Alex Wurz Being Sought to Replace Villeneuve?
By Jamie Makin
March 19 2005
McLaren's test driver Alexander Wurz is the latest name to surface as a potential to replace SAUBER driver Jacques Villeneuve should his performances continue to be subpar.
Concern has been mounting since the season opening Australian Grand Prix that the 1997 World Champion no longer has what it takes to succeed in the pinnacle of motorsports. Earlier in the week, it was rumoured that Peter Sauber was looking to secure the services of BAR Honda's test driver Anthony Davidson, although both team principals denied it. BAR would most likely not want to release 'Ant' as they may consider him for a race seat in 2006. Now the gossip around the paddock in Malaysia is that Peter Sauber is now courting Wurz instead.
Meanwhile, Villeneuve has continued to lag behind his younger teammate Felipe Massa all weekend. The gap between Massa's P1 and Villeneuve's P18 in Friday practice was explained by the team boss. "Felipe and Jacques ran different tyre specifications and fuel loads at different times, so the gap between them is not representative. We are satisfied with what we have learned today, and will use that to go faster still tomorrow."
Although Villeneuve has shown a steady improvement in his own times this weekend, he has still fallen short of Massa's pace in all three Saturday sessions. Now concerns are being voiced by those outside the team, even though the team themselves remain relatively silent on the issue.
"I get the impression that Jacques is not particularly happy in his current position," confessed BAR Honda's Geoff Willis. "I'm sure he wasn't happy with Melbourne's race. Obviously being outside the team, I'm not aware of what the issues are."
TSN's commentator Gerald Donaldson, wrapped up their qualifying coverage by stating his own concerns about Villeneuve. Donaldson, a close friend of the Villeneuve family and author of several books on Jacques and his father Gilles, admitted he had a recent talk with Jacques who seems to be lacking confidence in himself and the SAUBER C24. Donaldson went on to say that he had never seen Jacques in this state of mind before and that it had him very concerned.
Although it appears that Villeneuve is facing some very tough times at his new team, his former team bosses were also quick to compliment his skills and past experience. Renault's Pat Symonds had kind words for the former champ even though his three-race stint at Renault last season yielded poor results.
"He certainly has a reputation of being very laid back and he's not laid back, he actually works quite hard and he has a lot of interest in the car and what's going on," Symonds explained. "During the race, he's very good. He's on the radio all the time, talking through the race, talking to his engineer; a lot of very, very positive points about him as a driver and I can understand how he won the World Championship."
Willis backed up Symond's impression of Villeneuve. "As Pat says, he's a hard- working driver, who's got a lot of experience in the car. The cars have changed quite a lot since he was driving for us two years ago. I think he's very sensitive to what the car does, what the engine does and he gives a lot of feedback, so I'm sure he will be having quite a lot of detailed conversations with his engineers at the moment. He's an extraordinarily competitive character and I'm sure he will be trying to get it back."
The SAUBER team has a limited budget compared to most of their rivals and as a result does far less testing and development. Their last pre-season effort in Imola was canceled due to heavy snow and the team will not see the test track again until they return to their European base after the next race in Bahrain. Villeneuve's problems seem to lie in the lack of testing and experience in setting up the car so it is logical to assume the team will focus on these issues in their next test session. Villeneuve will have to use that time to dig deep within himself and find the confidence he needs to put his skills to use and convince the team that he still has what it takes.
In the meantime, the rumours continue to swirl over a possible replacement should Villeneuve not be able to come to terms with the C24. It would be likely for Peter Sauber to make a hurried decision in the matter, but clearly he is considering other options should he and Villeneuve decide to part company.