Newsgroup: it.sport.formula1.moderato
Titolo: [ENG] Ask Nigel: Villeneuve to Williams?

Da Autosport.com
Dear Nigel
With the news that Jacques Villeneuve has been added to the Williams team's
shortlist, I wondered what your thoughts on this are? I know Alain Prost
took a sabbatical in 1992 and came back to win the title in 1993, but he was
at the peak of his powers and used to running at the front. Do you think
that if Villeneuve came back he would be able to lead Williams to another
championship?
Derek Robinson,
Rochester, Kent
Dear Derek,
I don't doubt JV is on the Williams shortlist - they need two new drivers
for 2005, and a driver of his quality who is readily available would have to
come into their considerations - but I'm less sure that he is close to the
top of it.
When Villeneuve left the team for BAR, at the end of 1998, it was a great
disappointment to Frank Williams and Patrick Head, both of whom were very
keen he should stay. At the time he was unquestionably one of the three top
drivers in the world, after all. Simultaneously, it was decided not to renew
Heinz-Harald Frentzen's contract, so for '99 it was all change. This is not
a situation any team relishes, then or now.
On the plus side, FW has time on his side, for a Williams-BMW is one of the
plum
drives in F1, and an awful lot of people would kill for it.
Having lost Juan Montoya to McLaren, and having lost patience with Ralf
Schumacher and his ludicrous financial demands, Frank is looking at such as
Mark Webber, Scott Dixon and Jenson Button.
Of these, Dixon, while promising in testing, is an unknown quantity in F1
terms; Webber is firmly under Flavio Briatore's management control, and - if
he should move from Jaguar - is more likely to join Renault than any other
team. As for Jenson, I cannot see David Richards allowing him to move
anywhere, and the 'results clause' in his BAR contract may anyway preclude
that.
Villeneuve, therefore, has to be worth serious consideration - but only
under certain circumstances. As things stand, he doesn't have an F1 career
at all, so if he were to come back, as a Williams driver, there would be no
fancy retainers involved. Frank, I don't doubt, would insist on a contract
which handsomely rewarded strong results, but guaranteed not a lot. Also,
Jacques would significantly have to change his attitude to PR work, with
sponsors and so on.
And, the thing is, can he still get the job done? It's a long time, after
all, since he famously took on - and beat - Michael Schumacher in the
title-deciding race at Jerez back in 1997. Admittedly, he had poor cars
during his five seasons with BAR, but there were times when he seemed simply
to have lost interest, and obviously there will be doubts that he can ever
again be the driver he was.
Personally, my feeling is that Villeneuve's motivation is still there, or at
least would be if he were handed an absolutely competitive car. He has no
need to worry about money ever again, so that - if he serious about coming
back - should not be a problem. He didn't enjoy languishing on the sidelines
all those years, but a little bird in Monaco tells me that - out of the
business for the moment or not -
he continues to train ferociously, like a man who expects to be back.
Last thing: Jacques, more than most of the drivers, will be elated by the
forthcoming rule changes - it is Formula 1 the way he has always wanted it
to be.

 ha scritto nel messaggio
news:U8cmc.203102$rM4.8...@news4.tin.it...
[CUT]
Io faccio una previsione: la Williams l'anno prossimo correrà con Villeneuve
e Dixon.
Fidder #36, Membro della LILV #3
Master Gruppo 2 PBEM Forgotten Realms
"Coloro che sognano di giorno sanno molte cose che sfuggono a chi sogna
soltanto di notte.
E. A. Poe"


e io offro da bere a tutti.... :)

 to be.
Grande Mansell  condivido al 100%

 Grande Mansell  condivido al 100%
Credo che sia Nigel Roebuck, non Mansell.
Luca

 ha scritto nel messaggio
news:c7ega1$f6g$1...@news.Stanford.EDU...

ops sorry... non so chi sia...