Former Formula One and IndyCar champion Jacques Villeneuve will attempt a comeback at this year`s Indianapolis 500 at the age of 42, race team co-owners San Schmidt and Ric Peterson said Wednesday.
|Last Updated: Feb 27, 2014, 09:25 AM IST|Source: AFP
Former Formula One and IndyCar champion Jacques Villeneuve will attempt a comeback at this year`s Indianapolis 500 at the age of 42, race team co-owners San Schmidt and Ric Peterson said Wednesday.
The Canadian driver was the 1994 IndyCar Rookie of the Year and 1995 Indy 500 winner and IndyCar season champion, setting the stage for a successful F1 career that saw him win the 1997 world championship a year after he was runner-up to Britain`s Damon Hill.
"I`ve been fortunate enough to compete in several of the world`s top racing series and nothing excites me more than entering the IndyCar Series at its current level of competitiveness," Villeneueve said.
"To have the opportunity to return to IndyCar racing and the Indianapolis 500 is something I never thought possible. If you have to win one race in the whole of your career, the Indy 500 is the one in any form of motorsports."
Villeneueve, who now serves as an F1 commentator and races in World Rallycross, said he began talking with Schmidt a few weeks ago after watching last season`s races and feeling a stir toward climbing back behind the wheel in an open-cockpit race car.
"It all went fast," Villeneueve said. "The discussions happened at the right time because I had been watching the IndyCars last year and it looked extremely exciting, to the point where I was angry and jealous that I wasn`t racing. So that got me going again."
Villeneueve had raced US stock cars, events in Australia and elsewhere but gave IndyCar little thought during a bitter fight for control that led to rival IndyCar groups before a re-merger.
"It`s getting back to the glory days with the races exciting and also the field of drivers is becoming more and more impressive every year," Villeneueve said.
Villeneueve, Brazil`s Emerson Fittipaldi and American legend Mario Andretti are the only drivers to win the Indy 500, F1 crown and IndyCar season titles in their careers.
"I`m a racer at heart and I will always be. That`s what keeps me going. That`s what keeps me alive," Villeneueve said.
"I don`t want to be for my kids just the guy that used to race that they can see in books. I want them to see and live what I`ve already lived, to see it through my doing it actively."
Villeneueve won 11 Formula One Grand Prix before he moved in 2007 to US stock cars.
His most recent start at the famed 2 1/2-mile Indy oval was at the 2010 Brickyard 400 stock car race.
Villeneueve will be joined for the 500 by full-time Schmidt IndyCar drivers Simon Pagenaud of France and Mikhail Aleshin of Russia.
If Villeneueve qualifies for the 98th running of the Indy 500 on May 25, the 19 years between Indy 500 starts will be a record, surpassing the old mark of 17 by Cy Marshall and Roland Free between 1930 and 1947.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.