Villeneuve: Sauber Wasting my Expertise
Canadian Jacques Villeneuve has accused his Sauber Formula One team of failing to listen to him and wasting his experience as a former World Champion
The 34-year-old, criticised by team boss Peter Sauber recently as too slow, told Canadian reporters that he had run into a wall of indifference since he joined the Swiss-based team this year.
He added that he would welcome a rumoured takeover of the team by German carmaker BMW.
"It would be a very good thing," Montreal's French language La Presse and the Journal de Montreal quoted him as saying on Friday. "It would bring in more money and a different attitude."
Villeneuve, who has a two-year contract but has been surrounded with speculation about his future since the start of the season, said Sauber had not met his expectations.
"In this team, the driver has no influence. The only thing that matters is aerodynamics," he said. "It's not what I thought, it's not what I had been told.
"When they hired me, it was to use my experience. They do not use it at all. Nobody ever asks my advice and when I give it, they don't want it.
"I try to put forward ideas, to be proactive," continued the 1997 champion with Williams. "But I am hitting a wall, a very smooth wall with no grip.
"The team wanted experience, they paid for that. Now, the experience is there but they don't want to use it. It is part of their tools but they are leaving it in the toolbox."
Villeneuve made clear that he had not appreciated Sauber's comments about his lack of speed.
"If the team had not said 'we are disappointed, Jacques is not quick' I would have said nothing," he declared.
"But they say things like that and they don't want to let me work," he said. "What am I supposed to do? It's not fair."
Button Confident of BAR Scoring Points
De la Rosa on Top in Practice 1 - Canada
Inside the Faenza facility where AlphaTauri’s F1 pragmatic vision is realised
AlphaTauri’s mission in F1 is to sell clothes and train young drivers rather than win the championship – but you still need a cutting-edge factory to do that. Team boss Franz Tost takes GP Racing’s OLEG KARPOV on a guided tour of a facility that’s continuing to grow
Connecting two of Ferrari's favourite F1 sons
Gilles Villeneuve's exploits behind the wheel of a Ferrari made him a legend to the tifosi, even 40 years after his death. The team's current Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc enjoys a similar status, and recently got behind the wheel of a very special car from the French-Canadian’s career
How a 30cm metal wire triggered open warfare in the F1 paddock
Porpoising has become the key talking point during the 2022 Formula 1 season, as teams battle to come to terms with it. An FIA technical directive ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix and a second stay appearing on the Mercedes cars only served to create a bigger debate and raise tensions further
Does Verstappen have any weaknesses left?
Having extended his Formula 1 points lead with victory in Canada, Max Verstappen has raised his game further following his 2021 title triumph. Even on the days where Red Bull appears to be second best to Ferrari, Verstappen is getting the most out of the car in each race. So, does he have any weaknesses that his title rivals can exploit?
How F1's future fuels can shape the automotive sector
In 2026, Formula 1 plans to make the switch to a fully sustainable fuel, as the greater automotive world considers its own alternative propulsion methods. Biogasoline and e-fuels both have merit as 'drop-in' fuels but, equally, both have their shortcomings...
The breakthrough behind Sainz’s best weekend of F1 2022 so far
OPINION: Carlos Sainz came close to winning in Monaco but needed that race’s specific circumstances for his shot at a maiden Formula 1 victory to appear. Last weekend in Canada, he led the line for Ferrari in Charles Leclerc’s absence from the front. And there’s a key reason why Sainz has turned his 2022 form around
Canadian Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
Plenty of high scores but just a single perfect 10 from the first Montreal race in three years, as Max Verstappen fended off late pressure from Carlos Sainz. Here’s Autosport’s assessment on the Formula 1 drivers from the Canadian Grand Prix
Why “faster” Ferrari couldn’t beat Red Bull in Canadian GP
On paper the Canadian Grand Prix will go down as Max Verstappen’s latest triumph, fending off late pressure from Carlos Sainz to extend his Formula 1 world championship lead. But as safety car periods, virtual and real, shook up the race Ferrari demonstrated it can take the fight to Red Bull after recent failures