Zonta Speaks Out

[Liz]

I read today a French racing magazine which contained an interview with Ricardo Zonta in which he finally said everything he thought about BAR. That is one bitterly unhappy young man there, and apparently he has no love for anyone at BAR, individually or collectively. Among other things he says that his manager heard Pollock making jeering remarks about him at Silverstone in a public area, that Jacques went around telling people that his four major accidents at BAR were due to his lousy skills as a driver,when they were in fact all car failures and he'd never had an accident in any of his other formulae, that Pollock and Jacques cold-shouldered him and when he came back from his 4-race injury last year, they didn't even say hello, much less ask how he was and welcome him back. He does say that perhaps he was too trusting, that he did not expect the backstabbing and politics he ran into, and that when he told someone something in confidence that they would blab it all over the place ... that he knows better now.

All in all it was just about what I'd been hearing and I'm glad he finally got to say it. And I hope EJ helps him get his confidence back next year.

And I also hope M. Panis kicks Jacques' narrow butt all the way back to Monaco.

[EERO]

Hear, Hear.

Liz, I always agreed with you that Zonta was far better than the results showed. If any team can renew his self-confidence, its Jordan.

I worry about Panis though; BAR is jacques' team, and if Olivier shows any sign of being as fast or even faster, things will get frosty in the paddock.

[LYM]

If what Zonta say is true that I will lose some respect on JV. You seldom hear others drivers given cold shoulders by their partners. Mika and DC have the best relationaship, and even MS are pictured as friendly and approachable by Mika Salo and RB. I don't think they have been bribed by TGF. Fisichella and Wurz are friends off work.

Ralf and Montoya? Hehe, we shall see.

[Gt_R]

Won't be surprised if what Zonta said bout JV is true...Jv seems arrogant at times...but whatever, i find BAR a team that's very weird...you do not know who's the goodie and whose the baddie inside!

[RussianFriend]

BAR is not just Jacques team. They are the people, who have entered in racing to earn on the name Villeneuve. And they don't care of other including JV. They use his skills, his name, but they are criplling his soul.

Since Jacques had been behind the wheels, he was inspired with he was the only real racer in the world. The rest (Bourbonet in Formula Atlantics, Hill and Zonta in F1) are ants near the God.

It's cruel regarding JV, he's real talented and easy-going guy. But such a education has spoiled him.

Only hopeless driver, who can't find other seat in F1 may drive alongside them in BAR. Maybe in other team with other manager JV will be excellent team-mate. But now...

[Airhead]

Yep,

He could have become everything his heart desired, just as long as the team were supportive. He actually didn't do so bad, in that when he did bad so did Jacques. Therefore why paste the team now? One day they may want him back. You just don't know.

[Alan Jones]

I'm really glad he is gone, I mean he took JV out didn't he, Long live Panis and BAR and bad luck Zonta.

[Airhead]

But if Zonta was crook, why was Jacques so erradict. Too much Danii? Too much time in the hairdressers? Too much time reading his press. This is where Mika shines. He is old school, not a flash in the plan to influence young girls, and the dross of generation X.

[Ron Dennis's Mum]

in the press.

There is a hunger for F1 stories, far more than there are F1 stories to feed us with, so this kind of stuff gets exagerated to turn it into a "story".

RDM

[Airhead]

Dear Ron's Mum.

Just send the filthy truth that happens in a dream, who is doing the beast with two backs with who. Remember we are the simpletons thatmake you rich.;

[Ron Dennis's Mum]

I wish I hadn't done the beast with 2 backs with Ron's dad, then u guys wouldn't have to suffer my dreary son! 8)

However, I stand by my original post. I enjoy the stories, and the obvious misinformation and wishful thinking that they are laden with, but I always take them with a pinch (or more!) of salt.

[bella]

remember that autosport interview he did a while back? you just wanted to mother poor little ricardo. he made noises about the politics in the team, and what was going a little skew whiff. i recommend anyone who has autosports to read that.

liz, which magazine has that interview? ron dennis's mum (i like that..), you should read that autosport interview. none of that is fabricated by the guy who wrote it, all is backed up by a quote. as i remember, it was mostly ricardo....

[Ralf's Girl]

I'm not keen or otherwise on Zonta, but I've always seen BAR as a strange team. They are completely shaped around Jacques Villeneuve, and I don't think that Villeneuve respects his 'boss' Craig Pollock, or anyone who has any power at BAR. No, wait, JV is the one with all the power...

And as LYM said, a lot of other team-mates have excellent working relationships. There's Mika-DC, TGF-Rubens, Ralf-Button was a successful pairing for Williams. But with BAR, the second driver is just there because they need someone to drive the second car - I doubt that Zonta has ever felt like part of the team.

[neutral]

Jaques was my equal favourite driver at the start of this year. However, my views on him have turned 360 degrees since then. One thing is to win team favourtism by constantly out driving your teammate, but to criticize your co-driver of causing horrific accidents and causing internal bickering against him is just plain stupid. By the way, Pollock appears to be a complete wa-nker as well.

[Mania]

Guess I'm in the minority here but Zonta is just a cry baby. When he signed with BAR he knew what he was getting into. There was no way that he would be given equal status to Villunerve and he was well aware of that.Jacques is not an easy team mate for anyone,just ask Frentzen or Hill for that matter.So Ricardo,given his limited ability,really should'nt be whining at this point.Jacques Villunerve,love him or hate him,is a far better and superior driver and if he likes to play mind games with his team mates then so be it.If his team mates are mentally strong then they should be able to handle it.Btw,Panis is going to get whipped next season.Just because he`s been up there with the rest of the boys during testing in a Mclaren doesent change the fact that he's a lousy driver.

[Liz]

The magazine is ccalled "Auto hebdo" and is the 18 October 2000 issue. For a change it has Jean Todt on the cover. The article is titled "Deux ans de galere."

Jacques is exceedingly spoilt and perhaps this is why, if it is so, his father was so relentlessly tough on him - trying to counteract the effects of being brought up mainly by women. And Craig Pollock.

And if Panis thinks he has escaped Prost to win laurels at BAR, he may have to think again. However, I would bet he has learned a few things workign at McLaren that Jacques does not know...and at least they can fight in French, which should be fun to listen to.

[Jay]

Mania, you could not have summed it up better. JV is just very competitive, and his #1 competitor is his teammate. And the Rookie zonta crumbled.

Zonta has turned out to be a major disapointment in Formula One. He has never been anywhere near Jacques on the track, at anytime in his brief career.

While Zonta could probably do better, I seriously doubt that he would ever be able to make any kind of a challenge for the championship, even in a McLaren. Also, I have to wonder if some of his complaints are simply sour beans.

Jacques has been spoiled silly at BAR. The entire team is based around him, and he know he can do or say anything he wants about anybody on the team and get away with it. Maybe if he went to Williams or McLaren he would learn a few lessons.

I wouldn't expect much more from Olivier, as although he turned some fast lap times in the McLaren given an entire afternoon, I doubt he will be able to so in 1 hour or all throughout a 2 hour race.

[angst]

Has everybody forgotten that Panis(F3000 champ '93) has raced in F1 for a number of years and has turned in very competitive races in the Ligier(winner Monaco '96). Lousy driver, what with being faster than Mika and DC, a former Grand Prix winner and F3000 champion. Panis will give JV a hard time this year. I also take these interviews with a pinch of salt.

[Airhead]

To Quote from..."Villeneuve winning in style" (thanks to AJ)

(and Liz this is not a personal attack)

"Because of my father I was born into a racing environment. And it felt normal to me. And after he was killed, I became interested in speed for myself. I was only thwelve years old then and I loved going fast ....."

If Jacques was spoilt it certainly wasn't through circumstance smiling on him. It also is hard to have a father who is strict and tough when for tragic reasons he is not around.

I have nothing against Ricardo. I wish him well. But Jacques did something to warm the heart of every twistedly bitter anti - Schumacher fan (I can hardly wait for the repeats of this one). He over took the Prima Donna on the OUTSIDE! The other driver to resoundingly embarress the Prima Donna, well Mika of cause.

[downforce]

hmmm...Zonta, GT champ...poor you, teamed up with the "other playboy"...I really dont understand why BAR pays him all that cash...esp after taking Ralf out in Montreal in that pathetic style.

but i like him !!

Put Jacques in a Mac i say!

[bella]

well, i think he was right to say what he did, beacause some narrow minded people seemed not to notice this whole jacques worshipping nonsense, and took ricardo's racing at face value, and so called him useless. that sort of comment is a bit daft, because not anyone could win what he won.
and besides, it's not his fault he's a likeable fellow.

[Liz]

Jacques is a good pilot. I agree with that.

but he was obviously brought up by nannies and his mother, and later in expensive boarding schools with Craig Pollock as his nanny which has continued, and that is not good for teaching a person that the whole apple doesn't belong to him.

Lots of people said Frenzy was useless (because he didn't shine when Jacques was dominating the Williams team) and that proved to be wrong when EJ took him on. And despite Jacques' politicking re Damon, Damon beat him.

But he is a good pilot and fun to watch although he has to learn to stop outbraking himself.

And I like Zonta lots better.

[neutral]

What amazes me is that Jaques pretends to be the bravest man in F1, however, whenever presented with a dangerous situation (rain) he has the smallest balls of the lot. GO PANIS!!!!!!!!!!

[Jay]

"What amazes me is that Jaques pretends to be the bravest man in F1, however, whenever presented with a dangerous situation (rain) he has the smallest balls of the lot."

Neutral, you obviously know nothing about driving in the rain. Rain racing requires careful precision, and not bravery. I don't think there is any question that JV is one of the bravest men in F1. He has not mastered the wet yet, but wet racing has nothing to do with bravery.

Although on second thought, maybe Zonta is braver to be able to step back into the car after some of the crashes he has had.

[Ralf's Girl]

Originally posted by Jay
"What amazes me is that Jaques pretends to be the bravest man in F1, however, whenever presented with a dangerous situation (rain) he has the smallest balls of the lot."

Neutral, you obviously know nothing about driving in the rain. Rain racing requires careful precision, and not bravery. I don't think there is any question that JV is one of the bravest men in F1. He has not mastered the wet yet, but wet racing has nothing to do with bravery.

I think all Neutral was really trying to get at was that Villeneuve acts sort of...above the law (like when he got into a dispute with the FIA) when really he's not as brave and big as he likes to think.