From F1-Live Jacques Villeneuve could be a surprise package of 2006, according to fellow former Champion Nigel Mansell. The 1992 title winner thinks the French Canadian - who lifted F1's big trophy five years later - is capable of again finding the sort of form that put him wheel to wheel with Michael Schumacher throughout '97. « Jacques can be extremely fast » 52-year-old Mansell remarked. Villeneuve, 34, copped a lot of flak in 2005, as he returned full time to Formula One with Sauber. At the end of 2004, Villeneuve also disappointed observers by failing to get up to speed with a Renault stint. But Mansell commented : « If BMW stand fully behind him, I think he could surprise some people. »
Wishfull thinking i'd say. JV keeps gettting mopped up by his teammates, i'll believe that he could surprise when i see it.
I completely agree with Mansell. Granted, JV has his work cut out with Heidfeld as a teammate, so 2006 will be a true test. He has the talent, there's no doubt in my mind. GO JV!
Nah, this is DC's year People here know my opinion of JV. I just hope he can stay ahead of the Super Aguri team -- but I wouldn't expect it.
You have to wonder what happened to JV... He won in 97 and then it's like someone shot him, put him out to pasture, fell off a cliff, etc. He's like the boy the world forgot. The Hakkinen/Schumi train came through and that was that. Any of you JVers have any insight as to why he fell so hard after his WC?
I think a lot of his downfall had to do with him going to a brand new team. He was well compensated though so I don't feel sorry for him. The car never performed up to expectations. I have always been a JV fan but I think he won't be quick this year. I hope I am wrong though.
Exactly, all BAR's were crap... except the 2004 car, but he was already fired at this point, sadly...!!! I think he could really show some good performances this year especially if you consider all the comments he made about the new car and how much he likes driving the new V8s... (like him or not, he's maybe the last person who really tells the press what he thinks!!!) and keep in mind he is also last "real" champion without all the driving aids and real slicks, he knows how to drive F1 cars!!!
It means nothing... For example...last thursday they both did a race simulation. Both drivers ran totally different programs and the race simulations was done with 2 differently setup cars in order to get a maximum amount of data. The reason why Nick was so fast was because the team simulated qualy runs with qualy RPM, chosen Michein tyre and adjusted setup. Jacques was slower because the work he did required to drive many constant timed laps in a row to get valid data. His programme was totally different. All these infos come from a guy who works for the BMW-Sauber team.
Well, I'm one of those optimists who believe that drivers don't lose their ability. Villeneuve first impressed me by being the only driver ever to win the Indianappolis 505. For those who just tuned in, he was penalised two laps over a mix-up with the pace car during an early yelow flag, made up the two laps in subsequent caution periods, and actually completed 505 miles (202 laps) faster than anyone else managed to finish 500 miles. Then he moved to F1 and started his first race from pole and was set to win when the car let him down. And maybe my tinfoil hat is too tight, but I still think that if Frank Williams really meant his claim that there are no team orders, Jacques would have won the driver's title in 1996. All that said, I don't really like the guy. I guess I'm a wierdo who can separate appreciation of ability from respect for personality. I would love to see Jacques in competitive machinery, but I'l never root for him. Heidfeld, on the other hand, I WILL root for. I think he's better than he is given credit for.
I think Mansell's talking him up just so Villeneuve will eventually join the Grand Prix Masters circuit in 2008. But he will finish ahead of Midland F1 and Red Bull Junior Minardi this season.
There is never any shortage of excuses from the JV fans. When he went to BAR, he sucked because he wasn't used to the car. At Renault, he didnt have any chance to learn the car. At Sauber he had a bad car. When asked why he has always been inferior to his teammate, the answers are that the team gave his teammate preferential treatment, and that the gap wasn't as big as people make out, etc, etc. Basically, what is said about JV is that if everything works just perfectly, he can win. I agree - he got lucky when he won the WC. Everything happened just right and the stars lined up perfectly and thats why he won. He's not a great driver and not a champion on the leven of others. He has done well outside of F1, but so have others. In F1, he is a has-been and an also-ran. He should get out while he still (debatably) has some dignity left. One thing I am looking forward to is knowing beyond any doubt that JV is FINISHED in F1 after this season. Thank god!
Did I say anything wrong? I'm just saying what I heard from a BMW Sauber employee. JV got lucky? Yes maybe he had a fast car right away but he did not win the title by chance This is what Symonds said on JV recently. (Senna1994 did not write it) "In those three races for us, he proved to be a very different person from what I'd expected," Symonds explained. "I expected a grungy mind with the grungy look, but instead I found an intelligent guy who works hard. I have a lot of respect for him. Hes shown a lot of tenacity recently. He's clung onto his BMW drive, some people might say against the odds; so I really hope he can pull it back. He's a world champion and that doesn't happen by chance." I'll stick with Symonds opinion rather than yours. He must know better.
I'm with you. I hope that a guy that won the Indy 500, 11 F1 Wins, 1997 WC, beat HHF, Damon Hill, etc. will have no issue with Heidfeld, who has not won squat. Before you guys start pointing to Jenson "Band Boy" Button, he was favored at BAR due to Dave Richards not being particulary in favor of having JV from the previous regime. And as far as that little twit, Massa, he had been had Sauber long enough and new the team and car, by the end of the season JV had his measure. I don't really give a damn about JV the person, but you guys are all selling him way too short.
I remember reading how JV's race engineer at Williams, Jock Clear, used to have major disagreements with JV because JV would want to set up each corner of the car with different suspension settings, and FW, Patrick head and Jock would try to dictate to him his car setup. JV prevailed and the Williams crew were very impressed with his ability to set up his car. Theswitch to MechaChrome in '98 was a real killer and that was what drove him to g along with the creation of BAR. Even at Sauber, he was not permitted to set up the car in such a way that he was comfortable driving it. I think with all the testing he has been doing and the committment from BMW after 6 years of working on their engine programme, that the factory team will do well and JV will perform very well.
At the end of the day he couldn't beat Button or Massa. Two drivers who are good, but not great. That's right where I put JV, good but not great.