New year, new life and adventure for Jacques Villeneuve, who in 2023 will make his debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship taking part in the entire season.
A series of lucky coincidences opened a door for the Canadian, who received a call from ByKolles Racing to test the new Vanwall Hypercar built by Colin Kolles’ team.
A mutual friendship that brought the parties into contact in an important historical moment for the team, the championship and in which the 1997 F1 World Champion was looking for something interesting to restart and revive a career that he never considered over.
Jacques Villeneuve, Vanwall Vandervell LMH, ByKolles Racing
Photo by: Vanwall Group
“My goal was to get back into pro racing full-time and not just do one-off racing like I’ve done for the past 15 years, like NASCAR and something else I’ve done here and there. That’s always been a major goal of mine. : aiming for the Triple Crown”, explains Villeneuve in an interview with the WEC website.
“A friend of mine warned me that Vanwall was probably setting up a team. The next day I flew to Barcelona to test the car. So it was a matter of timing.”
A surprise and an opportunity seized upon by the 51-year-old who got on a never-before-seen Vanderwell 680 LMH trying to get rid of the rust and make a good impression, and at the same time trying to understand if the prototype he was holding in his hands would could have satisfied.
“The test was fun, the Vandervell was a heavy and fast car. It wasn’t easy to drive, but it was still in its infancy. There was still a lot to do in terms of balance and in some moments it threw you off guard and took you by surprise how he reacted”.
“That could have made a six or eight hour race difficult, but as I said before, there is still a lot of work to be done and the foundations are there. There is certainly the potential to be competitive and ultimately what you want is a car that is easy to drive and, in endurance racing, that doesn’t break down.”
Vanwall Vandervell LMH, By Kolles Racing
Photo by: Vanwall Group
Another aspect to be worked on is the amalgamation of the crew with his new teammates, Tom Dillmann and Esteban Guerrieri.
“I only met Esteban at the test, while I met Tom when he was in Formula 2. I’ve always had an excellent opinion of him, so I’m very happy that he’s in the crew with us.”
“The biggest challenge for me is working with other drivers and sharing a car: I’ve always been extremely precise in setting up a car and the way I like to drive it. For me it’s always been about fine-tuning, something you can’t do when you share the car with two other drivers, because everyone has their own specific way of driving: you have to compromise and decide as a group”.
“How much can you personally give up your setup without hurting each other too much, but at the same time helping others. It’s very difficult and it’s the opposite of what I’ve done throughout my career, where you try to get that tenth or two more in the car”.
Vanwall Vandervell LMH, By Kolles Racing
Photo by: Vanwall Group
The greatest expectation, however, is for the weekend of June 10-11, when Villeneuve will return to the Circuit de la Sarthe to try to complete a job left half-finished some time ago…
“Of course there is a Jewel on the calendar: the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which is the race I look forward to the most. My previous experience was a mix of good and bad. We had an extremely fast car, but why not I smiled on the podium it’s because we managed to lose the race”.
“It was a terrible second place to accept. Sometimes you can fight against adversity and finish second with an extraordinary result. But that was a race we should have won and we managed to finish second. For that reason it was extremely disappointing.”
In addition to Le Mans, however, there are six other major events not to be missed and Jacques is well aware of this, especially given the level that the series has now reached and will reach in the coming years.
“The good thing about the WEC is that the other races are also getting bigger and bigger. The whole championship is gaining value outside of Le Mans, which is very important. Apart from that, I would say maybe Portimao will be interesting, also if I’ve never been. The track looks fun and I think it’s close to the beach which never hurts!”
“Too bad Tom Kristensen doesn’t race anymore! Champions in the series, which is good because it’s not just a bunch of newcomers.”
“There are many drivers to admire and beat and this gives us more and more credibility and value. Our goal is to be competitive and see where we are with the team and the car, because at the moment it’s a great unknown.”
Vanwall Vandervell LMH, By Kolles Racing
Photo by: Vanwall Group
Finally, in addition to the unknowns to be discovered, for Villeneuve and Vanwall-ByKolles it will certainly be a season to live with the great energy of those who go to play against the best in the category, aware that they have nothing to lose.
“I think this is the best moment to participate in the WEC: the championship is getting bigger and bigger. And right now, with all the Constructors arriving, it’s becoming a real World Championship. I’m pumped up for the season waiting for me”.
#WEC #Villeneuve #tough #Triple #Crown