Villeneuve aims to build up reputation

The Canadian has had a far from easy time trying to recapture the form that helped him take the world title in his second season in the sport - and the perception of his abilities has not been the same since his torrid season at BAR in 2003.

He struggled to make an impact during a three-race spell with Renault at the end of 2004 and it took him time to build up his speed after a switch to Sauber last season.

However, with the added input of German car manufacturer BMW at his Swiss outfit this year, Villeneuve is upbeat that he can start delivering the results he needs on the track - although admits it will be harder sorting out his image off it.

When asked by autosport.com about his reputation in the pitlane, Villeneuve said: "I have lost it once... and to build it back up again is really hard work. I am still working hard on it.

"A lot of it is the results you get, but another big part of it is just the perception. You have drivers who have never had results and people think they are great - just because the teams have always been behind them and always have excuses for them. It is a positive perception and that is all you need.

"Some other drivers have been winning and still get their legs cut because the perception is bad. There is very little you do about that. If you get on the wrong side of someone at the wrong time then you are screwed."

Villeneuve is hopeful, however, that improved form from BMW-Sauber in 2006 will allow him to demonstrate better that he is still more than worthy of a drive in F1.

"The bad years are far enough behind me now not to cause a problem. It takes a long time to erase negativity, but over the winter testing and, during last season in general, people have found out I am not really that difficult to work with. So it has turned around a little bit and we can carry on."

And Villeneuve thinks the key to unlocking BMW-Sauber's full potential this year will be in kicking off their year with some points on the board.

"We are not where we want to be yet, there are still some big steps that need to be made," he added. "But we should be in a position where we can go home with points whereas last year we had to be lucky.

"If we work well then we should be able to go home with points and that is the right place to start. If you can start the first few races with points then you have something to work on, you keep the people in the team excited and you keep a good attitude.

"There is the excitement of a new team, the excitement of something new wanting to perform and that makes people want to work twice as hard and twice as well. So I hope that continues and for that we need to start the season with some points."