Biography
Jacques Villeneuve was born 1971 the 9 april in Quebeck, Canada.
He is Canadian but has also houses in Monte Carlo, Monaco and Indianapolis.
1976 Jacques family moves to Monaco when his father, Gilles Villeneuve takes a step forward in F1.
1979 Gilles is second in the end of the f1 season.
Many experts thougth that 1982 would be Gilles year.... But unfortunately he crashed during the practice for Zolders GP in Belgium and died.
In 1986 Jacques starts at Jim Russels Formel Ford School in Mont-Tremblant, Just like his father.
1987 He moved to the Richard Spenard Formula 2000 school in Shannoville. After this training he drove three race´s in "Alpha Italian Touring Car Championship".
1988 He drives three races in the Alfa Italian Touring car Championship, In Italy.
1989-91 He drove Formel 3000 in Italy. He makes the podium 4 times, two second places and two on third place. It´s during this period Jacques asks his ex-school teacher Craig Pollock to become his personal mananger.
One year later he finishes in second place in the Japan F3 series, With 3 victories, one second place and five third places. With Pollocks help he test´s Formula Atlantic at the Trois-Rivieres race. Player´s Canada Limited have invited Jacques to races an exellent prepared car. Jacques manages to take the third place and gets a contract for 1993.
1993 He drove Formula Atlantic for Forsyth/Green and with 7 poles and 5 victories he was in the top, but had to settle for third. He was also awarded the title TA-Rookie-Of-The-Year. It´s at this time in team Forsyth/Green Jacques becomes a real professional racing driver.
In 1994 Jacques started to drive in Indycar for Forsyth/Green. At Indianapolis 500 he finished second and was awarded "Rookie of the year". At Elkhart Lake 11 september he won his first Indycar Race and at the end of the season he was awarded the "PPG Rookie-Of-The-Year". He ended up with a sixth place in the points table.
In 1995 he drove for Team Green (same owner as Forsyth/Green) and won "the 1995 Grand Prix of Miami" and also "the 1995 edition of the Indianapolis 500" after 2 penalty laps. He was the first Canadian to win this famous race. He started in pole at Elkhart Lake and ended up in first place. In Cleveland he won his fourth victorie and after The Laguna Seca Race he was awarded The PPG Indycar Champion. He set two records, he was the youngest ever to win in indycar and also the first Canadian. He also collects the title Athlete of the year in Canada.
The three first days in August he test drives for Williams-Renault F1. The team owner Frank Williams was there to see him an was very impresed by Jacques´s times. On the 15:th August he confirmed that he had signed a contract over two years with Williams.
1996 In the first race at Melbourne he took pole and was in the lead until he had to slow down the last laps due to mechanical problems. But finished Second after all. His debut season ended up with a second place in the points table after Damon Hill.
1997 Jacques fight´s with Schumacher during the year and before the last race they are parted by only one point. After Schumachers "hit" Jacques car gets some controll problems but Jacques manages to finish at third. When Shumacher was out of the race this was more than good enough to take the title!
1998 Williams builds an incompedetive car, but after all Jacques finishes 5:th in the points table.
Later in -98 he signs a contract with the new BAR team, where he will be both driver and owner(a minor part). The owner of the new team are Craig Pollock Jacques personal mananger.
After a problemathic first lap at the test session at Cataluña Jacques finally mananges to set the fourth best time.
We wish BAR and Jacques good luck in the 1999 season!
Said about him:
"Jacques has all the talent needed to be world champion this year." - Alain Prost
"What we've seen here is the birth of a new superstar. We will be seeing him in the winners' circle many times." - Jackie Stewart after the 1996 Australian GP
"Jacques Villeneuve has the pedigree and the ability to establish himself as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time." - Alan Jones (1980 World Champion) at the 1996 Australian GP. Observe! The Australian GP 1996 was Jacques first GP in F1...