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Showing posts with label villeneuve. Show all posts
Showing posts with label villeneuve. Show all posts

Saturday, 4 June 2016

Jacques Villeneuve Q&A: The ex-World Champion on the big talking points for 2014

Starting with Sebastian Vettel, if his Red Bull car proves to be significantly less competitive in 2014 how do you think he is going to do in the new season?

Jacques Villeneuve:
"We don't know how competitive it is, they just can't do laps. So that's worse than not being competitive. They really need to fix it because if not they won't even be able to finish qualifying, for example. 

"So they need to work on that car and once they get driving we will really know how competitive they are or not."

What about Ferrari? Can Kimi Raikkonen outscore Fernando Alonso?

JV:
"It is possible because last year Alonso wasn't the golden boy of Ferrari anymore, the energy wasn't good anymore. They were all fighting internally and that's why they put Kimi in there.
"But if we remember a few years ago it ended in tears with Kimi as well, so who knows what will happen. It's a very difficult team to be part of. It's very political, there are a lot of demands and when things don't go right they become very difficult to bear.

"But with the new rules, where basically the drivers won't have to drive on the edge the whole time, it won't be too physical, it could suit Kimi."

Do you think the drivers will radically have to adapt their styles with the new powertrains and fuel limitations?

JV:
"They will probably have to adapt their style but the issue with fuel limitation is the fuel economy won't be done by the driver, it will all be done by software, and at some point of the straight the engine will start cutting and giving less power. So the driver has very little to do with it."

A lot of the headlines building up to the season having been about the double points in Abu Dhabi. Do you think this is a good idea?

JV:
"I think it's a terrible idea. It's showing that Formula 1 right now there's no way to invent anymore to try and create some interest. It's overly artificial, just the way the rules are in general with the DRS and everything.

"But at least that one with the points is the same for everyone. Everyone knows before the start of the season that at the end of the season there will be a double-point race. I'm not sure what the purpose is apart from keeping the Abu Dhabi organisers, who spend millions to have a race, trying to keep the interest until their own race."

What do you think of the sound of the new turbo engines?

JV:
"They don't sound as beefy or aggressive. Ultimately all the fans want to see is good racing. Good, exciting, fun racing."

Why have you been attracted to the World Rallycross Championship?

JV:
"First of all it's exciting - and challenging. I've seen a few images and it's rough and tough, it's fast and a lot of horsepower. It's become a World Championship with the FIA tag, there's a race in Canada and so there's a lot of things going for it. I was keen to get back in a full championship as well."

Michael Schumacher was your great rival when you won your world title in 1997, how has his accident and situation affected you?

JV:
"I was really shocked. The effect is more on his family, that's where it is really, really hard because they are waiting and they have no idea what will happen. That's a terrible position to be in.
"It can happen to any of us, in any situation. We all live on the edge and Michael certainly did. That's how he won his championships. He went motorbike racing. He needed that adrenaline to kick in and he needed to always overcome himself basically."

The Sky Sports F1 Online team will be providing live commentary of all three winter tests with live updates from trackside also on Sky Sports News. The next test, in Bahrain, begins on Wednesday February 19.

Jacques Villeneuve set to make NASCAR comeback

Former IndyCar Series and Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve is set to make a comeback in the NASCAR Xfinity series this season.

A few weeks ago, Villeneuve and Venturi suddenly put an end to their partnership in the FIA Formula E Championship.

However, a press release issued last weekend said that Jacques Villeneuve would be racing for a new team, Wingnut Racing, in 2016.
This newly formed organisation will enter a K1 Speed-sponsored Wingnut Racing Nissan GT-R in this year’s Pirelli World Challenge.

The team also mentioned that Villeneuve would race the No. 27 Wingnut Racing car in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Wingnut Racing has also signed sponsorship deals with Alsco, K1 Speed and SpeedForSale.

“We will partner with Wingnut for one race in the 2016 Xfinity series as a primary sponsor and will be an associate partner with them for an additional five races this year,” said Jim Divers, Director of Sales and Marketing at Alsco.

“Jacques Villeneuve is a proven winner in motorsports and we look forward to being with him in Victory Lane.”

SpeedForSale Motorsports builds and dyno tunes R35 GT-R’s at their shop in Atlanta, GA, and also has the world’s largest selection of GT-R performance parts on their webstore with daily international shipments.

K1 Speed was founded in 2003 and is the nation’s largest indoor kart racing chain.

Villeneuve himself was unavailable for comment.