Jacques Villeneuve

Villeneuve won the 1995 Indianapolis 500
Jacques Villeneuve
Birthplace	Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec
Car number	17
Team	BMW Sauber
Races	141
Championships	1 (1997)
Wins	11
Podiums	23
Poles	13
Fastest laps	9
First race	1996 Australian Grand Prix
First win	1996 European Grand Prix
Last season	2005
Last position	13th (5 pts)

Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve (born April 9, 1971) is a Canadian automobile racing driver, and winner of Formula One and Champ Car championships and the Indianapolis 500, one of only two drivers to accomplish all three feats (the other being Emerson Fittipaldi).

Early years

Born in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada, Villeneuve's father was the highly respected Gilles Villeneuve, a Formula One driver killed during qualifying at the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix when Jacques was only eleven years old. His uncle, also named Jacques , was a moderately successful driver in American and Canadian road racing, winning one IndyCar race. Young Jacques, following his family's racing footsteps, first competed in the Italian Formula 3 series from 1989 through 1991. In 1992, he raced in the Japanese Formula 3 series, winning three races and placing second in the championship. In 1993, Jacques moved to the North American Toyota Atlantic racing series, where he won five races. He moved to Champ Car in 1994, and was the series Rookie of the Year after a string of strong results, including his first victory at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. In 1995, he won the Indianapolis 500 (running 505 miles due to a 2-lap penalty) on his way to winning the championship. Villeneuve is the last Indycar champion to win the title before the 1996 CART/IRL split created two rival series. As such his achievements perhaps carry greater weight.

Formula One

File:J villeneuve.jpg

Jacques Villeneuve driving for the Williams Formula One team at the 1996 Canadian Grand Prix

As a result of his success racing in the United States, Villeneuve attracted the attentions of Frank Williams who tested him in 1995 with a view to signing him. The Canadian impressed and, in 1996, he moved to Formula One with the Williams team. His debut was nothing less than spectacular, as he became only the second Formula One driver in history to achieve both a pole and a podium position in his maiden grand prix. He led the race until an engine problem caused by an earlier off-course moment forced him to slow and settle for second behind teammate Damon Hill. He won four races that year, reached the podium 11 times, and finished with 78 points — all rookie records which still stand today. The debut victory came at the Nürburgring where he held off reigning world champion Michael Schumacher. He finished the season runner-up in the drivers championship to Hill, having taken the title battle down the wire at Suzuka. That final race saw a crash end his hopes in spectacular fashion. His impressive debut helped Williams win the constructors championship by over 100 points in 1996.

With the 1997 departure of Hill to Arrows, Villeneuve became the number one at Williams, comfortably outpacing new team-mate Heinz-Harald Frentzen. In just his second season in Formula One he became world champion by claiming 7 wins, 10 poles, 8 podiums, and 81 points. He clinched the title in dramatic fashion by beating Ferrari star Michael Schumacher in the final race of the year at Jerez. Schumacher, under pressure from his rival, made a mistake allowing Villeneuve to close in. The German replicated his 1994 Australian Grand Prix tactics and turned in on Villeneuve. The cars made contact but Villeneuve was able to continue, finishing in third place and claiming the title. Schumacher was stripped of second place in that year's standings. 1997 also saw Williams crowned constructors champions once more, but with Renault pulling out of the sport the future was not to be so successful for the team.

Villeneuve's career went into sharp decline following his drivers championship. Remaining with Williams in 1998, he struggled with an underpowered Mecachrome engine, and failed to win a single race. His fifth in the standings was disappointing for a title defence. Two third places (at Hockenheim and the Hungaroring) and a front-row grid slot at Monza were the only highlights.

Struggles at BAR

In 1999, Villeneuve joined the newly-founded British American Racing (BAR) team, co-founded and partly owned by Villeneuve's personal manager, Craig Pollock. The hype surrounding the new squad was massive and despite the high expectations BAR had a truly dreadful season, not scoring a single championship point all year long. At times the car showed promising pace, Villeneuve running in third place at Barcelona, but all too often technical problems ruined his chances. Team-mate Ricardo Zonta's lack of experience may also have hindered development. Autosport magazine speculated on Villeneuve switching back to Williams for 2000, but he went on to race for BAR until late 2003, never placing higher than seventh in the drivers championship. The majority of his tenure at BAR is marked by repeated mechanical failures; when he did manage to finish a race, it usually was not on the lead lap. 2000 can be considered his best season at the team. With works Honda engines, BAR's speed improved, whilst reliability was also better. Villeneuve was unable to score a podium, but did come close at Indianapolis where he narrowly lost a duel with former team-mate Frentzen. 2001 saw French veteran Olivier Panis stepping into the second seat. Panis was often able to match Villeneuve, but the 1997 champion had the better results, two third places at Barcelona and Hockenheim being the team's first rostrums. The season had started terribly however; Villeneuve was involved in a tragic accident in Melbourne which led to the death of a marshal. At the end of 2001 a major managerial reshuffle took place. Villeneuve's friend and manager Pollock was sacked, Prodrive boss David Richards taking over. From this point on, Villeneuve felt less comfortable at the team. 2002 was a poor year, with the team slipping backwards in terms of pace. Points were scarce and it was not until the middle of the year that Villeneuve scored any, a fourth at Silverstone his best result in 2002. With one year left to run on his contract Villeneuve turned down a lucrative offer to spend a season racing in CART before returning to BAR for 2004 and 2005. Instead he decided that he would see out his present deal in the hope of landing a role at another grand prix team the following year. Bitter public rows between himself and Richards over salary soured the relationship further. 2003 saw Villeneuve come under harsh media criticism for being regularly outpaced by his younger (and less experienced) teammate, Jenson Button. Many critics also questioned Villeneuve's reported $19 million annual salary, given that he scored a meager six championship points that year. With his stock falling he had few options for 2004 and when BAR announced Takuma Sato as his replacement for the next season, he quit one race early. Sato filled in at Suzuka. After Villeneuve's departure, BAR would rise from fifth place to second in the constructor championship. From 1996 to 2003, Villeneuve competed in 131 Grands Prix, with a grand total of 11 wins and 13 pole positions.

File:Villeneuve 2002.jpg

Villeneuve in the pits at the 2002 US Grand Prix

Comeback

With no contract for 2004, Villeneuve was forced to take a sabbatical, but maintained that he wanted to return to the sport. He continued training and made a special appearance at the Goodwood Festival driving his late father's Ferrari. In September, Villeneuve returned to Formula One, driving the final three Grands Prix of the season for French-based Renault. Jarno Trulli had fallen out of favour and team boss Flavio Briatore felt Villeneuve would be worth a gamble. Although vowing to help Renault achieve second place in the constructors championship (ahead of his former team BAR), Villeneuve failed to score a single point, unable to finish any of his races on the lead lap; Renault settled for third in the final standings. Jacques admitted that the enforced lay-off had cost him vital seat time. With the cars so much faster than in 2003 he found it difficult to adapt and with Fernando Alonso as team-mate his task was made all the more difficult. The young Spaniard was naturally much faster. Just before his 3-race Renault comeback, Villeneuve signed a two-year contract to drive for Sauber, starting in 2005.

His Sauber debut at the Australian Grand Prix was remarkable only for his (weather assisted) P4 starting position. For the opening three races he was the slowest driver on Michelin tyres and rumours began to spread that he would soon be replaced. The rumours proved unfounded and at Imola he managed to score his first points for the team. The pressure was soon back on him when he forced team-mate Felipe Massa off the track when attempting an over-ambitious overtaking move in Monaco, ruining both their races. Towards the end of the season, his pace improved however, and he scored more points at Belgium, moving ahead of Massa in the championship tables, although Massa repassed him after finishing 6th in the season finale in China. In terms of speed, the two team-mates were fairly evenly matched by the end of the year, but it is Massa who dons the red overalls of Ferrari in 2006, not Villeneuve. After much uncertainty, in late 2005 BMW confirmed that Villeneuve would race for BMW Sauber in 2006. GP2 frontrunner Heikki Kovalainen and Indycar champion Dan Wheldon had both been linked with the seat, but BMW opted to honour Villeneuve's contract; the cost of ditching him perhaps being too high. Villeneuve will need to perform well to have a future in F1 beyond next season. Alex Wurz is already being touted as a replacement for 2007... (See External links)

Personal

When not racing, Jacques Villeneuve lives in Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland. He has, however, remained a Canadian citizen, and has never been married. He appeared briefly in the 2001 Sylvester Stallone action movie Driven as a race car driver. Villeneuve was the first person inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame and was also named Canada's Athelete of the Year (Lou Marsh Trophy) in 1995 and 1997. He was previously engaged to Australian singer Dannii Minogue in the late 1990s and is currently engaged to American ballerina Ellie Green.

Jacques Villeneuve owns a trendy nightclub and restaurant in Montreal called Newtown, after the English translation of his last name, Villeneuve ('Ville' being the French version of 'Town', and "'Neuve' meaning 'new'). It is located on Crescent Street, one of Montreal's hottest nightspots.

Motorsport career results

Racing record

Season	Series	Team Name	No.	Races	Poles	Wins	Pts	Final Placing
1989	Italian Formula Three	Prema Racing		6	0	0	0	-
1990	Italian Formula Three	Prema Racing		12	0	0	10	13th
1991	Italian Formula Three	Prema Racing		11	3	0	20	6th
1992	Japanese Formula Three	TOM'S	8	11	2	3	45	2nd
	All Japan Sports Prototype Championship	Toyota Team TOM'S	7	1	0	0	0	-
	Toyota Atlantic	Comprep/Player's		1	0	0	14	28th
1993	Toyota Atlantic	Forsythe-Green Racing		15	7	5	185	3rd
1994	Indycar World Series	Forsythe-Green Racing	12	15	0	1	94	6th
1995	Indycar World Series	Team Green	27	17	6	4	172	1st
1996	Formula One	Williams-Renault	6	16	3	4	78	2nd
1997	Formula One	Williams-Renault	3	17	10	7	81	1st
1998	Formula One	Williams-Mecachrome	1	16	0	0	21	5th
1999	Formula One	British American Racing	22	16	0	0	0	21st
2000	Formula One	British American Racing	22	17	0	0	17	7th
2001	Formula One	British American Racing	10	17	0	0	12	7th
2002	Formula One	British American Racing	11	17	0	0	4	12th
2003	Formula One	British American Racing	16	14	0	0	6	16th
2004	Formula One	Renault	7	3	0	0	0	21st
2005	Formula One	Sauber	11	18	0	0	9	14th
2006	Formula One	BMW Sauber	17	12	0	0	7	15th
2007	NASCAR Nextel Cup	Bill Davis Racing Toyota	27	2	0	0	140	42nd
2007	NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series	Bill Davis Racing Toyota	27	7	0	0	615	59th
2008	NASCAR Sprint Cup*	TBA	--	0	0	0	0	--
2008	NASCAR Nationwide Series*	Braun Racing Toyota	32	1	0	0	0	--
2008	Speedcar Series	Speedcar Team	96	4	0	0	3	13th
2008	Le Mans Series*	Team Peugeot Total	7	1	0	1	10	9th
2008	TRV6*	Oro Racing	27	1	0	0	1	-

No. = Car Number; * = Season in progress

Complete Champ Car results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Team	Rank	Points
1994	Team Green	SRF 17	PHX 25	LBH 15	INDY 2	MIL 9	DET 7	POR 6	CLE 4	TOR 9	MIS 20	MDO 9	NHM 24	VAN 24	ROA 1	NZR 7	LS 3		Team Green	6th	94
1995	Team Green	MIA 1	SRF 20	PHX 5	LBH 25	NZR 2	INDY 1	MIL 6	DET 9	POR 20	ROA 1	TOR 3	CLE 1	MIS 10	MDO 3	NHM 4	VAN 12	LS 11	Team Green	1st	172

Complete Formula One results

(key)

Year	Team	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	WDC	Points
1996	Rothmans Williams Renault	Williams FW18	Renault V10	AUS 2	BRA Ret	ARG 2	EUR 1	SMR 11	MON Ret	ESP 3	CAN 2	FRA 2	GBR 1	GER 3	HUN 1	BEL 2	ITA 7	POR 1	JPN Ret				2nd	78
1997	Rothmans Williams Renault	Williams FW19	Renault V10	AUS Ret	BRA 1	ARG 1	SMR Ret	MON Ret	ESP 1	CAN Ret	FRA 4	GBR 1	GER Ret	HUN 1	BEL 5	ITA 5	AUT 1	LUX 1	JPN DSQ	EUR 3			1st	81
1998	Winfield Williams	Williams FW20	Mecachrome V10	AUS 5	BRA 7	ARG Ret	SMR 4	ESP 6	MON 5	CAN 10	FRA 4	GBR 7	AUT 6	GER 3	HUN 3	BEL Ret	ITA Ret	LUX 8	JPN 6				5th	21
1999	British American Racing	BAR 001	Supertec V10	AUS Ret	BRA Ret	SMR Ret	MON Ret	ESP Ret	CAN Ret	FRA Ret	GBR Ret	AUT Ret	GER Ret	HUN Ret	BEL 15	ITA 8	EUR 10	MAL Ret	JPN 9				NC	0
2000	Lucky Strike Reynard BAR Honda	BAR 002	Honda V10	AUS 4	BRA Ret	SMR 5	GBR 16	ESP Ret	EUR Ret	MON 7	CAN 15	FRA 4	AUT 4	GER 8	HUN 12	BEL 7	ITA Ret	USA 4	JPN 6	MAL 5			7th	17
2001	Lucky Strike BAR Honda	BAR 003	Honda V10	AUS Ret	MAL Ret	BRA 7	SMR Ret	ESP 3	AUT 8	MON 4	CAN Ret	EUR 9	FRA Ret	GBR 8	GER 3	HUN 9	BEL 8	ITA 6	USA Ret	JPN 10			7th	12
2002	Lucky Strike BAR Honda	BAR 004	Honda V10	AUS Ret	MAL 8	BRA 10	SMR 7	ESP 7	AUT 10	MON Ret	CAN Ret	EUR 12	GBR 4	FRA Ret	GER Ret	HUN Ret	BEL 8	ITA 9	USA 6	JPN Ret			12th	4
2003	Lucky Strike BAR Honda	BAR 005	Honda V10	AUS 9	MAL Ret	BRA 6	SMR Ret	ESP Ret	AUT 12	MON Ret	CAN Ret	EUR Ret	FRA 9	GBR 10	GER 9	HUN Ret	ITA 6	USA Ret	JPN				16th	6
2004	Mild Seven Renault F1 Team	Renault R24	Renault V10	AUS	MAL	BHR	SMR	ESP	MON	EUR	CAN	USA	FRA	GBR	GER	HUN	BEL	ITA	CHN 11	JPN 10	BRA 10		22nd	0
2005	Sauber Petronas	Sauber C24	Petronas V10	AUS 13	MAL Ret	BHR 11	SMR 4	ESP Ret	MON 11	EUR 13	CAN 9	USA DNS	FRA 8	GBR 14	GER 15	HUN Ret	TUR 11	ITA 11	BEL 6	BRA 12	JPN 12	CHN 10	14th	9
2006	BMW Sauber F1 Team	BMW Sauber F1.06	BMW V8	BHR Ret	MAL 7	AUS 6	SMR 12	EUR 8	ESP 12	MON 14	GBR 8	CAN Ret	USA Ret	FRA 11	GER Ret	HUN Inj	TUR	ITA	CHN	JPN	BRA		15th	7

* Denotes present season standing.

External links

• The official website for Jacques Villeneuve
• Jacques Villeneuve Profile and Statistics
• Villeneuve to drive for BMW in 2006