Villeneuve Fires Back at Richards

[Mania]

Looks like Jacques is ticked off...

Richards has revealed that Villeneuve's wages account for a quarter of the team's development budget, intimating that if the Canadian was paid less he could expect a faster car.


But Villeneuve hit back ahead of Sunday's European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring in Germany.


"It is getting on my nerves - it is bothering me to read this stuff," Villeneuve said.

"It is easy for Richards to talk like this. He has been at the team for only six months. I have been here four years fighting to try and improve the team.


"I wonder what the team would have been like if I had not signed for BAR in 1999. I think it is unfair that Richards is putting me in this position.

"I've always worked hard and respected my contract. I've never tried to embarrass someone like Richards is trying to do with me now. After all he is getting paid by the team, too.



"If the people from British American Tobacco decided two years ago to give me that fee it is because they thought they would get something out of it.

"This is not positive for the team. I don't have a bad relationship with Richards but I don't know why he keeps coming back with this story. A contract is a contract."

Villeneuve, who won the title with Williams in 1997, joined BAR when the team was set up by his friend and mentor Craig Pollock.

But the Monaco-based racer has been unable to turn the Brackley-based outfit into a winning team and they are the only team yet to score a point this season .

Villeneuve was upset when Pollock, now his manager again, was replaced by Richards before the launch of the 2002 car last December.

But he insists that he will see out his contract knowing that there are unlikely to be any openings at a top team in 2003.

"I expect to be with the team next year," he added. "There is no use in signing for a team which is finishing sixth.

"If I move it would be to go with a winning team like Ferrari or Williams but there are no openings so there is no decision to take."



Jacques hitting back was more or less expected. I dont think its right for Richards to talk down to JV like he has - after all - JV has already ruined his career at BAR - the least they can do is make him rich.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/engli...00/2058125.stm

[Liz]

Perhaps Richards has tried to talk sense to him in private and he won't listen, so he's taken it to the streets.

And anyway we all suspect that the reason JV is getting 25% of the BAR budget is less to do with any perceptions by BAR as to what they'd get for their money and more to do with the fact that the team boss until recently was his best friend and manager who got a hefty percentage of the take.

[Jordi]

David shouldn't criticize Jacques too much, he's the highest paid employer, yeah, but he is truely the best asset of the team right now...

[Kex]

Villeneuve hasn't done anything good since 1997, and even then he had the best car. Best asset of the team? I don't think so.

[Adam43]

Even if he is the best asset of the team Richards may feel it is a waste of money to spend so much on Villeneuve if that asset is being wasted.

The question may not be "How much is Villeneuve worth?", but "How much is he worth in the BAR?".

[paul-collins]

And you have to wonder if, expense-wise, there's any way for them to rid themselves of any of his contract. Since it's only for 1 year more, it seems to me like they'd be better off just keeping quiet, eating the loss and letting JV leave once the contract is up. Unless they have someone in mind to take his seat and who would outperform him for a price, or at least match him for basically nothing.

I don't think this is about the money. I think it's about establishing pecking order. It's about Prodrive, not JV-world, being in charge of the team decisions. It may also be about getting more work out of JV by shaming him. After all, if he won't help them develop a car, why would any other developing team want him at even half the price?

I don't think it was entirely coincidence that a week after talk about how ordinary he had become (in Autosport, anyway), he put on such a show at Austria.

[neilap]

I feel that wages should be kept personal. It is not for the public to decide. On the other hand it is difficult to justify a driver of JV'S worth being at BAR. I dont feel the problem is JV, its the team. He deserves a top drive. After all he is a world champion and I dont think anyone will dispute his abilities. If DR wants to get on his good side he should shut up and make it seem like a pay cut would be a favor for the team and not a demand. If they let JV go then they will still have to pay him off and pay a new driver. Maybe Honda will pay for Sato to be there but then I dont feel OP is a great #1. I think Williams should get JV, and let RS go.

[BBKing]

It is about time Villeneuve puts Richards in his place. All that this has done so far is fire the design team that Pollock could not because the way the team was created giving Reynard the responsability on that department. Willis is Pollock's work.

In my view this constant *****ing from Ritchard is the usual way the suits go about making it look worse than it is so they can claim thenselves as saviors.

[freud]

The blame for Richardson-Villeneuve fiasco lies entirely on shoulders of one person... "Craig Pollock". He has failed miserably in his job as JV's Manager.

[Mr V]

Originally posted by BBKing
It is about time Villeneuve puts Richards in his place.

No way, Dave Richards has been brought in because he knows all about winning, he may only be "Team Manager" but it's his job to run the team and that includes Jacques, after all, no driver is bigger than the team!

Originally posted by freud
"Craig Pollock". He has failed miserably in his job as JV's Manager.

Pollock has only failed in his role within BAR, not as JV's manager, any driver in F1 would kill to get the contract that Pollock has negotiated for JV. (Apart from TGF of course!)

[Mania]

The way I see it - Richards has no business bad mouthing Jacques. Jacques has basically flushed his career down the drain by going to BAR. They should be thankful to have a star of his standing driving the crappy cars that they come out with year after year.

[Lee Janotta]

Y'know, I'm a _huge_ fan of Jacques, but honestly, I think he needs to take this pay cut. With the full partnership with Honda, BAR is about to turn a corner. Jacques needs to show the team that he wants to be part of what they'll accomplish... And to do that, he should voluntarily cut his pay (like he needs the money?!?!?!), and really buckle down and start driving and testing like he needs to. If he thinks he can go to a top team when his contract ends, he's a damn fool! No one else will take him when he demands so much money, but won't race hard with a less than perfect car, and will have nothing to do with testing or promotion.

If Jacques shows now that he wants to be part of the team, and is willing to work to win, the team will work extra hard for him. If he continues the course he's on, they're going to build the car exclusively to Panis's preferences, and not do nearly as good a job as they could, and leave Jacques out in the cold.

As I see it, this is the last chance Jacques has at winning another Grand Prix. He's alienated everyone on the front half of the grid, and he'll alienate the back half soon enough if he continues to be so damn headstrong.

[neilap]

Is he really that bad with testing and promos? He seems to do his share of testing.

[Lee Janotta]

He won't do promos, he'll show up for testing and put in the number of laps he's obligated to... But he hates testing to begin with, and doesn't work as hard as he needs to. This is a developing team, and they need their #1 driver to really pitch in and do his part.

[BBKing]

If Richards was smart he should get a paying driver like Verstapen or Diniz to buy Villenuve out of his contract. What a lame negotiation tactic is to go about saying that what he is saying.

What Richards should do is put up the money to buy JV out or just shut up. His reputation as a "team" manager might be negatively affected.

[Mr V]

Originally posted by Mania
They should be thankful to have a star of his standing driving the crappy cars that they come out with year after year.

I'll agree that the cars aren't good, and hopefully that will change now that Richards has got rid of Oastler and brought in Geoff Willis. However, i do think a "Star of Jacques standing" should be doing more to develop the car and basically more to earn his huge wages! After all, has hasn't done much more, (if anything at all) than Panis, who's proberbly on a 5th that Jacques gets paid.

[calais]

Originally posted by Mania
Looks like Jacques is ticked off...
"I wonder what the team would have been like if I had not signed for BAR in 1999.

a lot better than they are doing now, chump!!!!

[kdr]

out of curiousity and to save me looking thru the books, where were ferrari in 1995?

just trying to get a grip on star drivers inputs.

[Champ69]

Not the way to run the team. Best to keep things low key.

[BBKing]

Originally posted by kdr
out of curiousity and to save me looking thru the books, where were ferrari in 1995?

just trying to get a grip on star drivers inputs.

If you go that way 1996 was not much better. Only when half of Renault team went to Ferrari for 97 that Ferrari started a progression that took them to the place where they are at right now.

[f1manoz]

After the shalacking JV has taken in the press recently about his performances, motivation, salary and options for next year, he deserves his chance to speak his mind about the situation.

But what he's stated will only add fuel to the fire, and probably would have made him even more unpopular in the team, despite his protests that the relationship between he and Richards was fine.

If JV really cared about the team, he WOULD take a paycut. Frankly, his performances don't warrant his massive paycheck.

[Jordi]

Who has lost more? BAR paying Jacques or Jacques in a team not of his measure?

As far as Richards, he may know how to win, in WRC at BTCC, but not yet in F1 (not in Benetton, not in BAR)

It kills me, as a fan of Jacques, to see no team wanting now to take Jacques. What is the difference between the Jacques of 2000, who could have gone to McLaren or Benetton and the Jacques of 2002 (apart from his salary... Salary is OK, after all he's the only champion besides Schumacher)?

There are only two racers in F1 (the others are drivers)... and both are CART champions... I hope we don't lose one of 'em because he can't find a team..

[Gt_R]

"If you go that way 1996 was not much better."

In one season... he got 3 wins....that was really much better when u consider a) what Ferrari managed in the previous few years b) what other drivers could do in better situations ie had a car which had a smaller gap to the best car.

Like him or not, Michael had a relatively great impact on Ferrari. And the 96 car was designed in 95...not too much time for Michael to offer much...

[Gt_R]

Oh..anyway, back to the topic...

while i agree to be bickering on the press isn't the best way for a team to function, JV seems to over-value himself a bit. Where would the team be without him? I don't think they can go much worse, if any, and Panis is currently doing as good, if not better, job than JV for a significantly lesser pay packet...

[BBKing]

Originally posted by Gt_R
Oh..anyway, back to the topic...

while i agree to be bickering on the press isn't the best way for a team to function, JV seems to over-value himself a bit. Where would the team be without him? I don't think they can go much worse, if any, and Panis is currently doing as good, if not better, job than JV for a significantly lesser pay packet...

In 90 a certain Alain Prost fight for the title against the mighty Ayrton Senna and was his first season in Ferrari.

In 95 Jean Alesi won 1 race. That year the Ferraris were fighting for victories and poles but were not able to finish some races. That in the context of having both Williams and Benetton with the Renault engines is quite an outstanding job.

In 96 Ferrari had a new engine. It was the most powerful at the time even if it was not reliable enough. "The little bomb" they used to call it.

Gt_R. How come you stated that the Ferrari in 97 was more or less a pice of ****? It had one year of input from Schumacher at that point? That is in reference of what you said about the 96 car did not have any input from him.