Villeneuve reflects on 2005
Jacques Villeneuve reflects on a long and winding 2005 road. The former World Champion talks about his bumpy season with the Sauber Petronas Team. He's thankful for the chance given by Peter Sauber to stay in F1.
"2005 has been a long season and the winter break will be welcomed by everybody I guess. The last couple of races were very interesting and I was really happy with what we did in Japan. I rate this track very highly and I am always pretty quick there. We didn't score any points but it was a very good race so we had a bit to celebrate on Sunday night in Tokyo! The race in China was not so good. We couldn't find the right balance for the car and the strategy didn't pay off during the race. However, there was a lot happening during the event as it was Peter Sauber's last race and we wanted to perform well for this occasion.
Peter has given me the chance to drive in F1 again in 2005 and I wanted to thank him for this. He is a really passionate guy, he loves racing and I am sure that we will see him around again very soon. He has put together a very efficient team, with a much a smaller budget than most of the teams in the paddock. Because of this, BMW, who are very committed to the new challenge of running their own team, will undoubtedly become a very strong contender in the near future and I am excited to be part of this project.
China was also Felipe's last race with Sauber. He is off to Ferrari and I would like to wish him all the best there. I was really happy to be working with him this year - Felipe is a great guy, very quick on the track and I had a lot of fun with him. He has invited me to eat some pasta at Ferrari next year and I will not miss this opportunity!
In terms of performances, 2005 was quite hard. We didn't have a quick car from the start and there were no major evolutions during the year so we had to work very hard to improve the performances with setup work.
On this particular point, I am extremely happy with the job we've done this year. Looking at lap times and comparing them to Felipe's we were able to improve the car by over half a second per lap during the course of the season. Of course, things like this are not very visible as we were fighting for positions and not for podiums but it is quite satisfying to have achieved such a strong job.
I am now resting a bit and seeing some friends in Paris. I want to thank all my supporters and I will let you know of what is going on soon so don't hesitate to visit this page often....Thanks!"
