Jacques Villeneuve

Lore & Background

Born in Quebec and raised in Monaco, Villeneuve is the son of Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve and the nephew of racing driver Jacques-Joseph. He began racing under an Andorran license in Italy at age 17, progressed to Italian Formula Three, then moved to the Toyota Atlantic Championship. He competed in Championship Auto Racing Teams with Forsythe/Green Racing in 1994, finishing sixth in the Drivers' Championship with one victory and earning Rookie of the Year and Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honours. In 1995 with Team Green, he won four races (including the Indianapolis 500) and the Drivers' Championship. He moved to Williams in Formula One for 1996, claiming four Grand Prix victories and becoming the first rookie runner-up in the World Drivers' Championship. His 1997 title challenge came from Ferrari's Michael Schumacher, and Villeneuve beat Schumacher following a controversial collision at the season-ending European Grand Prix, becoming the first Canadian World Drivers' Champion with seven Grand Prix victories. He finished fifth in 1998 with two podiums. After an unsuccessful stint with British American Racing, he finished seventh in the WDC in both 2000 and 2001 with BAR, achieving two podiums in 2001. He later drove for BAR, Renault, Sauber, and BMW Sauber without further success, leaving Formula One mid-way through 2006.

In Their Own Story

The sun sits low and orange over the concrete walls, painting the grandstands in amber. In the pit lane, the smell of methanol and hot rubber hangs thick. Villeneuve is strapped in, visor down, and the engine's idle thrums through the carbon monocoque like a held breath. Lights out. He launches with a violence that scrubs a layer of paint off the tarmac behind him. Laps stack up. The field compresses. And then, on the back straight, he finds a gap that shouldn't exist — a half-car-length of air between two rivals — and he doesn't hesitate. He doesn't check the mirror. He doesn't calculate. He just goes, the car sliding a degree wide, the rear tyres screaming, and he's through, and the crowd in the stands is on its feet before the car has even cleared the apex. In the mirror, the lapped traffic blurs. He doesn't look back. He never looks back.

Reader's Guide

Villeneuve left Formula One mid-way through the 2006 season and began competing in sports car racing, NASCAR, and touring car racing. He won the 2008 1000 km of Spa driving for Peugeot. He was appointed Officer of the National Order of Quebec in 1998. He won the Lou Marsh Trophy and the Lionel Conacher Award in each of 1995 and 1997. He is an inductee of the Canadian Motor Sports Hall of Fame, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, and the FIA Hall of Fame.

Did You Know?

• Villeneuve won the Indianapolis 500 in 1995 with Team Green.
• He became the first Canadian Formula One World Drivers' Champion in 1997.
• He won the 2008 1000 km of Spa driving for Peugeot.
• Villeneuve was voted winner of both the Lou Marsh Trophy and the Lionel Conacher Award in 1995 and 1997.