} Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve (natural April 9, 1971) is a Canadian automobile racing driver, and winner of Formula One and Champ Car championships and a Indianapolis 500, one of only deuce drivers to accomplish altogether tierce exploit (a more existence Emerson Fittipaldi).

Early years
Innate inside St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Villeneuve's father was Gilles Villeneuve, a Formula A single driver flushed when you took qualifying at a 1982 Belgian Grand Prix when Jacques was only eleven years old. His uncle, also known as Jacques , was a moderately successful driver within American and Canadian road racing, winning one IndyCar race. Young Jacques, resulting his personal's racing footsteps, number one competed in the Italian Formula 3 series from 1989 through 1991. due to a Two-lap penalty) in his way to winning a championship.

Formula One champion
Around 1996, he moved to Formula One sustaining a Williams team. His debut wwhen nothing to the lesser degree outstanding, as he became single a 2nd Formula A single driver inside history to achieve two a pole and a rostrum position within his maiden grand prix. He led a race until an engine condition from either an earliest off-course moment forced him to slow & settle for 2nd behind mate Damon Hill. He won 4 races that month, reached a pulpit Eleven days, & finished using 78 points — completely rookie records, which still have in todays world. He finished a season runner-up in a drivers championship to Hill, & helped Williams win the builder championship by concluded Century points. By using a 1997 departure of Hill to Arrows, Villeneuve became a first at Williams, & he responded definitely by winning heptad races in his way to winning the drivers championship and another builder crown. He finished by owning Ten poles, Eighter ambo, & 81 points, clinching a title within striking fashion by beating Ferrari rival Michael Schumacher in the final race of the year. Still, Villeneuve's career went into acutely decline below his drivers championship. Remaining by owning Williams within 1998, he struggled with an underpowered Mecachrome engine, and failing to win one race.

Struggles at BAR
Within 1999, Villeneuve joined the newly-founded British American Racing (BAR) team, co-founded and partially owned by Villeneuve's portable manager, Craig Pollock. Although expectations were high, the team experienced a truly dreadful month, non scoring one championship point tons year hanker. Villeneuve would remain at BAR for the next little joe seasons, never placing higher than seventh in the drivers championship. A majority of his tenure at BAR is marked by recurrent mechanical failures; whilst he did handle to finish the race, it commonly was non on the lead lap. Around 2003, Villeneuve came under coarse media criticism for existence regularly outpaced by his immature (& less experient) mate, Jenson Button. Numerous critics likewise questioned Villeneuve's reported $19 million annual salary, given that he scored the stingy sestet championship points that month. So, he was replaced for the final race by Takuma Sato, who would require on top a race seat a as punishment month. When Villeneuve's departure, BAR would rise from either fifth place to 2nd in the builder championship. From either 1996 to 2003, Villeneuve competed in 131 Grands Prix, by using the gr& sum of Xi wins and Xiii pole positions.

Comeback
Inactive for virtually all of the 2004 season, Villeneuve's absence nevertheless got the heavy impact on the Formula A single year, especially around weak of Schumacher's dominance. Around September, Villeneuve returned to Formula One, camping a final iii Grands Prix of the year for French-based Renault. Although vowing to help the children achieve 2nd place in the builder championship (ahead of his previous team BAR), he failed to score one point, unable to finish one race on the lead lap; Renault settled for third in the final standings. Villeneuve besides signed the both-biennial contract to drive for Sauber, starting in 2005. His Sauber debut at a Australian Grand Prix was remarkable only for his (upwind aided) P4 starting position. For virtually all of a number one sectiin of the year, he was the slowest driver on Michelin tyres. He scored points at Imola, however, a pressure was back in him whenever he forced team-mate Felipe Massa off the track once attempting an above-ambitious passing move inside Monaco, ruining both their races. Towards a prevent of the year, his pace has improved, & he scored other points at Belgium, moving ahead of Massa within the championship tables, although Massa repassed him after finishing Sixth in the year finale in China. Villeneuve is caring that he may however exist as camping next season, potentially sustaining a news that Sauber has been purchased by BMW and is to become a BMW manufacturing plant squad. Notwithstanding, a team has already confirmed Nick Heidfeld, and pack seem to sense that Jacques has anything additionally to offer a team.

Personal
While non racing, Jacques Villeneuve sleep in Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland. He has, but, remained the American citizen, & has never been married. He appeared briefly in the 2001 Sylvester Stallone action movie Driven as a race car driver. Villeneuve has likewise been inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. He is presently engaged to Our contries danseuse Ellie Green.

Jacques Villeneuve owns the voguish nightspot & eating house within Montreal called Newtown, after a english translation of his title, James Newtown ('Jacques' existence a French version of 'James', non 'Jack'). These are placed in Crescent Street, one of Montreal's hottest nightspots.

Formula One career results
1996 — Williams-Renault — 4 wins, 78 points (finished 2nd) 1997 — Williams-Renault — 7 wins, 81 points (World Champion) 1998 — Williams-Mecachrome — 0 wins, 21 points (finished Fifth) 1999 — BAR-Supertec — 0 wins, 0 points (finished: unclassified) 2000 — BAR-Honda — 0 wins, 17 points (finished Seventh) 2001 — BAR-Honda — 0 wins, 12 points (finished Eighth) 2002 — BAR-Honda — 0 wins, 4 points (finished Twelfth) 2003 — BAR-Honda — 0 wins, 6 points (finished Sixteenth) 2004 — Renault — 0 wins, 0 points (finished unclassified) 2005 — Sauber-Petronas — 0 wins 9 points (in progress)