Has JV still got it?

Racer_kyle · 10 Aug 2005, 11:05 (Ref:1378835)

Okay, so he was pathetic in a renault last year, and has showed very little positive signs this year in the Sauber, but is it possible that a driver can go from being amazing to just nothing??

Jacques seemed to be one of those drivers that lost it in 1998, after the grooved tyres were introduced, and the cars made thinner. Wurz and Hill were others who struggled withthese changes....

Put JV in a Mclaren. Anyone else think he might just impress??

Marbot · 10 Aug 2005, 11:30 (Ref:1378857)

No!

Kicking-back · 10 Aug 2005, 11:32 (Ref:1378862)

Jacques still had some very good drives in 1998/9/2000.

It was over the winter into 2001 he seemed to lose something.

I wonder if his big crash in Australia affected him more than we think.

Racer_kyle · 10 Aug 2005, 11:33 (Ref:1378864)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kicking-back

Jacques still had some very good drives in 1998/9/2000.

It was over the winter into 2001 he seemed to lose something.

I wonder if his big crash in Australia affected him more than we think.

could have...

and weve gotta remember his off's at Eau Rouge.. however many he had

Kicking-back · 10 Aug 2005, 11:37 (Ref:1378870)

The Eau Rouge crashes looked spectacular, but weren't serious.

Dixie Flatline · 10 Aug 2005, 12:07 (Ref:1378901)

Seriously, with the number of threads on JV on this board, I'm surprised the moderators don't just introduce a sub-forum!

**Adam43** · 10 Aug 2005, 12:12 (Ref:1378903)

We have considered it. I suggest it regularly and with the proviso that I don't moderate it.

Glen · 10 Aug 2005, 12:17 (Ref:1378907)

It would be sub forum with just one big momma thread! Perhaps two threads - one with all the pros saying the same old stuff, and one for the sceptics - saying the same old stuff!

Hip Priest · 10 Aug 2005, 12:19 (Ref:1378909)

He has still got it, he just has less of it than he used to.

QuickSilver · 10 Aug 2005, 12:43 (Ref:1378926)

these jv threads are like driving by an accident scene ... i know it won't be pretty but i have to look just out of morbid curiousity.
-

Ralf's Girl · 10 Aug 2005, 13:23 (Ref:1378968)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Racer_kyle

Okay, so he was pathetic in a renault last year, and has showed very little positive signs this year in the Sauber, but is it possible that a driver can go from being amazing to just nothing??

Was he ever amazing? As far as I could ever see, he managed to drop straight into the best car in Formula 1 and lost it from 1998 onwards when - surprise surprise - the Williams was no longer the best car out there. I've seen very little from him since he won the championship to suggest that he was anything much apart from a reasonably decent driver who was lucky enough to get in the right car.

*going to hide now before all the Villeneuve fans jump on me*

Marbot · 10 Aug 2005, 13:26 (Ref:1378971)

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

these jv threads are like driving by an accident scene ... i know it won't be pretty but i have to look just out of morbid curiousity.
-

"Rubber necking" can also be the cause of accidents!

emjaya · 10 Aug 2005, 13:35 (Ref:1378982)

He's still got it,he just can not find the motivation to use it for the full race distance.

Knowlesy · 10 Aug 2005, 13:36 (Ref:1378984)

RG, disagree on 1998. I thought Jacques had one of his better seasons that year. He wrung the Williams' neck.

JeremySmith · 10 Aug 2005, 13:58 (Ref:1379019)

Another JV thread Yawn!

BootsOntheSide · 10 Aug 2005, 14:36 (Ref:1379067)

Frentzen spent much of 1998 outpacing JV though, and they were certainly closer together than when the Williams was the best car the year before.

We've seen little or no evidence of JV having 'it' for several years - KB might've hit on somethign regarding the Melbourne crash in which a marshal perished. A succession fo drivers have outpaced him in the last few years, and we've seen far too many schoolboy errors from Jacques, as well as an apparent bad attitude.

Louis B. · 10 Aug 2005, 17:05 (Ref:1379166)

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamAshmore

We have considered it. I suggest it regularly and with the proviso that I don't moderate it.

Maybe you should then simply cut the link whereby this forum is JV's Flagworld "discussion forum". Imagine my surprise when I read so many JV bashing thinking I was in friendly territory.

P.S. It would be too late to get rid of me though. Helping the infidels to see the light is indeed a great & interesting challenge.

Louis B. · 10 Aug 2005, 17:07 (Ref:1379168)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glen

It would be sub forum with just one big momma thread! Perhaps two threads - one with all the pros saying the same old stuff, and one for the sceptics - saying the same old stuff!

There would be a third one just for you and I Glen

.

Knowlesy · 10 Aug 2005, 17:10 (Ref:1379172)

We should just have a dedicated JV thread for all JV topics. Then all delusional propaganda can be floated about in one hostile environment.

I've actually seen this type of thing in action on another forum and it isn't pretty......

ASCII Man · 10 Aug 2005, 17:18 (Ref:1379176)

Oh yes, another Jacques thread with all the usual garbage that ensues...
Great...

And yes, he's still got it, stuffed away somewhere deep inside of him...

Louis B. · 10 Aug 2005, 17:47 (Ref:1379193)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kicking-back

Jacques still had some very good drives in 1998/9/2000.

It was over the winter into 2001 he seemed to lose something.

I wonder if his big crash in Australia affected him more than we think.

His big crash in Australia is indeed when the tide may have turned... Unlike his father, he did survive it...

Anyone who has known both GV and JV personnally will tell you that they are made of the same wood (JV has in fact been hiding that until recently). Both used to make fun of their big crashes until their last... I think JV was scared big time on that occasion. He nevertheless came back and never raised it (other than for some ensuing back problems) again. I think he knows very well that to admit that he is no longer fearless would be an admission of weakness, something a Villeneuve will never do.

P.S. It always make me very sad thinking that he would now be praised as much as his father if he had been killed in the accident. This one of the reasons why I have so little patience toward those who are now questionning his past successes. He did not simply win the 1997 title because he had the best car. People tend to forget that Andrian Newey had left and that, at the latest, in the last third of the season the Ferrari was at least a match to the Williams. People also forget his ludicrous disqualification in Japan for not having lifted off enough in practice becaus of yellow flags (have you heard of anyone being only warned for that after that episode); his convocation in Paris just before the Canadian GP for his criticising of the FIA, etc.

QuickSilver · 10 Aug 2005, 17:56 (Ref:1379199)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Louis B.

Anyone who has known both GV and JV personnally ...

by inference, i suppose that would be you?
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Louis B. · 10 Aug 2005, 18:26 (Ref:1379229)

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

by inference, i suppose that would be you?
-

No but what is your point before I start listing all the relatives, agents, promoters, journalists and agents who have said that?

CobraSVT · 10 Aug 2005, 19:15 (Ref:1379269)

Jacques Villeneuve still has "it"
Does he still use "it". Not often. I don't think he can use "it" much without damaging the engine or components of the car.
Besides, he has won the WDC already? What does he have to prove?

And him being mediocre in the Renault last year.
1: He has just come back to the F1, with a brand new car that was known not to be an easy car to drive
2: Alonso wasnt doing that great.

Anyway, Gilles Villeneuve never won the WDC, and he only won 6 races i believe.
Is it because he died that we love him so much?
If Jacques Villeneuve had died in 1998, would he be in everyone's hearts as the BEST EVER.
is Ayrton Senna considered by alot to be the best, because he died?

JV definatly still has it. I just dont think he uses it much. He used "it" at Canada right after his 1st pit stop after replacing his car's nose.
Whoever was actually watching the race knows what I'm talking about. He was driving very much like his father.

VilleneuveTracy · 10 Aug 2005, 20:01 (Ref:1379303)

Quote:

Maybe you should then simply cut the link whereby this forum is JV's Flagworld "discussion forum". Imagine my surprise when I read so many JV bashing thinking I was in friendly territory.

Same here.

With respect to 1997, he scored 81 points to HHF's 42 and won 7 races while HHF won only one or two. HHF was a very good driver. The margin of JV's dominance over him in 1997 is good evidence that he was an excellent driver in 1997. In 1996 he almost beat Damon Hill as a rookie, which was no small feat. Also, it wasn't as if he was randomly chosen to drive for Williams. Look at the roster of drivers Williams had in the early to mid 90's. Just the fact that JV is on that select list speaks volumes about his talent.

How was JV in 1999 and 2000? What could he have done if he went to McLaren after 1998 instead of BAR?

Does he have "it"? I don't think he is as good as he was during his prime but, as far as talent is concerned, he is probably still at least among the 10 best in F1. The talent that won win a WDC, a IndyCar title, the last meaningful Indy 500 did not completely dissappear. He is old for a F1 driver but he isn't as bad as his performance suggests. Does he still have adequate motivation, though? I doubt it. A) He already won a WDC so that alone reduces the motivation of most drivers IMO B) He is driving for a team that struggles to even finish 8th. How pumped up most he be on Sunday knowing that the odds of him scoring points are slim and that he has zero chance of winning? Hopefully, BMW will be competitive and his motivation increases to allow him to at least match DC's performance this year at RBR. I believe JV has more natural talent than DC.