Jacques Villeneuve, who was Formula 1 World Champion in 1997, is surprised by Fernando Alonso’s performance and attitude. The Canadian interviewed Alonso after his magnificent classification in second position in Canada and, days later, he analyzed his performances with the Alpine team.
The weekend in Canada could not have ended in a worse way for Alonso: he suffered a mechanical problem in his Renault engine, the strategy failed and he was also penalized. In the end, the Spaniard was ninth and only added two points, when he saw himself fighting for the podium with the Mercedes.
“It has been difficult for him to find the speed in the Alpine and get the team to work with him and follow his direction in the development of the car,” says VIlleneuve on the F1 Nation podcast, according to Formula 1 News.
“He is having very bad luck with the strategies, the pit stops and the mechanics. In Canada, the engine failed and that caused him to lose positions, the same happened with the stops with Virtual Safety Car.
“Every time I talk to him, he tells me ‘nothing ever goes right’, but he’s relentless, like Max Verstappen: he never gives up. He competes with passion and he’s a fighter. He doesn’t give up. He’s always hungry for more. It’s impressive” , comment.
Although he is not particularly remembered because the adventure was not particularly successful, Villeneuve shared a team with Fernando Alonso for three races in 2004. The Canadian replaced Jarno Trulli, who left the team at the end of the season for Toyota. Jacques then raced for Sauber in 2005 and part of 2006.
“Age affects you when you stop wanting to take risks, you don’t make sacrifices and you prefer to be at home before taking risks on the circuits. And that’s when you start to slow down. Your mind doesn’t think about it (racing) anymore. Physically, In the modern age, we eat better, we train, and we don’t age as fast.”
“It depends on the accidents you have had in your sports career. But the hunger is still there, so you can lose a tenth or two, but the experience makes up for it”, he adds and returns to Alonso’s example: “As you can see He’s an experienced driver: he’s not the youngest on the grid, but look what he’s doing against Ocon. He’s there when you need him.”
Villeneuve continued to compete after leaving Formula 1 in categories such as NASCAR, the 24 Hours of Le Mans (he was second in 2008) or Formula E. Even today he continues to race from time to time: last year he took part in several Nascar Whelen Euro Series races. He also continues to visit the F1 circuits thanks to his work as a commentator on Sky Sports Italia.
