Jacques Villeneuve: “Never intimidated by Schumacher, we never got along”

1997: Schumacher against Villeneuve The second half of the 1990s brought a brief but intense rivalry between two drivers such as Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve. The first, who moved to Ferrari in 1996 after two world titles won in Benetton, arrived in Maranello in the same year in which the Canadian made his F1 debut at the wheel of Williams. Son of Gilles (one of the most beloved drivers in the history of Ferrari), he also arrived with the aim of establishing himself in the Circus after winning the CART (now IndyCar) championship and the Indianapolis 500. A duel that reached its climax in the 1997 European GP, ​​in Jerez, when Villeneuve attempted to overtake the German for first position, while the Ferrari driver decisively and controversially closed the door on the Canadian. A contact that had negative consequences on Schumacher, who in addition to retiring and losing the championship was also disqualified for the maneuver. The first victory and the world championship Almost thirty years after that episode, which gave Villeneuve his first and only F1 world championship, the Canadian returned to talk about the rivalry between him and Schumacher in the Beyond the Grid podcast, focusing on what was his first F1 victory obtained at the Nürburgring in 1996, also in that case ahead of the German: “It was fantastic, and he was always in the rearview mirror – he said regarding the first success – in part because I was still racing in the IndyCar style, that is, without creating a gap. I was just keeping an eye on Michael, because that was what I was used to doing over the years. It was always so close that a small mistake on my part would have given him the lead, and then I wouldn’t have been able to overcoming it is always difficult when you are the prey, because you can only make mistakes.” Enemies on and off the track Villeneuve and Schumacher were therefore rivals on and off the track. Between the two, as confirmed by the 54-year-old, there has never been a good relationship: “We never got along – he continued – it’s strange, because in reality we never socialized in all the years I was in F1. Yet he was my main competitor, so it was a bizarre situation. I’m not sure if it was due to the rivalry on the track. Perhaps because the name Villeneuve was also still linked to Ferrari and it had an effect. In Italy there were fans who cheered for him, for Ferrari, and for me too, and that unbalanced things a bit. Furthermore, he knew that I didn’t care, that I wasn’t impressed or intimidated by him, and I think he wasn’t used to it. That’s why in the battles I had with him it didn’t always go well, because I stood up to him. I noticed the same thing when I was at BAR afterwards. There was a sort of, I don’t know if respect, or uncertainty about what it would be happened, but he knew I would just deal with it. Maybe coming from the United States also helped.” The overtaking at Estoril Another iconic moment of the duel between the two drivers occurred at Estoril in 1996, when Villeneuve was the protagonist of a very complicated overtaking on the outside against Schumacher at the flyover before the finish line: “For many years I was very sad, because the only shot available was the onboard one, which didn’t allow you to see everything that was happening – he concluded reflecting on that maneuver – then, not many years ago, I The outside shots came up and I thought, ‘Oh, wow, now it looks good.’ During all the winter testing, that corner reminded me of a one-mile oval, like the one at Nazareth, for example, which has a slight banked type of bend. I spent the whole winter telling Jock Clear and the team that I would pass someone on the outside during the race. It was a goal. I know it sounds arrogant or cocky, but it was part of the fun, and that’s why I’ve always loved racing: for those moments when you can really be different, make a difference, do something you know others wouldn’t do. Before the race, Jock said to me: ‘Ok, tell us which lap, so we come with a spoon to pick up the pieces.’ I think he knew. We were about to pass a lap, so he slowed down a little to catch his breath, and that’s when I saw my moment. I thought, “Okay, he slowed down a little. I don’t give up, I overtake him on the outside and surprise him. That was the only way to get past Michael by surprising him. I remember the second half of the curve. In the first half I thought, ‘Oh, wow, I’m over it,’ then suddenly I lost grip, the car started skidding and I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to be tough.’ But I stayed on track. Normally, on an oval, you exit corners faster because you start from a higher height, slightly downhill, with a smaller steering angle. That’s why the outside trajectory usually works. But with the trail of the slow car in front of me, I had enough speed to overtake Michael and then take the lead. It was a very close race, and yes, the car was moving on sand marbles. It probably should have ended up against the wall.”