Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve has admitted that he regrets some of the disparaging comments he has made in the past about Jenson Button.
Villeneuve fired a number of verbal broadsides at Button after the Briton was signed to partner him at BAR-Honda for the 2003 season, in what was widely seen as an attempt to ‘out-psych’ his new team-mate.
Among these was the observation: “Some people spend their life as would-have-beens, could-have-beens and they end up never achieving anything – and that’s what Jenson has done.”
He was also quoted as saying: “I’ll respect Jenson once he goes quickly out on the racetrack.”
The put-downs backfired when Button proved more than a match for Villeneuve, and by the end of 2003 the Canadian had split with BAR, the team he had been instrumental in creating.
Four years on, JV admits some of his remarks were uncalled for.
“F1 Racing recently published my ‘59 mouthiest moments’,” he told the March issue of the magazine.
“When I read it, there were a couple of quotes about Jenson that I said back in 2003 where I thought, ‘Ouch! That didn’t come out too well!’
“Jenson didn’t deserve that.
“Some of the things I said were a little bit too harsh and a couple shouldn’t have been said at all.”
In his defence, Villeneuve cites the displeasure he felt at being treated as expendable by newly appointed BAR boss David Richards – plus the fact that Button had much to prove after two disappointing seasons at Benetton.
“I’d built that team, and suddenly a new team principal was saying, ‘We don’t want Jacques, he’s useless – we’ve got a future world champion in Jenson.’
“Jenson had done nothing at the time and had had his ass kicked by [Giancarlo] Fisichella at Benetton.
“So mainly I was saying let’s just wait and see – I’ll respect him once he achieves something.
“And he did, so I did.
“It wasn’t as bad as it was portrayed and there was never a problem between us.”
Villeneuve now rates Button rather more highly.
“He’s fast, strong, and nothing disturbs him,” he observed.
“But he’ll have to be in a position to take a shot at the championship if we’re to see if he’s as good as [Fernando] Alonso.
“That’s highly probable, because he’s at least as good as Kimi [Raikkonen].”
Read JV's full appraisal of the 2007 field in the latest issue of F1 Racing, on sale from Tuesday.
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Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve has admitted that he regrets some of the disparaging comments he has made in the past about Jenson Button.
Villeneuve fired a number of verbal broadsides at Button after the Briton was signed to partner him at BAR-Honda for the 2003 season, in what was widely seen as an attempt to ‘out-psych’ his new team-mate.
Among these was the observation: “Some people spend their life as would-have-beens, could-have-beens and they end up never achieving anything – and that’s what Jenson has done.”
He was also quoted as saying: “I’ll respect Jenson once he goes quickly out on the racetrack.”
The put-downs backfired when Button proved more than a match for Villeneuve, and by the end of 2003 the Canadian had split with BAR, the team he had been instrumental in creating.
Four years on, JV admits some of his remarks were uncalled for.
“F1 Racing recently published my ‘59 mouthiest moments’,” he told the March issue of the magazine.
“When I read it, there were a couple of quotes about Jenson that I said back in 2003 where I thought, ‘Ouch! That didn’t come out too well!’
“Jenson didn’t deserve that.
“Some of the things I said were a little bit too harsh and a couple shouldn’t have been said at all.”
In his defence, Villeneuve cites the displeasure he felt at being treated as expendable by newly appointed BAR boss David Richards – plus the fact that Button had much to prove after two disappointing seasons at Benetton.
“I’d built that team, and suddenly a new team principal was saying, ‘We don’t want Jacques, he’s useless – we’ve got a future world champion in Jenson.’
“Jenson had done nothing at the time and had had his ass kicked by [Giancarlo] Fisichella at Benetton.
“So mainly I was saying let’s just wait and see – I’ll respect him once he achieves something.
“And he did, so I did.
“It wasn’t as bad as it was portrayed and there was never a problem between us.”
Villeneuve now rates Button rather more highly.
“He’s fast, strong, and nothing disturbs him,” he observed.
“But he’ll have to be in a position to take a shot at the championship if we’re to see if he’s as good as [Fernando] Alonso.
“That’s highly probable, because he’s at least as good as Kimi [Raikkonen].”
Read JV's full appraisal of the 2007 field in the latest issue of F1 Racing, on sale from Tuesday.
Recent Stories
JV tips Massa to beat 'overrated' Kimi
2007-02-18 20:57
Massa: We'll prove doubters wrong
2007-02-18 13:51
Massa not missing Schu
2007-02-17 14:18
Renault admits need for speed
2007-02-17 14:20
Purnell: Macca ties will help Lewis
2007-02-18 14:01
Renault leaves carmaker body
2007-02-16 13:26
F1 Racing raises £3K for charity
2007-02-17 01:11
Symonds: McLaren, Ferrari in front
2007-02-16 16:22
Related Links
F1 News Features Calendar TV Schedule Championship F1 Photos
Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve has admitted that he regrets some of the disparaging comments he has made in the past about Jenson Button.
Villeneuve fired a number of verbal broadsides at Button after the Briton was signed to partner him at BAR-Honda for the 2003 season, in what was widely seen as an attempt to ‘out-psych’ his new team-mate.
Among these was the observation: “Some people spend their life as would-have-beens, could-have-beens and they end up never achieving anything – and that’s what Jenson has done.”
He was also quoted as saying: “I’ll respect Jenson once he goes quickly out on the racetrack.”
The put-downs backfired when Button proved more than a match for Villeneuve, and by the end of 2003 the Canadian had split with BAR, the team he had been instrumental in creating.
Four years on, JV admits some of his remarks were uncalled for.
“F1 Racing recently published my ‘59 mouthiest moments’,” he told the March issue of the magazine.
“When I read it, there were a couple of quotes about Jenson that I said back in 2003 where I thought, ‘Ouch! That didn’t come out too well!’
“Jenson didn’t deserve that.
“Some of the things I said were a little bit too harsh and a couple shouldn’t have been said at all.”
In his defence, Villeneuve cites the displeasure he felt at being treated as expendable by newly appointed BAR boss David Richards – plus the fact that Button had much to prove after two disappointing seasons at Benetton.
“I’d built that team, and suddenly a new team principal was saying, ‘We don’t want Jacques, he’s useless – we’ve got a future world champion in Jenson.’
“Jenson had done nothing at the time and had had his ass kicked by [Giancarlo] Fisichella at Benetton.
“So mainly I was saying let’s just wait and see – I’ll respect him once he achieves something.
“And he did, so I did.
“It wasn’t as bad as it was portrayed and there was never a problem between us.”
Villeneuve now rates Button rather more highly.
“He’s fast, strong, and nothing disturbs him,” he observed.
“But he’ll have to be in a position to take a shot at the championship if we’re to see if he’s as good as [Fernando] Alonso.
“That’s highly probable, because he’s at least as good as Kimi [Raikkonen].”
Read JV's full appraisal of the 2007 field in the latest issue of F1 Racing, on sale from Tuesday.
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