Praise Jacques Villeneuve "Here"

[Don K]

I wonder if we could restrict all pro-Jacques posts to one thread ...

Hmmm ...
I guess that means this has to be a pro-Jacques post too

Here's a list of the points scored by each driver during his first 10 GP's:

• 48: J.Villeneuve
• 21: M.Schumacher
• 20: David Coulthard
• 14: Jean Alesi
• 12: J.P.Montoya
• 10: Rubens Barrichello
• 10: Jos Verstappen
• 9: Ralf Schumacher
• 7: Olivier Panis, Kimi Raikkonen
• 5: Jenson Button, H-H.Frentzen
• 3: Jarno Trulli
• 2: Mika Hakkinen, Eddie Irvine
• 1: Pedro de la Rosa
• 0: Fernando Alonso, Enrique Bernoldi, Luciano Burti, G.Fisichella, Nick Heidfeld, Tarso Marques, Gaston Mazzacane, Ricardo Zonta

[JeremySmith]

He is a good lad. I would love to see him driving a McLaren..Shame there are not three car teams.

[Bononi]

I used to like JV. But he's not that guy anymore. I hope he get back on his trail again.

[Gt_R]

Taking the fact that he comes into F1 with the best car by a mile and a just above average driver as a teammate, its not surprising for him to do so well in the first 10 races.

But still Jacques is a pretty quick driver...but i have to agree with bononi for once...he's not the guy he is when he came into F1 in 1996. Can't say he's my in my like lists...but dont really dislike him anyway...

[Valve Bounce]

This is a provocative thread - thought provocating , that is. I think that Jacques came into F1 with great enthusiasm and he did many miles in testing and even confessed to learning some circuits through computer games. He would have been WDC in his first year if it was not for the fact that engine and car reliability let him down, not to mention his very first race in F1. Jacques is still my favourite now, and I just wish that, if Mika eventually retires, that Jacques will get to take his place in McLaren. I know there are many who dislike Jacques because he has always said what he felt, and sometimes his temper led him to be a bit quick with his words, but he let his driving ability do his talking at Williams.

[Run Free]

Jacques is the most deserving WDC of the past 7 years.

I only hope he'll be allowed to show his talent at the top for the second time, the first one was too short...

[mjstallard]

Personally, I want Mika to be WDC '02, with JV to take his seat and the WDC in '03. We can but dream...

I do very vividly recall, as an impressionable young lad, seeing this JV chappie in '96, and thinking "hmmm. he's a bit good". Shame that he's stuck in a BAR, not a car

[senna12]

In the pre-race show on TSN (Canadian TV channel), Gerald Donaldson mentioned that he had interviewed Jacques before the race, and JV was "extremely ticked off" (the word actually used was not "ticked", apparently!) about the BAR, and Craig Pollock had stated that he would not be surprised to see him go, but they would still remain friends.

So it is looking more and more like Jacques wants to go. The problem is a lack of rides available.

[Run Free]

I've read something about this at F1-instinct.

The problem is not only bar's lack of pace, but also, maybe mainly, their lack of support to Jacques himself.
I've seen him wasting his talent for three years there, and how many points has he lost due not to the lack of pace of his car, in spite of all the promises of both bar and honda, but to the very bad team work, or, better, lack of work?

Even this week end he lost all saturday practice, and then had problems in qualifying...How many times has this happened? Not to mention what a nightmare was his home race! That's really unacceptable!

Renault said they will be competitive in 2004, as well as honda, so apparently there's no advantage in a change...But I think that Renault are for sure more, a lot more serious and less political than honda. At least, they're real winners...

[Guy Goddard]

Always difficult to see where JV comes from, I mean he could be driving a Williams or Mclaren yet he sticks with a middle rank car. With Panis out driving him all year this puts another prespective on JV.
He is like Montoya but if JV is going to do anything positive he must get out of BAR within two years otherwise he would be hard pushed on getting a drive at Minardi....sad but true

[senna12]

It is probably his own financial investment, along with promises made by Honda, that have kept him at BAR. Plus, there haven't been much in the way of rides available lately.
As far as Panis outdriving him, I think Jacques is still hurting from the crash in Melbourne (he's still under therapy), and is not very comfortable in the piece of junk that is the current BAR. I know Panis is good, but he really is not as good as JV.
If Mika has signed for Mac, then maybe it's an improving Jaguar in Jacques future. Or Renault. This will leave Honda to concentrate on Jordan after next year.

Should get interesting, whatever happens.

[Bononi]

I would like that JV someday, clarify his relations with BAR. I mean in what financial level he's involved with the team.

[R]

Hey, I'll praise Jacques wherever I like! Including here.

He passed Jean Alesi today. For 10th place. Now get the hell out of that BAR and into a competitive CAR and pass for 1st place like you used too!!

[Peter Mallett]

S'funny Don.

I thought you were going for the world's shortest thread.

[Alan Jones]

Arh Jacques of the wild hair and starlets (no not those little Toyotas the women).

And ispiration to the rest of us who can't get a date with Danni!

Time to leave the team Jacques for greener pastures.

[Run Free]

Originally posted by Guy Goddard
Panis out driving him all year

That's FALSE . That's what someone (even in the team) should have liked very much, but this is not happening!
Panis is behind Villeneuve both in qualifying stats and in the points , and this is more noticeable giving both the enormous quantity of mechanical problems Villeneuve was afflicted by, while Panis was not, and the pack pain that is afflicting him too.

[RussianFriend]

JV's years in BAR is his price to pay for all his previous career. His apprearance in F1 in the better team after win in Indycar is just the visible part.

JV was fostered by his sponsors from the very start. The original plan was: to create a team in Formula Atlantis, to move a team to Indycar run it until JV win it, then F1 and JV wins it, and the own team in F1. They have hired a lot of training staff to ashow JV how to win. And those who inveseted a lot of money and effort to learn him to drive, may require to stay with them.

[Run Free]

Originally posted by Bononi
I would like that JV someday, clarify his relations with BAR. I mean in what financial level he's involved with the team.

Many believe that Jacques is associated with Pollock, and is a shareholder himself.
The problem is that there have been political troubles at BAR from the beginning: a part of the shareholders (Reynard) has repetedly tried to oust Pollock and to take control of the team, and this obviously involves Jacques too. The (very big) problem is that, being Jacques a driver, he is very much vulnerable to pression (see all the problems his car had in the first year and this year too). Honda seems to be at the window seeing what happens and trying to get out the best from a very good situation for them (see having their own team at the lower possible price)and clearly is not producing any effort engine-side.
A very tough situation for Jacques...it was a big mistake to trust his friend!

[Bononi]

Originally posted by Run Free

A very tough situation for Jacques...it was a big mistake to trust his friend!

This is awful, are they friends yet ?

[Guy Goddard]

He's traded winning the championship again for his ties with BAR, and is he really the driver he was at Williams in 96..I can't see it.
I'm not knocking him but just fail to see his perspective on it.

[Alan Jones]

I reckon in the right car he would still be a contender, his move on Alesi reminded me of '96 the other day at Silverstone

[Bononi]

Ditto.

Find yourself a better seat NOW !!!!

Or we will sue you to remove your last name !

[Alan Jones]

Bonomi,
have you been infected with the Liz virus, one that causes your harddrive to hate anything JV?

[Bononi]

NO !

I don't have anything against Jos Verstappen !!

Did I spell it right ?

[eatapc]

Originally posted by Run Free
Panis is behind Villeneuve both in qualifying stats and in the points

I hate to say this, but that's not true. The Silverstone qualifying put Panis back ahead of JV in qualifying differential for the year, but by a very small margin: .099. Panis is clearly quicker than anyone gave him credit for, and his setup and testing skills make up for any inherent advantage Jacques may have on the track. But JV is clearly, finally fed up. It's a good thing he wasn't fed up last year: he'd be at Benetton now.

If Mika stays, there's no good place for Jacques to go. Rubens is the weakest link at the top teams, but MS likes it that way -- and who are we to argue with Ferrari's success? Jaguar looks promising, but not for next year. The near future looks bad for JV.