SEBRING | Less than a month from turning 52, Jacques Villeneuve is still fueling auto racing and aims to become the first driver to win the so-called Triple Crown in more than half a century.
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The Quebec veteran is gearing up to compete in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), which begins Friday at the Sebring Circuit in Florida.
There, between two test sessions, a few days ago he agreed to answer our questions and clearly communicated his ambitions to us.
“My job is first and foremost to be a racing driver. I am not a semi-retiree as some claim. The proof is that I’m driving full-time in an important international series this year,” he explains from the start.
“I don’t think I’ll be hanging up my helmet anytime soon,” he continues. Health is excellent so it’s not a problem. My passion is intact and I’m not here to have fun. Running is what I do best. »
A rare achievement
Villeneuve does not hide it, he dreams of a victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which he lacks in his brilliant record. In 2008 he came very close to climbing the top step of the podium in second place. Next June he will have a third chance to achieve that great goal, although he will be the first to admit that the task promises to be particularly difficult.
He was recruited by one of the teams [Vanwall] the less well-off on the board and their off-season preparation has been lacking.
Which leads us to talk about the Triple Crown in racing and its two interpretations. For some, the most common definition is winning the three most prestigious events in the world: the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
For Villeneuve, however, the “real” Triple Crown is a win at the Indy 500 (acquired in 1995), another at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and a world title in Formula 1 (won in 1997).
Graham Hill is the only pilot to have achieved this feat. In his case there is no debate as his record shows F1 World Championships (1962 and 1968) and victories at Monaco (1963, 1964, 1965, 1968 and 1969).
The title in F1 before the victory in Monaco
A winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1965, Damon Hill’s father added a win at Le Mans in 1972 to come full circle. For more than 50 years, other drivers, including Fernando Alonso, have tried to follow in his footsteps, but in vain.
“I’m not saying that, it’s Hill himself, who at the time was referring to the F1 championship title and not the Monaco Grand Prix,” points out Villeneuve, whose best result in 10 starts on the streets of Monte-Carlo was a fourth place in 2001
“It was Hill who invented the Triple Crown, the real one in motorsport,” added Villeneuve. The championship in F1 is indeed more valuable than a win at the Monaco GP. On the other hand, the Le Mans 24 Hours is more important than the World Endurance Championship. This also applies to the Indianapolis 500 race, which is more prestigious than an IndyCar series title.
“I want to be the second driver in history to accomplish this feat,” he says. It would be a great achievement, but hey, at the risk of repeating myself, this year is going to be complicated.
“We’re a small team and we have to face big names backed by big automakers, including Toyota, Peugeot, Ferrari and Porsche. But I’m patient and I still have good years ahead of me. »
The confidences of Jacques Villeneuve: what he thinks about…
Fernando Alonso?
“As much as it is a big catch for the Aston Martin team, the Alpine team will suffer from its loss. We knew Fernando would be involved in the first Formula 1 Grand Prix of the 2023 season in Bahrain two weeks ago. However, he was really impressive when overtaking [à l’endroit de Lewis Hamilton et de Carlos Sainz, principalement]. At 41, age certainly plays a role. When you come to a point where you no longer have that desire and that will [comme Sebastian Vettel l’an dernier] to take risks might as well stop. Alonso has shown he is just as hungry as he was 20 years ago. And the experience only helped him finish third.”
lance walk?
“This is a very satisfactory start to the season. In Bahrain he conceded 1.1 seconds to his teammate Alonso without taking part in winter tests due to injury. He’s doing a good job…against all odds.”
As a reminder, Villeneuve was never kind to his young compatriot and never hesitated to denounce his erratic driving and his many mistakes on the track. But at the first GP of the 2023 season, the Montreal rider performed well and finished sixth. Not without a surprise.
The birth of a sixth child?
“With my busy schedule, it’s getting more and more complicated to manage my time. I’m going to be a father for the sixth time [il a cinq garçons] Early June and I’m proud of it. Because I’m involved full-time in the World Endurance Championship, in my role as an analyst for French television, I’ve reduced the number of Grands Prix to ten.
His third wife, Guilia Marra (who gave birth to Gilles in January 2022), follows Jacques wherever he goes. “She’s a big help,” said the pilot, who will celebrate his 52nd birthday on April 9.
Hatching another generation of Villeneuve?
“Henri, the fourth youngest, is the only one of my children who is really interested in racing. He started driving go-karts. I asked him to draw his helmet, which he did. This helmet is different from mine and that’s a good thing. He also plays ice hockey. Whether he will follow in his father’s footsteps is too early. The two eldest, Jules [âgé de 16 ans] and Joakim [14 ans], naturally have skiing and table tennis as their main occupation alongside their studies. All my sons are athletic and they keep busy when I’m away.”
An endurance race in Montreal?
“That would be wonderful. I know there were discussions a few years ago. It would allow me to go back to a circuit [qui porte le nom de son père Gilles] which I love and which would be perfect for a long distance race. Rumor has it that we wouldn’t be returning to Sebring [Floride] Next year. However, the World Endurance Championship must include a race in North America. We have the opportunity to organize a second race per year in Montreal. This beautiful place needs more use. I know that a NASCAR Cup event is scheduled to arrive next year. It doesn’t matter, in addition to the Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix, another major event is needed.
World Endurance Championship: Well-heeled teams and experienced riders
The World Endurance Championship (WEC), in its 11th season, is attracting a growing number of prestigious car manufacturers, who are using this showcase to exploit new technologies that it is hoped will eventually find their way into production cars.
But unlike most of the reported teams, the Vanwall team that recruited Jacques Villeneuve full-time for the 2023 season is not affiliated with any of these major automakers.
“We are a small team [basée en Autriche], he explains. It is not easy fighting against organizations with much less limited financial resources than ours. »
Like in the movie
These well-equipped teams are Toyota, Peugeot, Porsche and Ferrari, which is making a grand comeback to endurance racing this year.
Those who have seen the excellent film Ford v Ferrari released in 2019 can attest to this great rivalry that continues in endurance sports and in particular at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.
This year Porsche is best represented with three full-time teams, one (two cars) of which is linked to the renowned Roger Penske. Most other organizations have two cars in the championship. To this group must be added Cadillac, Glickenhaus and Vanwall, who entered only one car.
These last two structures are the only ones among the 11 involved in Hypercar that are considered “independent”. They don’t benefit from the input of a major manufacturer and they are also the only ones on the board not to use the hybrid engine.
If Villeneuve is the only driver to have been crowned the winner of the F1 World Championship, others have also raced in motorsport’s premier class, including Antonio Giovinazzi (recruited by Ferrari), Sebastien Buemi (Toyota), Paul di Resta (Peugeot), Jean -Eric Vergne (Peugeot) and Kamui Kobayashi (Toyota).
The Japanese is not only one of the drivers of the Japanese team, but also the director.
WEC schedule 2023
- March 17 ➞ Sebring (USA) ➞ 8 a.m
- April 16 ➞ Portimão (Portugal) ➞ 6 hours
- April 29 ➞ Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) ➞ 6 hours
- 10 and 11 June ➞ Le Mans (France) ➞ 24 hours
- July 9th ➞ Monza (Italy) ➞ 6 hours
- September 10 ➞ Fuji (Japan) ➞ 6 hours
- November 4th ➞ Bahrain ➞ 8 hours