Villeneuve: 'McLaren will be ahead'

And the unsettled BAR driver said he expected to be on their shopping list if they change drivers at the end of the season.

Talking in the paddock on Thursday afternoon he said: "We can't be sure where Ferrari will be but I expect McLaren to be ahead of the rest.

"Behind them should be be a group of teams all within the same second.

"Our reliability is good but I cannot be sure where we will be. I hope we can be up with the rest. Do we have a car that can win races? We will see. I will fight until the last lap of the last race whether the car is good or not. I am in this challenge and I am part of it so I will do my job to the end. But if we have another bad season I will need very very good reasons to stay."

Villeneuve moved from Williams to BAR last year in a $14 million deal but failed to score a single point in a season blighted by reliability problems caused by the vibrating Supertec engine.

With his contract with BAR running out at the end of the year team boss Craig Pollock has admitted the team will need to improve significantly if they want to keep Villeneuve.

"If one of McLaren's drivers leave at the end of the year then I would have thought I would be on their shopping list," said Villeneuve. "But I have not talked to them or anyone else.

"I want to see how BAR performs. I want a competitive car and a competitive team. My career depends on getting results."