivers for that position.
VILLENEUVE pointed out that the Aussies lose almost a full day's opportunity to see their local hero, MARK WEBBER, because he won't be on track Friday much. In Malaysia, Webber only turned one Friday afternoon lap and none in the morning. JV said the fans don't come to see the Friday drivers, but is proof of his point - he said he is not planning more than a few laps Friday in his
BMW Sauber.
"Friday is pointless," he said, "It's not really a fair thing for the fans or the teams. I'm not a big fan."
While Villeneuve was chatting up anyone who would listen, team-mate NICK HEIDFELD was at Imola tyre testing intermediates, in preparations for the April Imola race.
Thursday's AGP schedule starts with V8 Utes at 9:30am, and
Formula One takes to the track Friday at 11am, for the first of two one-hour sessions.
So far, the weather has been mixed - cloudy and sunny, with mild temperatures. Last week for the Commonwealth Games, it was warm and sunny, atypical of Melbourne at this time of year, the end of the Australian summer. There could be some showers in the forecast for the weekend.
Stay tuned.
