Villeneuve and the background on Jerez 97: “Schumi? Only battle there, but I knew I would win”

Villeneuve. The name is enough to evoke a world and a family history, the name is enough to revive the legend of Formula 1. “I grew up with the desire to go further, to try to overcome the limits. I came up with the certainty that I would race in Formula 1 and that, sooner or later, I would become a champion.” Thus Jacques Villeneuve at the Sports Festival, his jaunty air, his fluent Italian, an immediate empathy that immediately ignited the enthusiasm of a sold-out Social Theatre. “I had a mission, I understood it since I was a child. But I want to be honest: I always ran because I enjoyed it, not because I had to continue my father’s story. My dream today? Going back to running, I would do it tomorrow morning if I could. Even just to give my children (he has six) the satisfaction of seeing me race.” 164 Grands Prix contested, 11 victories, world champion on Williams in 1997, crossing a finish line that fate had taken away from his father Gilles, in the most painful way.

comparisons

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“From the first race everyone was making comparisons, this is normal for the son of a driver. But the pressure has never scared me, on the contrary it has helped me to give my best.” Jacques enthusiastically unravels his memories. “The first time in Formula 1, with Williams, I thought: I’m here and it’s fantastic.” There was also a role model for the young Jacques: “Emerson Fittipaldi, I always liked him”. His entire career was marked by ambition. “You have to leave knowing that there is always someone who will go faster than you. And every time I said to myself: I’m here to learn, to improve, to bring out the best.” Villeneuve laughs when Federica Masolin, who interviews him, reminds him of his transgressions in the Circus. “The truth is, I was just having fun. Blonde hair? I woke up one morning, turned on the TV and they were showing “Trainspotting”, remember that film? Ok, so I went to my hairdresser and said: make me blonde. The funny thing is that the journalists said: he made his hair blonde because he can’t handle the pressure… Instead it was just fun.”

armor

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In reality, behind the nonconformist armor, there was a professional who made discipline the pedestal of his career. “I wouldn’t have done what I did if I hadn’t trained well, if I hadn’t had the right concentration.” There was a moment – between 1996 and 1997 – when Jacques Villeneuve was the anti-Schumacher par excellence. “It was a real challenge, on and off the track, fueled by the media. But the strange thing is that there was only one race in which there was a real battle, in the last race of 1997, in Jerez de la Frontera. Schumacher was the driver to beat. I had already passed him in 1996, in Estoril. And this had made him very angry. When I won the following year I was very happy, I saw a whole year’s work paid off”. And at this point Villeneuve reveals a backstory. “That year I never had any doubts, I always thought that I would win, even when I was behind and everyone thought that Schumacher would triumph.”

ferrari

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And Ferrari? Jacques drove his father’s car only once, at Fiorano. A very strong emotion. “I sat down and thought it looked like it was made for me.” However, a marriage that seemed written has never been sanctioned. “I experienced Ferrari, because it was my father’s team. But I have to tell the truth: I never dreamed of driving it. And I would never have done it, because I wanted to keep the right to be Jacques, simply Jacques.” There is also time for an analysis of today’s F1. “Ferrari’s moment is not positive, but this is part of its history, there are better moments and other cycles without victories. I like Sainz, because he always improves and has always helped the teams he raced for. But drivers today are too protected, they should be left more free, even to make mistakes. I admire Fernando Alonso, because he is hungry. It’s the difference that a great driver makes. I would ask kids who want to be drivers today: do you do it out of passion or because you want to be Ricciardo and smile in commercials? Red Bull? It’s wrong to say he’s unbeatable. The unbeatable one is Verstappen. His strength? He was never a kid, he was mature even when he was little. He was created to be a champion, his father was very hard on him. The truth is that today Verstappen does not have a single weak aspect.”