1997 Components 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve has opened up about his title struggle along with his team-mate Damon Hill in 1996.
The Canadian driver entered his rookie F1 season with Williams in 1996 and was straight right into a title struggle along with his team-mate Hill. He finally completed second behind the Briton with 78 factors, in comparison with Hill’s 97. Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher ended the season in third behind the 2 Williams drivers.
Whereas he missed out on the title, Villeneuve defined throughout an episode of the F1 Past The Grid podcast that he had no ailing emotions concerning the final result.
“Oh, I believed it was doable,” he mentioned when requested if he felt the championship title was doable as he headed into the season finale in Japan. “Something can go flawed, because it occurred to me. Dropping the wheel might have occurred to Damon.
“If we had inverted our pitstops, it could be a really completely different story. I knew I needed to take a win. However as you mentioned earlier, within the first few races, Damon constructed fairly a margin. And what was tough in recovering, it was him or me.
“There was rarely somebody within the center as a result of we have been the automobile to beat, just like the Mercedes had been for a few years. So on a great weekend, I’d end first and Damon most likely second and then you definitely have been caught. So I knew that I had to try this.
“I obtained an excellent pole. In order that additionally set the trail for the next 12 months as a result of the staff had introduced associates and mentioned, ‘He is the subsequent world champion,’ about me. So I needed to put the balls in the proper place and roll the cube, to make it possible for I would be the man for subsequent 12 months. And there is nothing extra I might do.
Jacques Villeneuve, Williams FW18 Renault leads Damon Hill, Williams FW18 Renault
Photograph by: Sutton Pictures
“Pole after which attempt to win the race. Dropping the wheel had no impact ultimately as a result of, at worst, I’d have completed second and Damon would nonetheless have been champion.
“We had fun that night time. We had a great celebration, and I used to be very completely happy for him. It did not really feel like ‘Oh, you already know, I misplaced the championship’. In fact, I used to be not completely happy to not have received, but in addition he was deserving it a lot that I used to be cool with it.”
Villeneuve went on to say the drivers’ championship a 12 months later in 1997.
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