Out of nowhere, a fifth former champion looks set to be added to the 2010 Formula One roster. Despite the fact that testing is nearly complete and the new season is but 12 days away, Serbian team Stefan GP are making a late and gallant push for a place on the starting grid, and they want Jacques Villeneuve to be their No.1 driver.
Team owner and engineer Zoran Stefanovic is not a man who gives up on dreams. The Serbian has had two failed attempts at getting a team into Formula One before, but this time he thinks he has cracked it.
From the ashes of Toyota, Stefan GP have risen like a phoenix and is breathing down the necks of the FIA for a place in the elite racing league. Showing scant regard for logic, Stefanovic has already built a car for the new season and was all set to test in Portugal; unfortunately the car is missing one crucial ingredient, tyres. Formula One’s official tyre supplier Bridgestone will not supply the team with tyres until they have secured a contract to race, a bit of a vicious circle situation.
This will not deter the plucky Serbian side though - they are so confident they are going to make the Bahrain opening Grand Prix they have already sent all their equipment over. In December they lost out on the 13th grid position to Sauber, but have continued campaigning for their place in the starting line up. They have piled pressure on the other new teams, citing US-F1 as the runt of the Formula One pack and claiming they have much better resources than the hapless American team.
The return of Villeneuve is a huge shock. The Canadian has not been seen in a Formula One race car since a disastrous 2006 season in the Sauber. Having burst on the scene in 1996 Villeneuve looked top class, a driver in the same class as his father, the late, great Giles. Like his father Villeneuve Jnr looked a natural at first - he finished second in his debut season and then champion the year after that. However it was all downhill from there, with Villeneuve having miserable season after miserable season. Over the years he saw more retirements than an old people’s home and eventually he disappeared off the radar.
However, Stefan GP think the past-master still has some juice left in him and are backing him to make a spectacular return. In reality though, Villeneuve hasn’t had it since 1997. There’s a reason why the dinosaurs died out and Stefanovic will do well to notice there are no Diplodocuses wandering around outside his window. A dinosaur could not cope with modern technology, a T-Rex couldn’t have an iPhone because his arms are too short and by the same logic Villeneuve will not be able to keep up with today’s cars and new talent. Too much has changed since Villeneuve's heyday - of course, this doesn’t apply to Michael Schumacher because he is the king of racing.
If Villeneuve does join the side he will be partnering former Williams driver Kazuki Nakajima. The Japanese favourite has a sub-standard record of 36 races and nine points, not exactly prolific.
As it stands Stefan GP are not in the 2010 Formula One season. They are knocking on the door though and both Eddie Jordan and Bernie Ecclestone have tipped them to be on the starting grid come March 14th.
It will complete a lifelong dream for Stefanovic yet it seems highly unlikely that Stefan GP will do well without doing all the appropriate testing and such. Realistically it’s a big ask, yet fair play to them for their perseverance.
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