17 September: Following a
successful test with the Renault F1 team at Silverstone this week (story),
Jacques Villeneuve has been confirmed to drive for Renault at the final
3 races of the season replacing Jarno Trulli who was released from his
contract earlier this week.
Villeneuve has not raced in Formula 1 since the US Grand Prix last year after
the BAR team decided not to renew his contract in favour of Takuma Sato.
Villeneuve pulled out of the final race of 2003 in Japan and couldn't secure a
competitive drive for this season.
The Renault F1 team issued the following statement:
The Mild Seven Renault F1 Team today confirmed that Jacques Villeneuve will
partner Fernando Alonso for the final three races of the 2004 Formula 1
season, beginning with next week’s Chinese Grand Prix, following a
successful two-day test this week at Silverstone.
The French-Canadian completed 700 km during his two days of running at
Silverstone, acclimatising himself to the Renault R24 after an absence of
nearly twelve months from a Formula 1 car.
Mild Seven Renault F1 Team Managing Director Flavio Briatore commented:
"We are very excited to welcome Jacques Villeneuve to Renault for the
final three Grands Prix of the 2004 season. He is highly motivated and has
impressed us with his performance this week. I would also like to thank Peter
Sauber for his collaboration in this matter."
"The Renault F1 Team’s objective is now to claim second place in the
Constructors’ Championship and we are focused intently on doing so."
Jacques Villeneuve was interviewed by the team following the
announcement and this is what he said:
Jacques, you spent two days testing the Renault this week. How did it
go?
It went extremely well and we had a very positive test. For the first day and
a half, we worked on getting me comfortable in the car, altering the seat, the
driving position, all the details you need to get perfect before you can start
to be quick. Everything has happened very quickly – the seat was only made
on Tuesday evening – so it was important to concentrate on that first of
all. I also needed some time to play myself back in and get used to driving
again, as well as adjusting my style to using a semi-automatic gearchange
again. By lunchtime on Thursday, we started working on the set-up a little bit
to adapt the car to my style, and it responded very well.
What was the welcome like in the team?
The welcome has been fantastic – everybody has been very positive in their
approach. Over the years that we worked together I built up a genuine respect
for Renault, and I am very grateful to the team that they have recruited me at
this time. I have good memories from working with Renault and there were some
familiar faces in the garage when I arrived on Wednesday. The team has worked
hard to adapt the steering wheel and other small details to my habits, because
that is the easiest way for these three races, and they had even used my old
throttle traces to adjust the engine mapping for my first runs. Little details
like that make a difference. Obviously, we are still getting to know each
other, but the approach has been very open and constructive.
How did you find the R24 to drive?
Well, I used Fernando’s set-up for much of the test but when we made some
changes, I could already tell it was a very good car. It is not an easy car to
drive but it is definitely quick. Once you have understood its characteristics
then you can begin to really push and find the limit, which we started to on
Thursday afternoon. The engine is very good and very smooth in its power
delivery. We still have work to do, but my first impressions are positive.
China will be a new race for everybody: do you think that will play to
your advantage?
I am not sure whether it will be an advantage or not. There are two ways of
looking at it: firstly, you can say that nobody else has been there before
either so I won’t be at a disadvantage, but on the other hand, in that
situation, you could say that you need as much experience as possible the car
and the tyres in order to concentrate on learning the track. You can choose to
be optimistic or negative. I’m looking at it in a positive frame of mind.
Finally, what are your objectives for these three races?
The team and I share a common goal: to beat BAR to second place in the
championship. I am here to enjoy myself as well, but the priority is to
contribute to Renault’s fight in the championship. It will be tough, but
sometimes you have to take the plunge. Once you have done so, there is no
other option but to make it work…
