Villeneuve says he has nothing to prove



Jacques Villeneuve knows that 2003 could be the most critical season of his F1 career, and that failure to stamp his authority on new BAR Honda team-mate Jenson Button could very well lead to him quitting the team at the end of the year.

At the launch of the new BAR 005 in Barcelona in January the 1997 world champion made it clear that he is prepared to play psychological games with Button by virtually ignoring him on the stage after deliberately arriving late.

“The key thing is whether you respect your team-mate or not,” Villeneuve said. “If you do, as was the case with Olivier (Panis), then everything is fine and nobody gets destroyed in the process. But if you don’t respect your team-mate, then it just happens, you can’t help yourself.

“Jenson comes into the team perceived as being a future world champion so I guess there is a lot on his shoulders. I have already won races in the past, and the title, I know what I can do and people know what I can do.”

Villeneuve admitted, however, that if he doesn’t beat the 23 year-old, "I had better stay at home next year, because I would not belong in Formula One."


Villeneuve: a problem Richards must solve



David Richards knows that one of the problems he has to solve at BAR Honda this year is lead driver Jacques Villeneuve. Neither makes a secret of the disagreements they have had since Richards took control from Villeneuve’s manager, Craig Pollock, in December 2001. Richards is openly concerned about the former champion’s $18m fee, arguing that the money could better be invested creating a faster car.

"The problem is not solvable," Richards concedes. “Individuals have to realise their responsibilities to the team and to the people around them. They cannot just be individuals. There are some people with extraordinary talent who are irreplaceable - but there are not many of them." It remains to be seen whether the French-Canadian is one of them.

"I have a lot of time for Jacques,” Richards says. “But I won't even waste my time denying there are things that must be resolved. I think he is one of the great iconic figures in F1 today because of the way he is prepared to stand up and have a view. That is laudable. But I disagree completely with his views that he is just one individual. That is where Michael Schumacher stands out above everyone else in the way he works with and motivates the team.”

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