ForeverInLoveWithJus

Something interesting I found..

After four years with the British American Racing team and one more to run on his current contract, 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve has admitted that he would be annoyed if the Brackley based squad started winning races after he walked away.

Jacques is looking at walking away from the team at the end of the 2003 season, especially after team boss Dave Richards made it known that he wanted the Canadian out of the squad. He knows that regardless of the fact that he may want to stay to see the car he has worked so hard to help develop finally win a race, in the long run, the final decision is not just up to him.

"It might not be my decision to stay or not," Villeneuve said during his charity ski marathon event over the weekend. "I might not be wanted there anymore. It looked last year that I was being pushed out and they ended up being obliged to keep me. That's good, because finally I have a good car and we could do something good. But it would be annoying if we suddenly became competitive and started winning races and it was decided I wasn't needed."

The new BAR005 will hit the test track in January and Jacques is confident that many of the bugs they have been forced to contend with over the years have been ironed out. While many remain convinced that Ferrari will continue to dominate with Williams and McLaren their main contenders, Villeneuve is hopeful that BAR will be right up there with them. However, he realises only too well just what lies in store for him in the world of F1 if he has yet another disastrous season…..

Our expectations are high and they seem to be realistic," he added. "In the past, when we've had expectations, it was like we were hoping for Christmas and it never happened. This year, there's a whole new group of technical people working on it and the numbers look amazing, so we should make a big leap forward. The engine should not be more powerful, but it should be a lot lighter, which will allow us to go faster. Another bad season and I'll be staying home next year. If you win, you're worth more. If you don't win, you're worth less."

ForeverInLoveWithJus

News on Haakinen.

Former F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen will return to racing in January when he tries his hand at rallying on home soil in Finland.

The Finn, who retired in 2001, will make his rallying debut driving a Mitsubishi in the Arctic Lapland Rally on January 24-25.

However, just like several previous F1 drivers, Hakkinen insists he is not contemplating a career in rallying, despite seeing countryman Marcus Gronholm win the World Rally Championship for a second time this year.

The former McLaren driver said: “Finland is not only my home country, but also the home of rallying. I'm deeply impressed by my fellow Finns and their colleagues' performances in WRC. Their mastering of all kind of road conditions at amazing speeds, including ice or snow, is really fascinating.

"I always wanted to give it a try and I'm sure the comparison between two top disciplines as WRC and Formula One will prove interesting for the spectators as well. I want to make clear though that this is not to start a second motor sports career for me.”

Hakkinen's car will be prepared by Ralliart, who run Mitsubishi's WRC team and guided fellow Finn Tommi Makinen to four world championships.

Sven Quandt, new head of motor sports activities for Mitsubishi in Europe, was delighted to have some good news to report after the company temporarily scaled down their WRC programme.

He said: “Even though this will be strictly a private entry, it will be of high significance for us and for the world of rallying. It also shows that you can cross boundaries for the sake of the sport.”