Jacques Villeneuve is back......

[Benhur]

He is finishing the season with Renault, and then moves on to Sauber.
Strange.....but then again it's Jacques.
link:
http://www.formula1.com/news/2214.html

 

[luv2fress]

I think he just wants to be in car no matter where he has to drive. Good luck to him, F! needs some excitment added to it.

 

[Cardinal Fang]

If Renault lets him drive the final three races of the year I can see him in the points and dare I say a podium finish in Japan.

 

[spiff]

Wonder how Schumacher feels, great he's gonna take me out....

But then again will he be able to run at the front in either the Renault or Sauber????

Not to sure about that....

 

[Kev]

This is great news.

Jacque was ousted out of racing before his days were done. It'll be interesting to see how well he does in an inferior car.

The article says JV replaces Trulli for the remaining 3 races. So what happened to Trulli? Time to check eurosport.com.


Uhhhh Trulli left Renault to drive for Toyota. --- Kev

 

[luv2fress]

Hey Spiff,
It was Shuuee who tried to take Jacques out from what I remember, then JV went on to win the championship.

 

[Cardinal Fang]

This is great news.

It'll be interesting to see how well he does in an inferior car.

I'm not sure that the Renault is such an inferior car, as you would believe. The car has outpaced and out qualified the Ferrari on more than one occasion this year. Considering how down on horsepower the Renault is compared to Ferrari it is a credit to their Team that they can complete at the level they’re at. They have a great overall package and are considered top notch when it comes to their aerodynamics. The car strikes a great balance between power and aerodynamic efficiency. Let's not even talk about their starts on the grids. They make up 2 positions every race. They really don't need to qualify first to have great track position. Their only Achilles heel would be bad luck, really stupid strategies on Flavio's part and some reliability issues.

The last three races, China, Japan and Brazil are well suited for the Renault with their long sweeping turns and tricky smaller corners. The car will not have to rely on pure horsepower to get around.

 

[luv2fress]

Cardinal Fang
Lets not forget that when you have downforce, you need more HP to get around. Like you said, it is a balance thing. I think JV will have a podium or 2 if the car holds out.

 

[Warm Hands]

I'm not sure that the Renault is such an inferior car, as you would believe. The car strikes a great balance between power and aerodynamic efficiency. Let's not even talk about their starts on the grids. They make up 2 positions every race.

I couldn't have said it better myself. Renault is probably the team that gets most bang for the buck out of their budget. Only the Ferrari package outpaces it, and I'd bet Ferrari's budget is twice Renault's.

However, Sauber is a different story. They've been using Ferrari mechanicals for a long time now, but still haven't managed to parlay that into anything approaching success. I would have liked Villeneuve to hold out a bit longer and maybe see how the dust settles on the Jenson Button thing before signing with Sauber. Especially after Sauber was quoted last week as saying that he didn't feel the need to have a finalized driver lineup until Christmas. I hope I'm proven wrong, but I think this was not a wise decision on JV's part.

WH

 

[Warm Hands]

And for anyone who wonders if JV can still compete at this level, here are the Silverstone times for yesterday and today...

Day One:

Silverstone - 15/09/2004

1. K. Raikkonen - McLaren-Mercedes - 1'16"150 - 60 laps

2. T. Sato BAR-Honda - 1'17"128 - 86 laps

3. P. de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes - 1'17"207 - 94 laps

4. O. Panis - Toyota - 1'17"269 - 101 laps

5. J. Button - BAR-Honda - 1'17"597 - 103 laps

6. R. Zonta - Toyota - 1'17"651 - 132 laps

7. M. Gene - Williams-BMW - 1'17"719 - 81 laps

8. F. Alonso - Renault - 1'17"794 - 37 laps

9. R. Schumacher - Williams-BMW - 1'18"383 - 37 laps

10. J. Villeneuve - Renault - 1'18"779 - 70 laps



Day Two:

Leading times (16 September) - Silverstone:

1. Takuma Sato BAR-Honda 1m 17.397s 82 laps M

2. Kimi Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes 1m 17.400s 94 laps M

3. Jacques Villeneuve Renault-Renault 1m 17.433s 66 laps M

4. Ralf Schumacher Williams-BMW 1m 17.718s 55 laps M

5. Marc Gene Williams-BMW 1m 17.813s 88 laps M

6. Jarno Trulli Toyota-Toyota 1m 17.911s 83 laps M

7. Anthony Davidson BAR-Honda 1m 17.960s 71 laps M

8. Pedro de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes 1m 18.401s 93 laps M

9. Franck Montagny Renault-Renault 1m 19.140s 88 laps M

10. Ryan Briscoe Toyota-Toyota 1m 19.147s 84 laps M

11. Enrique Bernoldi BAR-Honda 1m 21.351s 11 laps M


Now of course nobody has any idea what fuel/setup strategies any of these guys were running. But to move up from being 2.5 seconds off the lead pace to only being 37 one-thousandths off the pace in two sessions is pretty damn impressive.

WH

 

[Cardinal Fang]

I"m a little more optimistic.

Sauber is a mid pack team at best. The plus for the team is that they will be powered by this year's Ferrari engines and that they have a natural driver in JV. His draw may give Sauber access to new sponsorship money they may never have had in the past. This, if used wisely by investing in the car along with their new Wind Tunnel they built in the summer could prove to be fruitful for the Swiss team. Look for them to show their true intentions by the last third of next year's season.

I consider Sauber a stepping stone for JV to get to the front running teams. Whatever car JV is driving I hope he:

a) Passes Jensen Button
b) Laps Takumo Sato
c) Has time to flip the bird to Larry Richards after every lap

 

[Bud Plug]

Can anyone tell me why Sauber, Minardi, and Ford race? They've all been around for awhile, and none have had success. Is it some corporate "market presence" concept, a stupidly rich benefactor, or what's their stories?

 

[spiff]

luv2fress,

I agree that Shuee did indeed try to take out Villy, however Schumacher is such a fluid and smooth driver. I'm wondering if all he can see is Villy just banging and crashing to the front to score points.

Overall I think this is just a stepping stone for Villy to stay in game shape as it were. He is going to take Shuee's place at Ferrari once he retires....

 

[Kev]

I'm not sure that the Renault is such an inferior car, as you would believe. The car has outpaced and out qualified the Ferrari on more than one occasion this year. Considering how down on horsepower the Renault is compared to Ferrari it is a credit to their Team that they can complete at the level they’re at. They have a great overall package and are considered top notch when it comes to their aerodynamics. The car strikes a great balance between power and aerodynamic efficiency. Let's not even talk about their starts on the grids. They make up 2 positions every race. They really don't need to qualify first to have great track position. Their only Achilles heel would be bad luck, really stupid strategies on Flavio's part and some reliability issues.

The last three races, China, Japan and Brazil are well suited for the Renault with their long sweeping turns and tricky smaller corners. The car will not have to rely on pure horsepower to get around.

I should have been more clear. I was refering to next year when JV drives for Sauber. Unless all of a sudden Sauber does something magical with their car. --- Kev

 

[softhands]

JV being back in F1 is a good thing for F1 & for Canadian fans in particular, but for him the move to Sauber is less than optimum. Sauber have this years Ferrari engine and gearbox and are said to have last years Ferrari chassis and still are mired in mid pack as the best of the also rans.

Due to their history, (and limited budget) I can’t see Sauber making any big moves next year despite the fact they will again have the same engine as Ferrari (due to the new engine regs in force next season).

I’m sure that JV is taking the same gambit as Fisichella did this year, telling himself that a Sauber ride now will translate into the inside track for a seat at Ferrari when either Schumi or Rubens signs off.

But I’m afraid the real truth is JV was simply desperate enough to take the sure ride that was offered to him, even if it is with a team without any chance of winning races (at least it’s not Jaguar or Jordan). I think that Toyota are likely to win races before Sauber ever does.

PS If I was JV there’s no way I would have held out hoping for the BAR ride. He’s burned too many bridges there. And now that Buttons’ situation is not expected to be finalized until Nov or Dec, there’s no way I would wait hoping that David Richards would shallow his pride & take me back. He’d be more likely to string JV along & them give the seat to Coulthard or Davidson.

 

[luv2fress]

Hey Spiff,
I think JV will eventually land back at Williams.

 

[Warm Hands]

Can anyone tell me why Sauber, Minardi, and Ford race? They've all been around for awhile, and none have had success. Is it some corporate "market presence" concept, a stupidly rich benefactor, or what's their stories?

As far as Sauber, Minardi and Jordan I'd say its all about the egos of the owners. They *want* to be F1 team owners, so they're willing to pour all their money into it. I say good for them. The sport needs more privateers. I was watching some of the "Formula One Decade" on SpeedTV earlier in the year, where they rebroadcast 10 year old races. I was amazed that I had forgotten just how many teams there were before. How many names have vanished since then? Remember when you'd see at least 24 cars on the grid every race? This is what the sport was built on.

IMHO it is the manufacturer's presence that have spoiled the show. BMW, Mercedes, Toyota, Renault and Ferrari all have insane amounts of money. The privateers can't compete, but they keep bringing us the great talent. If it wasn't for Sauber, Kimi Raikonnen wouldn't have gotten his first ride. Same goes for Minardi and Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber. If it was up to me, I'd keep the manufacturers limited to engine/transmission production and leave the rest of it to the teams.

This is more of a rant than I intended. Now I know what it feels like to be Dennis Miller.

 

[luv2fress]

All they need to do is limit the rules to where the technology can only advance so far like IRL, NASCAR, & Champ cars. This would allow teams with smaller budgets to compete.

 

[The Doctor]

Does anyone else see this Sauber deal as a lead into a Ferrari drive two years down the road when Michael is retired? He wouldn't be the first driver to try this approach to get familiar with the engines.

Now that JV is confirmed for the last three races with Renault, I may actually get out of bed and watch them.

 

[Warm Hands]

Does anyone else see this Sauber deal as a lead into a Ferrari drive two years down the road when Michael is retired? He wouldn't be the first driver to try this approach to get familiar with the engines.

I'd love that to happen, no doubt. But about a week ago the Ferrari management (I wish I could remember who) had said they are seriously looking at Raikkonen and Alonso as replacements when Schumacher retires.