Herbert: Villeneuve a Good Fit for Sauber

Former champion Jacques Villeneuve's eagerness to return to Formula One with Sauber should come as no surprise.

In fact, despite an apparent clash of images and the question of whether the 33-year-old Canadian actually had any other offers, he and the Swiss-based team might just be made for each other.

"I think his attitude will be fine, it will help him fit in quite easily," said former Sauber driver Johnny Herbert, who took two podiums for the team between 1996 and 1998.

"In some respects they will get on fine. In others there might be a clash because both he and Peter (Sauber) can be quite stubborn in a way," he told Reuters.

"But I don't think it will be a bad partnership. They can both feed off each other. I don't think it's a bad choice at all as they've got the new wind tunnel and there's still that Ferrari engine."

Villeneuve, who signed a two-year deal this week, has been something of a maverick in the past - fiercely individual and frequently outspoken while Sauber's reputation as a team is under-stated and serious.

They have yet to win a race in 11 years in Formula One, while championships remain in cloud-cuckoo land, but they are well-respected and certainly not the bunch of bores some might suppose.

"Actually they are a great crew of guys with a really wacky sense of humour," said Herbert. "They enjoy their racing but they also know when to switch off."

Mutual Respect

Comments made by Villeneuve last year, after being jettisoned acrimoniously by BAR, served as a clear enough pointer to what he was looking for.

"I only want to drive if I am happy doing it," the 33-year-old had said last November, admittedly at a time when he had no offers on the table. "It doesn't necessarily mean joining a team that will win.

"It means being with people who want you to drive for them, people who think you can bring something special to the team, people who will respect you for that and who can all work together on the same plan - not just some hype.

"That's what will make the difference."

Sauber are not flashy and their cigar-chomping boss does not do hype. But he does command respect and he is a fan of Villeneuve.

"I have to admit that signing a former World Champion is something truly special for me," he said on Wednesday. "However I want to make it clear that this was not the decisive factor.

"When I was talking to Jacques, I could feel that he is absolutely keen and committed to return to Formula One. He was always a great fighter and I am convinced that together we can achieve a lot."

Villeneuve was similarly appreciative.

"They actually were the only team that treated me seriously and with respect, compared to everybody else I've been speaking to since March," he said. "And that made a huge difference. And I was wanting to get into a non-political team, so I'm very happy about that.

"I don't know if they are political or not. It looks like they're not at all," said Villeneuve. "And if they are, it's in a positive way, so it's good anyway."

Cracking Car

The comments could be seen as a dig at BAR, under-achieving and spendthrift in their early days, but Herbert agreed Ferrari-powered Sauber were different.

"The only issue would be if they ever had a cracking car," he cautioned however. "Then what would be the situation with Ferrari? That could be a bit of a spanner in the works but otherwise it is not a political team at all."

In the past Villeneuve had also said he would only return with a fully competitive team, and Sauber are clearly not there yet, but he qualified the comment on Wednesday.

"Of course right now it's not a team that's fighting at the front, but if you can work positively there's time to do something good," he said.

"It doesn't mean we'll win races or something, you'll need luck for that, but at least if you can just keep improving and you're happy working then that's already great. And the wind tunnel that Sauber have is very impressive, and I'm sure some good things can be done.

"But I'm not joining a team thinking that will bring me to that other team afterwards," he added, a comment that contrasted to the position of the man he replaces, Italian Giancarlo Fisichella, who arrived last year saying he saw the drive as a stepping stone to a top team.

"That would be the wrong way of working."