MONTREAL -- Jacques Villeneuve's arrival at the Canadian Grand Prix no longer generates the excitement it did a few years ago when he was riding the wave of his 1997 Formula One championship. But the 32-year-old driver from Iberville still drew a sizable crowd to a downtown shopping concourse yesterday for a 30-minute news conference with Bridgestone, his BAR-Honda team's tire supplier.
And there were still a few who saw him off with shouts of encouragement and crowded around for autographs as he left for Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, where the race weekend begins today with pre-qualifying.
The 35th Canadian Grand Prix is set for Sunday (CTV, 1 p.m.), with official qualifying tomorrow.
Villeneuve, who has not won a race since his world championship year and who has almost become a non-factor in Formula One, insists his popularity at his home race has changed over the years but hasn't diminished. "Maybe in the magazines," he said. "But I think there's more respect now."
The question hanging over the son of legendary Ferrari driver Gilles Villeneuve, the Berthierville driver killed in a crash at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1982, is whether any teams still want to hire him after his contract with BAR expires at the end of this season.
Villeneuve wants to drive next year, especially for a team with a chance to win, but there appear to be few openings.
Ferrari ended speculation that Villeneuve would replace five-time world champion Michael Schumacher this week by extending the German's contract through 2006.
The second Ferrari driver, Rubens Barrichello of Brazil, is signed through 2004. Williams is not expected to change drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya and McLaren-Mercedes boss Ron Dennis is said not be a fan of Villeneuve.
That leaves driving for a lesser team, perhaps one that may need a year or two of development before it can win races. Villeneuve did not rule that out.
"It depends on how long I have to wait," said Villeneuve. "I don't want to wait until I'm 50 to be competitive again.
"You have to look at what's available and what the options are. It's impossible for me to say until I know what the options are. I can say I'll only drive for these types of teams but if the question is, you drive for another team or you'll stay at home, then your mindset can change."
Villeneuve manager Craig Pollock stated flatly this week his client "will be back in Formula One next year, absolutely.
"I don't need to sell Jacques Villeneuve," Pollock said, adding that Villeneuve and Schumacher were the only drivers still competing who have won a championship. "The team managers know what he is capable of doing."
Villeneuve was once the toast of motor racing, winning the CART championship and the Indianapolis 500 in 1995 before jumping to Formula One with Williams in 1996, when he won four races as a rookie.
The following year, he won seven races and the drivers' championship.
But Williams fell behind the leaders in 1998 and a year later Pollock helped form the BAR team and convinced Villeneuve to follow him. Despite a huge budget and bigger publicity, Villeneuve did not earn a point in 1999.
Since then, despite bringing Honda in as engine supplier, he has been to the podium only twice -- a pair of third-place finishes in 2001.
He admits it has been discouraging, but it hasn't quelled his desire to win.
"You can't give up," he said. "If I went to sleep feeling like I hadn't given my best, that's when I'd feel bad.
"But I haven't stopped fighting."
