Viva Villeneuve! Why we love Jacques commentating on Formula 1
F1 NewsSaturday, 08 June 2024 at 14:05
Viva Villeneuve! 1997 Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve is a welcome addition to the Sky F1 commentating team because the Canadian refreshingly goes where most fear to tread.
I have always been a fan of JV. The son of F1 and Ferrari legend Gilles Villeneuve was always going to have a soft spot in the hearts of boomers. That he went on to win the 1995 Indy 500 and the CART (now Indycar) Championship that year, plus the 1997 F1 World title is a blessed bonus.
Despite a decade in the top flight, 1997 was the highlight of Jacques' F1 career. But to this day he remains a racer competing in just about every discipline he chose because he could and still can!
However, the added-value 53-year-old Villeneuve brings to F1 coverage and insights is what keeps him relevant and special. Often ignored by mainstream media punting and spewing the official rose-tinted glasses read of the F1 narrative, his comments are provided to us by non-traditional media outlets - which we use without fail.
I (and most on our team I believe) belong to the 'tribe' of F1 aficionados, led by the likes of Jacques, who believes that modern F1 with its 20 drivers is no place for mediocrity to hide. Too many current F1 drivers are long passed their sell-by date, preventing young talent from climbing to the top.
Thus the Canadian's remarks about teams and drivers are more often than not hard-hitting, brutally honest and in most cases difficult to argue against. That's why we use them whenever we get these precious Villeneuve soundbites.
Sky F1 wisely and bravely picked Jacques for their Canadian GP coverage
On the occasion of his home Grand Prix, Sky F1 have been brave enough to add Villeneuve to their excellent commentary team. And JV has not disappointed with his No-BS analysis of the sport in Montreal where Canada's only F1 World Champ holds court with the respect he deserves.
For the record, those who saw Gilles operate in the flesh and knew his personality, it is clear Jacques is cut from the same cloth as his Dad. Attitude, honesty, talent and speed carried through from father to son. Villeneuve Senior would be proud of his son, even when he speaks his mind.
As Jacques has been doing, not only during the build-up to the race in his homeland but also at the venue in Montreal where he was asked to weigh in on Red Bull's prodigal son and current VCARB driver Daniel Ricciardo.
Villeneuve said of Ricciardo: "Why is he still in F1? We're hearing the same thing now for the last four or five years, we have to make the car better for him.
"Sorry, it's been five years of that. No, you're in F1. Maybe you make that effort for Lewis Hamilton, who's won multiple championships, you don't make that effort for drivers that can't cut it. If you can't cut it, go home, there's someone else to take your place.
"That's how it's always been in racing. It's the pinnacle of the sport. There's no reason to, to keep going and to keep finding excuses. And to talk about that first season or first two seasons. He was beating a [Sebastian] Vettel who was burnt out, trying to invent things where the cars go when and just making a mess of his weekends.
"He was beaten for half a season by an 18-year-old who was just starting, then that was it. He stopped beating anyone after that," Villeneuve pointed out in his short but accurate summary of Ricciardo's career.
Villeneuve: Ricciardo's image has kept it in F1 more than his actual results
That Dan was a fabulous driver early in his career is without question. A stunning overtaker, a great racer and the biggest smile in all of F1 ever. This turned into one of the hottest properties in F1, a PR darling in high demand and a reputation that made him one of the highest-paid drivers after he departed Red Bull.
In retrospect, Ricciardo leaving Red Bull, who had bought him everything to get into F1, was the end of his career. Big bucks at Renault and equally mad sums to join McLaren were delusionary investments. Zak Brown had to pay for Daniel to depart Woking and make way for Oscar Piastri. And see how that turned out.
With a rookie replacing him at McLaren, and no other team wanting his services for 2024, Ricciardo seemed doomed. But a lifeline by Red Bull making their 'prodigal son' their reserve and PR-stooge who was adamant his return to the Austrian outfit was a step to take over Sergio Perez as Verstappen's teammate. See how that turned out.
Unlucky and highly rated Nyck de Vries, a rookie, was given 10 GPs to prove himself at AlphaTauri (now VCARB) before he was given the boot as the Red Bull hard-ons to get Daniel back on the grid prevailed at the Dutchman's expense.
In light of his comments on Ricciardo, asked why Red Bull have persisted with Ricciardo, Villeneuve replied:
"I think it's his image has kept it in F1 more than his actual results." Too true that!
"I think it's his image has kept it in F1 more than his actual results." Too true that!
Even prior to Friday in Montreal, Villeneuve was in fine form ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix as he assessed other drivers on the grid.
Villeneuve: There isnβt a top driver who would want to go to Mercedes
Villeneuve on Max Verstappen's future with Red Bull: "Max is a racer. It doesnβt matter which team or car he is in. He always seems to be 100%. Where could he go thatβs good? The two good teams now seem to be Ferrari and McLaren and there are no seats available there. Mercedes donβt want to give anyone a long-term contract because they want to keep the seat warm for Kimi Antonelli. That is their future plan which they have been working on for years. Theyβll make it come to fruition. There isnβt a top driver who would want to go to Mercedes. They are not winning and there is only one year available. Maybe someone like Bottas could go there for a year."
Villeneuve on Red Bull handing Sergio Perez a two-year contract extension: "Sergio Perezβs form has collapsed. He has had his worst season ever at Red Bull. Normally he would have an amazing first few races. But he hasnβt even had that this year. So, heβs collapsed on top of that! He was already behind Max at the start of the season and now heβs dropped another half a second. That is ten cars on the grid. I donβt know what is going on."
Villeneuve on Esteban Ocon and Alpine parting ways at the end of the season: "Itβs not surprising to see Esteban Ocon and Alpine part ways. There was no way Alpine could keep two French drivers with Ocon and Pierre Gasly. Whatβs the point? Whatβs in it for them? Itβs a French team with two French drivers. So what market are they trying to hit? France only. It doesnβt make sense."
Villeneuve on Kevin Magnussen after the Haas veteran shunted out of the Monaco Grand Prix on lap one: "Too many F1 drivers Magnussen with zero common sense and zero race-craft. There is something wrong and there is more and more of it in F1. You see drivers with zero race craft, zero common sense, or understanding of what is actually going on. There is an absence of logic on what is happening on the race track. They have no spatial awareness. Magnussen should have been banned for one race after Monaco crash. This is F1 not F4."
Villeneuve: Drivers nowadays spend too much time on video games and simulators, F1 is not a game
- "Drivers nowadays spend too much time on video games and simulators, F1 is not a game. They think they are playing a video game. Does this come from doing too much on the gaming simulators? It is different on the racetrack."
- "The fresh air of Ferrari might help him. Sometimes you need new ingredients on your plate. You get bored with the same taste over and over again. That taste for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes is now stale."
- "George Russell has been better than Lewis since they paired up at Mercedes. To be honest that started the first season George was there and had the upper hand on Lewis. George has been a better driver than Lewis since he arrived there."
- "Whatβs happened over the winter hasnβt helped Red Bull. There has been a change in power and it takes a while to rebalance itself. Christian Horner has done a good job navigating this, and it is in his hands. He has managed to do it for 20 years and get the team in a winning position. Now that everything is calming down a bit it will give him time to rebuild that."
- "Right now thereβs a couple of teams like Haas that bring nothing to F1. It has no image. For everyone in the industry, it is much better to have Haas replaced by another name. Why have an eleventh team when maybe someone could buy Haas and rebrand it with a better name?"
- "A billionaire father can stick with his son for as long as he likes! That was the only reason for getting into F1. Lawrence Stroll is not one to admit defeat. He will fight it until he is proven right. He will not give up. That is not a bad trait. That is what made him so successful, getting hold of brands. Making them valuable and selling them when they were worth a ton more. He is a master of that. Now it is a little more personal because his son is involved."
Villeneuve: Montreal might suit Ferrari a bit better
Looking ahead to the 43rd running of the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, Villeneuve predicted: "It will be interesting. McLaren has an issue with top speed but it is very good in slow speed corners and Montreal is a mixture of both. It might suit Ferrari a bit better.
"I will be curious to see the Verstappen reaction. He had to work really hard for the win in Imola when he was on the edge. That was followed by Monaco and that was not a good showing.
"The tension level will be much different going into Montreal. But once they open the DRS the Red Bull disappears into the distance. But they are not good in the slow-speed corners.
"Basically, there is not one car that is perfect for that track. The one that seems to have the least issues when you mix everything up is the Ferrari. They are not the best in slow speed and they are not the best in a straight line, but they are good at both," reckoned Villeneuve who never won his home race.
However, his father Gilles did so. Famously winning the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix when held for the first time on the Ile Notre Dame in Montreal. The track is now named after the country's favourite racing son - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve - who would be mega-proud of his own son.
(Quotes sourced from Sky F1 and supplied by Best Payout Online Slots)
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