When 1997 F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve joined Renault for a selection of substitute appearances at the end of 2004, it could’ve been a lot of different things.
It could’ve been a Renault Redemption, after several barren years for a driver whose explosive entrance to the sport was akin to a latter-day Lewis Hamilton. It could’ve been a Renault Revenge against British American Racing; the team who were partly responsible for such a long stretch of disappointing results, and who had tossed their former first driver to the gutter just one year ago.
Instead, it was nothing but a pile of regrets. Too often, it’s an event in F1 history that is remembered in the briefest of footnotes concerning the career of Formula One’s most maligned champion. Today, we give the tale the coverage it finally deserves.
Along the way, I raise my eyebrows, Flavio Briatore delivers a soap opera worthy quote about Jarno Trulli, and a clip from Stuart Little 2 is used for maybe the worst joke ever written.
Timestamps
Introduction 0:00
(1996-2003) Williams Wonders, BAR Blues 4:23
The Comebacks of Jacques 11:40
A Return with Renault 16:50
(2004) Racing with Renault 26:11
(2005-Present) Sauber, Stefan, Durango 36:02
Conclusion 39:30
Support the channel here: ko-fi.com/themobilechicane
Business enquiries: mobilechicaneyt@gmail.com
Socials
Twitter: twitter.com/MobileChicaneYT
Facebook: facebook.com/themobilechicanepage
Instagram: instagram.com/themobilechicane
32 Comments
Patrick Head's statement is right on the money. That Williams should have won the Championship by a mile that year. Kinda like how 2025 went…
Another great video! JV is such a confounding driver because he burned so bright and for so short a time. He was dazzling in North American Open Wheel Racing and then made the hop over to F1 and continued to be box office for two straight years and then went on to have such a mediocre career. It really does feel like his soul purpose was to finish his father's story and then stop. Once he got that WDC something in him stopped burning the way it had previously. At the end of the day, much like Hill, nobody will ever be able to take away his championship against a schumacher in his prime. Also this video Ties in wonderfully into the BMW video. One of these days I'm going to have your videos in chronological order instead of release order!! Keep up the phenomenal work!!!!
I just like lwatching and listening to your videos. You have a great voice and bring through the stories very well. When it comes to Jacques Villeneuve: personally, I believe that the accident in Melbourne 2001 would have had more of an impact than anyone would care to admit. He wasnt hurt himself too much but the marshall Graham Beveridge was killed, and that may do something with a driver. So as a result, one would have to analyse the career befor 2001 and after 2001. And if you do that, the stories would match that of a fast and impatient driver and that of a slightly more shy driver…
12:45 I see the Colapinto clip :~)
The fact is simple, he won the championship because the cars were close to Indycar, once the F1 became more and more advanced he couldn't keep up
I think he was too wrapped up in being the rebel. Ploughing his own furrow, quick but ill advised and with BAR he followed the money and trusted someone with zero experience. A talent unfulfilled? Or a world champions? Let’s be kind and celebrate the lunge on Schumacher, even if he was never making that corner 😮😂🎉
35:49 Ott a pontocskánk!!!🇭🇺
Also, I'm 99.9% sure that's current Racing Bulls TP Alan Permane in the background at 21:37 – he was probably Villeneuve's race engineer during his brief stint with the Renault team!
he was shit
Wdym, I'm a 90s kid too and I can vividly remember him and Zonta binning it at Eau Rouge…
35:34 This is your best work yet
I was working at Laguna Seca, CA & saw Villeneuve on his first test day of Formula Atlantic – long hair, dressed like a skater, I thought he was one of Claude Bourbonnais' entourage. His rise from Atlantic to F1 was astounding. He had every opportunity to fail & all he did was deliver. Yes, he fell off following his championship, but even the casual observer of F1 knows that it's fickle. One has to respect his early career.
Unfortunately he payed a lot his father legacy and in particulare the killer operation BAR with Pollock. Newey went away at Williams also for signing: he was faster than others, but just 4 tenths of second not one second. But despite all this stuff he's still a World Champion (it's more shameful as opinionist).
The '99 BAR has got to be the "best worst" car of the last 30 years – it's 0 points tally wasn't a reflection of how fast the car actually was, and JV performed very well all things considered.
You'd have to go back to the 80s and early 90s for other cars of the same ilk;
Toleman TG185
ATS D6
ATS D7
Fondmetal GR02
The early 2000s was a funny time to look back at. While Ferrari was the clear number 1 team, Williams and McLaren were trading for number 2 multiple times and by 2004 they lost to BAR-Honda. Of course McLaren bounced back but Williams never did.
That "Star Trek Nemesis" reference got a good chuckle out of me. These videos make for such wonderful listening.
Have to disagree with a lot of this….JV proved what a great driver he was in the Indycar series on both oval and track. Sure he had to live in the shadow of his late, brilliant father, Gilles Villeneuve. But ultimately he had nothing to prove as he had already had a great CV leading up to his start in F1. He did make the wrong choice when it came to teams, tending to go more for the money than actually the best car. But he'll not be the first nor last in that respect.
I hope you read all the comments, man. Your scripts are just so well written and it's a joy to hear them delivered in your comedic patter. In a world increasingly full of AI garbage designed to get quick, hollow views, your well-researched, human-made passion projects set the standard for these 40-50 minute video essays.
Thanks for being such a champion of genuinely great content! 🫶
I always liked JV, he was just as fearless behind the wheel as his father.
Comebacks Villeneuve, love it!!
I think JV was never more than a mediocre F1 driver. He could produce good results only when he had by far the best machinery in the field.
I love your videos, I'm learning so much about the sport
Bad driver.
I was around at the time, watching F1, and I have no recollection of Villeneuve with Renault. Oooops
1:25 "Burn Diotoir, BURN!!!"
Villeneuve to BAR was the F1 equivalent of The Contrabulous Fabtraption of Professor Horatio Hufnagel directed by and starring Troy McClure.
"this was owing to the departure of engine partners Renault"
It wasn't, at least not for the most part. The FW20 chassis just wasn't good enough.
As a massive JV fan I was hyped to see him return to F1 with Renault in a car that had won a race. I was hopeful he'd be able to prove a point by exceeding expectations. It was so disappointing to see him struggle and then for his career to fizzle out at Sauber.
Just to add, having read Nick Fry's book about Brawn GP, Jacques also enquired about Jenson Button's vacant race seat in 2010. You can't blame a man for trying.
Never really rated JV. Patrick Head said he made dogs dinner out of the 97 championship. His comments on current drivers are also very harsh. JV never drove a ground effect car so he was never really about to comment on how to drive them.
ok you got me hooked on diotoir catching fire again, this better be good
the real question is: WHY did john newhouse stay even after his prime and without his craig pollock-shaped savior instead of exploring new motorsport roads?
Great video, enjoyed the Simpsons references – would have loved another Jacques season at the top. Also glad you didn't diminish his 1997 championship. He was well worth it