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#1 | |
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Could Jacques Villeneuve have become one of the all time greats?
He's a great driver, and I can't help wondering what would have happened if he hadn't joined BAR in 1999. If he had gone to McLaren in 1999 (he could have couldn't he?), do you think he would have won the 1999 and 2000 championships?
He would have had to beat Mika Hakkinen and Eddie Irvine in 1999 and Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher in 2000. Imagine how interesting the racing would have been though!! |
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#2 | ||
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I don't know about an all-time great... but with a competitive car he could definately have won a few more world championships.
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#3 | ||
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He will definately go down in my book as one of the best ever if he stays with BAR and helps to make them a championship winning team. I dont feel he is as obsessed with racing as MS so he may not have won as much as him.
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#4 | ||
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Jay, how would winning a few more world championships not qualify you as one of the all-time greats? Even if you are only the World Champion once, it surely isn't a fluke. But if you do it multiple times... surely you have earned the right to be an all-time great?
As his career stands now, I don't feel comfortable calling him an all-time great. He could have been. Maybe he still can be. I think he is still among the best 3 or 5 drivers in the paddock. Certainly he is one of the few that has the fortitude to race with TGF, and maybe even come out on top once or twice... |
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Juliette Bravo! Juliette Bravo!!!! ![]() |
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#5 | ||
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Jacques, may be a great driver, but will always be in the shadow of his dad - IMO the greatest - or potentially, only sadly to be lost in his prime - just when he had the car to even half justify his talent. Gilles in the 1980/81 Ferrari was like winning in a Minardi - other drivers could not get it on the grid, but Gilles could win in it. Enough Said.
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#6 | ||
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I think it'd be impossible for a second-generation driver to be considered one of the all-time greats... But Jacques could have come close. I think he might've taken the championship last year if he'd stayed with Williams... If he'd gone to McLaren, he'd have 3 championships by now!
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"Put a ****ing wheel on there! Let me go out again!" -Gilles Villeneuve, Zandvoort, 1979 ![]() |
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#7 | ||
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Of course he could have been. He is still the youngest CART and F1 champion...
If you look at all the ifs both Villeneuves have.... they could share 6 titles between both if everything had gone better, or differently. |
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#8 | |
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If he'd gone to McLaren I doubt he would've beaten Mika in 99 or 2000 and winning the title in last years Williams? No chance.
Last edited by Raven; 23 Jul 2002 at 22:33. |
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#9 | |||
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Quote:
You can't compare him with DC. He is classes better. |
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#10 | ||
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not in a Williams, but if he had a McLaren...
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#11 | ||
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I think thatif he'd have gone to McLaren he probably wouldn't have gotten along with Ron Dennis because Dennis favored the Finn Hakkinen. He would have won some more races, maybe a championship. If he would have stayed with Williams he would have endured a year like 1998 for a couple of years. He would have won some races in 2001 and 2002, but he wouldn't have won any championships. If he develops BAR into a winner he'll rank high on my list with recent great drivers.
The best he can do for BAR is to develop them from the horrendous team they were in 1999 to a winner and possible championship contender in the future. From the sounds of it it sounds like it could be done. |
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#12 | ||
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Where does all this Developing BAR into a championship team come from? OK, apart from Neilap, I mean.
![]() ![]() I think we need a reality check on this subject. ![]() Valve [img]http://www.**************************/smilies/bouncy.gif[/img] |
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#13 | ||
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JV could have been an all time great - could have.
But because he's spent the last four years trundling around in the midfield picking up occassional points instead of fighting for wins, we'll never really know his full potential. We only got a glimpse, really, in 1996-97 of what he was truly capable of. |
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#14 | ||
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Not a chance... Won WDC in best car, when TGF was labouring in vastly inferior car. In a Mac the following two years, he might have won the WDC (though I think Mika was faster).
All time great? Forget it. |
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#15 | ||
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In all honesty JV is not, and probably never will be, an all-time great. He's in the same "group of driving ability" as drivers such as Hill and Coulthard.
Schumacher sorted out a mediocre Ferrari in a couple of years (with a bit of help naturally). JV has not sorted out a mediocre BAR in four years. JV's quick but I wouldn't place him in the top 5 best drivers of the moment, regardless of the car. |
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you know. ![]() |
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#16 | ||
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When he arrived in F1, JV had all signs of becoming a great. But instead, he has been on a steady downhill path since then.
1996 - he was exceptional 1997 - he drove very well 1998 - he drove well 1999 - 2001 - consistent decrease in performance & motivation levels Many people in paddock think that JV has converted into a Casanova who is more interested in a good, hefty cash inflow, girls and off-track fun than winning races. It would be interesting to see JV drive once again for a top level team like Ferrari which is virtually 'impossible'. The best for JV would be to get a shot at 'Le mans' with a real good team. Its no use toying around with a BAR or at maximum a Renault. |
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Stop the fr*** rule changes, Moseley! ![]() |
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#17 | |||
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#18 | |||
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Thre is a verse with the last two lines which that goes something this :
Quote:
Valve ![]() |
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#19 | ||
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You changed the color of your smiley????
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#20 | |||
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#21 | ||
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But probably Jacques is a better driver than ever
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"Many people depend on motor racing for their livelihood, to them it is a business. To me, it is a sport." -Jim Clark ![]() |
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#22 | ||
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#23 | ||
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Aha...but the last one is the best solution...though I prefer green.
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#24 | ||
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Look at this family!!!
Someday some Villeneuve will be the greatest ever I guess. I think Jacques has wasted a lot of talent driving for BAR. But look at this family!!! To great drivers of two generations in same family. Who knows? Maybe Jacques’ son or his grand son will become a world champion at some time in the future. Is this a genetic issue? I dare not to say but they are good, no doubt!!!
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#25 | ||
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no
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Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Jacques Villeneuve | Nismo | Formula One | 106 | 24 Mar 2006 14:05 |
Q & A with Jacques Villeneuve | VilleneuveTracy | Formula One | 14 | 21 Feb 2006 19:55 |
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