Villeneuve Inclined to Remain with BAR

Canadian Jacques Villeneuve has played down speculation linking him with the McLaren team after suggesting his intentions to remain at his current British American Racing (BAR) team for next year.

Two-time World Champion Mika Hakkinen is having a disastrous time at McLaren this year, and speculation has grown that the team are looking to replace him. But although this season has not been as successful as former World Champion Villeneuve had hoped, he does not want to give up on his dream of taking the team, run by friend and manager Craig Pollock, right to the top.

Villeneuve has only finished in the points twice in the ten races so far, but as the team are just one point off fourth place in the Championship, he cannot see a better place to go.

"Apart from Ferrari, there is nothing clear on who is going to be competitive (in the future)," Villeneuve said on Tuesday. "We have as good a chance as anyone else apart from Ferrari next year, so after all the hard work that has been put in here (at BAR) it will not probably be the right thing to do to change."

After his Championship win with Williams in 1997, many observers believe Villeneuve has become frustrated at not being among the front running teams, and he does echo this feeling of disappointment.

"It is not easy," he said. "It's been difficult because there hasn't been the results for a long time, but we all work hard and that is what matters. "We have been going backwards lately and there was a reaction, but the tyres seem to have improved and that has helped us."

Pollock has declared himself committed to keeping the team as it is for 2002 and, with Honda engines secure for next season, there is a good chance that the competitiveness Villeneuve has been craving since he joined the team could be just around the corner.