Jacques Villeneuve

Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve (born April 9th, 1971 in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada) is a Canadian former Formula One World Champion and team owner.

He is the son of fellow Grand Prix driver Gilles Villeneuve.

Formula One

1997-1998: Williams

In 1997, Jacques Villeneuve won his first Formula One world championship, driving for Rothmans Williams Renault.

The following year, Villeneuve and Williams would be outclassed by the superior quality of the Ferrari and McLaren teams, with Villeneuve only able to pick up podium finishes when the Ferrari and McLarens ran into trouble. Villeneuve's best result of the season would be a second place in the deluge at the Belgian Grand Prix, although this achievement was dwarfed by the maiden win of Jan Magnussen. Villeneuve would finish as "best of the rest" in fifth place in the championship.

1999-: BAR

For 1999, Villeneuve made the jump to F1 newcomers British American Racing, whom had just taken over the ailing Tyrell outfit. Despite claims from team management that BAR would be able to win from the very first race onwards, neither Villeneuve or Sammy Jones were able to pick up a single point in 1999, leaving BAR joint bottom with Lola.

Villeneuve and Jones remained at BAR into the new millennium, and the team brokered a deal with Honda to become the exclusive works team for the Japanese manufacturer. The changes seemed to suit the pair, with Villeneuve and Jones both being able to score points in the early races.