It will come as no suprise but BAR's new driver is
Discussion
Intersting one this. Maybe Sato will mature and become a top F1 driver, maybe not.
The real question is whether Villeneuve has the quality. Imagine this (impossible) scenario: Scumacher retires and Jacques drives alongside Barrichello.
I reckon that in a Ferrari he would be surprisingly good, but life's not always that fair, and 'jumping jacques' has a pretty raw deal on his hands right now.
Maybe he should have bought a new razor after all
>> Edited by McNab on Wednesday 8th October 15:53
The real question is whether Villeneuve has the quality. Imagine this (impossible) scenario: Scumacher retires and Jacques drives alongside Barrichello.
I reckon that in a Ferrari he would be surprisingly good, but life's not always that fair, and 'jumping jacques' has a pretty raw deal on his hands right now.
Maybe he should have bought a new razor after all
>> Edited by McNab on Wednesday 8th October 15:53
FourWheelDrift said:
Takuma Sato's career to date-
After Karting in Japan,
1999 EFDA Formula Opel Euroseries - 6th
2000 British F3 Championships (Carlin) - 3rd
2001 British F3 Championship - Champion 12 wins out of 13
2001 Marlboro Masters of F3 at Zandvoort - 1st
2001 Macau F3 Grand Prix - 1st
So he's not really a plodder, just had a rough time in the Jordan last year, in which he did finish a very creditable 5th in the Japanese GP.
He is Japan's best prospect for a GP win after all.
i know mate i wasnt knocking his history just his f1 contribution. and that fact that pwig thinks he is a better driver that JV.
McNab said:
Intersting one this. Maybe Sato will mature and become a top F1 driver, maybe not.
The real question is whether Villeneuve has the quality. Imagine this (impossible) scenario: Scumacher retires and Jacques drives alongside Barrichello.
I reckon that in a Ferrari he would be surprisingly good, but life's not always that fair, and 'jumping jacques' has a pretty raw deal on his hands right now.
Maybe he should have bought a new razor after all
>> Edited by McNab on Wednesday 8th October 15:53
Ian, sorry to query you on this, but, Jensen Button has the same car as JV and has twice the points in the championship, has qualified better in most, if not all, the races this season. I think that JV is a competent driver, but not world class ala MS, Alonso, Kimi and a few others such as Wilson.
ScoobyZoom said:
Takuma Sato's career to date-
After Karting in Japan,
1999 EFDA Formula Opel Euroseries - 6th
2000 British F3 Championships (Carlin) - 3rd
2001 British F3 Championship - Champion 12 wins out of 13
2001 Marlboro Masters of F3 at Zandvoort - 1st
2001 Macau F3 Grand Prix - 1st
So he's not really a plodder, just had a rough time in the Jordan last year, in which he did finish a very creditable 5th in the Japanese GP.
He is Japan's best prospect for a GP win after all.
i know mate i wasnt knocking his history just his f1 contribution. and that fact that pwig thinks he is a better driver that JV.
No, I think hes more entertaining!
Kevin, no I wasn't implying that he was another wunderkind! Nor that he was in the same class as the top drivers.
His performance against Barrichello might be roughly comparable to Eddie Irvine's against Schumacher.
What I was getting at was that a morale boost could get him back to where he was a long time ago, i.e. a considerable improvement on his downhill progress with BAR.
That aside, I thought his pre-season remarks about 'needing to have respect' re Button were way over the top - and he hasn't conceded any 'respect' yet.
Can't help feeling sorry for him though - he's made a right old cobblers of his career, and it's awkward when a driver does that. It hurts a bit - or am I being too sentimental about a driver I never much liked?
His performance against Barrichello might be roughly comparable to Eddie Irvine's against Schumacher.
What I was getting at was that a morale boost could get him back to where he was a long time ago, i.e. a considerable improvement on his downhill progress with BAR.
That aside, I thought his pre-season remarks about 'needing to have respect' re Button were way over the top - and he hasn't conceded any 'respect' yet.
Can't help feeling sorry for him though - he's made a right old cobblers of his career, and it's awkward when a driver does that. It hurts a bit - or am I being too sentimental about a driver I never much liked?
Deep down everyone wants some thoroughbred racers in F1. On occasions GV displayed glimpses when most around him didn't. It's dreaming to think he could sustain that occasional glimpse throughout a season if some fairy waved a magic wand and dropped him in a competitive team/car. I thought at the beginning of the season that he might happen upon a few points, perhaps a podium after first corner melee and maybe get out of BAR into Toyota where we might have seen him racing again. But time to move on.
McNab said:
Can't help feeling sorry for him though - he's made a right old cobblers of his career, and it's awkward when a driver does that. It hurts a bit - or am I being too sentimental about a driver I never much liked?
JV has brought this all upon himself. None of the F1 teams want him - and I don't blame them either. He's wasted his early talent for greed.
As mentioned in the BBC article referenced earlier:
BBC said:Not that I agree with all of this. In 2000 it was not easy to pick between BAR and Renault, neither doing as well as they should IIRC. As for rarely lacking commitment, well it's a bit of judgement call isn't it.
Villeneuve, a multi-millionaire before he even raced in F1, has been made rich beyond most people's wildest dreams by his years at BAR.
Villeneuve has rarely lacked for commitment at BAR
But those who claim he has put financial reward before success on the track would do well to remember that Renault were offering Villeneuve the same salary as BAR in 2000.
And it is plain wrong to suggest that just because his salary has been high for a number of years, Villeneuve was not prepared to take a pay cut for 2004 to keep his place in F1.
Villeneuve can be a difficult man, and his reputation has been harmed by his years of under-achievement at BAR.
V8 Archie said:
Not that I agree with all of this. In 2000 it was not easy to pick between BAR and Renault, neither doing as well as they should IIRC. As for rarely lacking commitment, well it's a bit of judgement call isn't it.
From my understanding he stayed with BAR because Honda really wanted him there then....or that's what Pollock said. Pollock as JV's manager would get a cut either way....but the cut was bigger from BAR.
As is well known JV was the second highest paid F1 driver (MS being the highest)....and his performance over the last 5 years hasn't delivered value for money.
Also widely known, is that he had a fool-proof contract negotiated by Pollock, his manager...and at the time MD of BAR.
When BAR was created 5 years ago...it was a bold and exciting move to be in at the begginning....vast amounts of money were put in to try and make BAR a success. But BAR didn't have the right people (bit like the NHS, throwing money at it without success)
- JV was a very talented, exciting driver...though his technical set-up ability was average....but hey, he was on the gravy train.
He settled for his over-generous pay-packet...and has probably made about $150 million from association with BAT / BAR over the last 5 years.
A good driver in a crap car isn't going to make that much of a difference...and the technical expertise just wasn't in the team.
Last season BAR wanted him to take a years sabbatical, because they wanted to spend 'his salary' money on development work instead....But JV wasn't having any of it...and insisted his terms of contract were fulfilled. So approx another $23 million in the bank for him....and another poor season ar BAR.
No wonder, that he was going to have a very tough season this year...and so it proved. JV has bad-mouthed his team-mate, the car, the engines et al. - resented any PR work he's been obliged to perform for his sponsors - and now has had a mini tantrum and left Japan leaving his fans without the opportunity of a farewell race.
So...I do think he wasted his talent for greed.
Also widely known, is that he had a fool-proof contract negotiated by Pollock, his manager...and at the time MD of BAR.
When BAR was created 5 years ago...it was a bold and exciting move to be in at the begginning....vast amounts of money were put in to try and make BAR a success. But BAR didn't have the right people (bit like the NHS, throwing money at it without success)
- JV was a very talented, exciting driver...though his technical set-up ability was average....but hey, he was on the gravy train.
He settled for his over-generous pay-packet...and has probably made about $150 million from association with BAT / BAR over the last 5 years.
A good driver in a crap car isn't going to make that much of a difference...and the technical expertise just wasn't in the team.
Last season BAR wanted him to take a years sabbatical, because they wanted to spend 'his salary' money on development work instead....But JV wasn't having any of it...and insisted his terms of contract were fulfilled. So approx another $23 million in the bank for him....and another poor season ar BAR.
No wonder, that he was going to have a very tough season this year...and so it proved. JV has bad-mouthed his team-mate, the car, the engines et al. - resented any PR work he's been obliged to perform for his sponsors - and now has had a mini tantrum and left Japan leaving his fans without the opportunity of a farewell race.
So...I do think he wasted his talent for greed.
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