Report: Villeneuve close to Lotus deal
December 2, 2009 by SJ Skid
Filed under People & Events, Top Story
I think this one is somewhere between rumor and firm fact, but Sky Sports is reporting that former world champ Jacques Villeneuve will have a seat with the Lotus F1 team next season.
Here’s the relevant part:
[H]he enlisted the services of his former trainer Dr Erwin Gollner in a bid to get himself back into shape with what the Canadian describes as a “really, really brutal” fitness regime.
And although Villeneuve has claimed the discussions with Lotus are “still preliminary” he has claimed that he wouldn’t “come to suffer, in a retreat, leaving my two sons far away, if I didn’t believe things are moving along well”.
Lotus are set to name their team for the 2010 season in the immediate future, with chief executive officer Riad Asmat telling The Star: “We will name two drivers and a reserve. Negotiations are still going on.”
Adding some credibility to this news is a report earlier this week in Canada’s National Post in which one of the organizers of the back-on-the-calendar Canadian GP said having the Canadian driver back would help the race.
What [Francois] Dumontier agreed was a “new era” of F-1 in Montreal that could see also see the return of 1997 F-1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve to the track named after his late father, a possibility which would only enhance the return of the race.
Britain-based Lotus will be one of the new teams on the circuit next season and according to Lotus F1 boss Tony Fernandes, Villeneuve, along with Jarno Trulli, Takuma Sato and Kamui Kobayashi, are in the running for two seats.
“I can’t deny that if Jacques is back in a Formula One car it will help the Grand Prix,” Dumontier said.
“People here love him. We saw how popular he is when he raced NASCAR here. I would be fan No. 1 if Jacques is back in a Lotus car and if we can help him, that’s what we’ll do.”
And then there was this F1B post.
Thoughts? Trepidation? Indifference?
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Well we need characters on grid rather than just drones buzzing around the for 50-60 laps,pack it up and leave home.
Agreed JV definitely won’t set the world ablaze in Lotus, but do remember Peter Sauber & Hinwil team have always said good words about his development work in 2005 that helped their car design philosophy in 2006-07. Lotus at this stage will gain a lot from this relationship.
And to Schumi fans, if indeed JV is signed for Lotus, Mercedes will crawl to Schumi’s Mansion and sign him, else they will be behind even the LOTUS team on the PR front.
Heidfeld in Merc Vs JV in Lotus, what will stirr more attention :-?
Yeah, but when Merc wins a few races and lotus makes up a backmarker, which team will stirr more attention :-?
Love it. I’m Canadian, so I’ll get that bias out of the way, even though JV really grew up in Monaco. I’m also opinionated and don’t pull punches, so I appreciate that quality in our man.
He really was a very good driver who fell into the honey trap of BAR. Who wouldn’t have? That one was too good to pass up on on paper, especially since Willy was on the way down.
I’d love to see him put his moves on the young whippersnappers.
There is an upside…he is an aggressive driver and doesn’t know how to lift. :)
First man to do Eau Rouge flat out. Back when it meant something.
If Trulli makes it back and has to share a curve with JV I’m sure he’ll have many more pictures for his photo album.
Call me nostalgic but i would love a JV coming back, even if i think he could race in the back or not being competitive.. Maybe because years pass and he’s of my generation ;)
I really think he won’t do a better job than in sauber, but who knows? And also there is always some “heroism” in tryng to fight with time and reason..
I’ve read JV is in financial trouble, and for this reason i’ll support more his coming back…
This makes as much sense as buying Tiger Woods wife a new set of irons for Christmas