Jacques Villeneuve to make an F1 comeback
Former Formula One World Champion Jacques Villeneuve has said he may be making a comeback to the sport, not as a driver but as a F1 team owner next season.
Villeneuve has already submitted an entry to FIA to register his team at the 13th next season, Villeneuve has already taken care of various checks that are technical and financial.
Jacques said that it was widely known that he had been working on putting together a team for F1; he said that Formula one has been his life and ever since he called it a day from the cockpit it was at the back of his mind to make a comeback with a team of his own.
He refrained from going into any details about his team and his plans; he said he has been working hard on what he wants to do once the next season starts. Villeneuve said that he has learned a lot from being inside an F1 car and will make sure his team is there not just to make up the numbers. There is still speculation that he may be an owner and a driver for his team. In an interview to BBC he reserved his comments when asked if he will be driving for his team.
The F1 driver from Canada left the sport back in 2006; he was driving for BMW at the time and decided to call it a day when he was replaced in the team by Robert Kubica with just 5 races in the season left.
He said that he was quite dejected by the attitude of BMW and decided to leave Formula one, but he had always planned of making a comeback in one shape or other. Villeneuve won the world championship back in 1997 when he was driving for Williams.
Before the current F1 season started Villeneuve had signed up with Stefan Grand Prix, but FIA did not accept the Serbian team’s application and his comeback was once again put to rest.
Currently there 12 teams in Formula one and one more team will be added in next season, FIA will make the final decision on the team in the final week of July.
Villeneuve’s team is one of the 3 teams trying to be part of F1 circuit next season; it is believed that FIA has made all the necessary checks as far as the team application is concerned. FIA has confirmed that the team has the technical ability to build and maintain an F1 car. There is a big financial demand when it comes to F1 and the authorities after thorough checks have confirmed that Villeneuve’s team is capable of handing the financial burdens associated with the sport.
Rick Gorne who is Villeneuve’s manager said that there is a strong possibility that their team will be the 13th team next season. Rick said that Villeneuve and the rest of the team has been working on the project for a while and are ready to line up on the Grid next season.
Rick was one of the key members of BAR F1 team, that was created keeping Villeneuve at the centre of its plans. The team later went on to become Honda and after Honda decided to pull out due to financial problems Ross Brawn took over and it became Brawn GP , and this season it is known as Mercedes.
A German magazine called Auto Motor and Sport has hinted that Villeneuve may team up with Flavio Briatore, the former Renault head was made to leave F1 after he was found guilty of an effort to fix a race in Singapore in 2008.
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