Interview
Formula E
Villeneuve: Testing tells us nothing about our competitiveness
He may be bullish on his chances of success, but Jacques Villeneuve isn't prepared to make any firm predictions on where he and his Venturi team stand in the Formula E pecking order, as he told Rene Fagnan.
René Fagnan
Edited: May 5, 2021, 4:37 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
When Jacques Villeneuve lines up on the starting grid to make his Formula E debut at Beijing this weekend, he’ll be by some distance the oldest driver present – but, somewhat paradoxically, at the same time among the least experienced.
Joining the Venturi squad for the second-season of the all-electric series, the ex-Formula 1 champion and Indy 500 winner isn’t planning on simply making up the numbers.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, the opinionated French-Canadian offered his thoughts on where his team stands after pre-season testing and which drivers he expects to be the ones to beat in the season ahead.
Now pre-season testing is over, where does Venturi stand?
“It’s almost impossible to make predictions, firstly because we didn’t use the same batteries during that test. Only half of the batteries were ready to deliver 170kW. We were still at 150kW for the race simulation.
“Secondly, the test was held on a track [Donington Park] that is not similar to typical Formula E circuits. We could work on the slow sections of the track, such as the hairpin and the chicane, and that’s what we did. We did not work on being fast in the quick corners of the circuit, so we were rarely running flat out each lap. That would have been pointless.”
Why was running flat out pointless?
“Donington is a relatively flat track made of fast corners and a long straight, not at all representative of the typical Formula E temporary street tracks that are quite slow, bumpy, narrow, twisty and surrounded by concrete walls.
“So there were cars that were really fast, but on that circuit specifically. So it’s very difficult to see where we stand for real. I think that at the end of the test, we were very good in terms of energy management. We did not try to set the ultimate lap time, so for me it’s a tough call.”
Who do you see as the championship favourites?
“I think the e.Dams and Abt drivers are very quick. I see these two teams to have the most efficient powertrain on the grid. However, we saw that also they ran into some reliability problems during the test.
“Nelson Piquet is the reigning series champion, so he is going to be a tough rival this season. He drove strongly last year, and was particularly good in terms of energy management.
“It’s up to the driver to manage the energy of his car while driving. It’s a very accurate measurement, and the driver has to work quite hard to manage the consumption of energy; it’s not something that’s done automatically.
"The team sees how well we’re doing, same for us behind the wheel. It’s quite simple to make the calculation.”
What do you think of a potential future Formula E race in Montreal?
“A Formula E race in Montreal would be fantastic. I don’t know where the plans are at the moment, but there’s always a very good atmosphere in Montreal and the people just love motorsport, so it would be incredible."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article ABT starts to second FIA Formula E Championship season in China
Next article Mahindra cautiously optimistic ahead of season opener
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
René Fagnan
Alex Labbe returns to NASCAR Pinty’s and Xfinity Series
NASCAR O'Reilly
NASCAR O'Reilly
Alex Labbe returns to NASCAR Pinty’s and Xfinity Series
New Canadian Grand Prix pit building revealed in Montreal
Formula 1
Formula 1
Canadian GP
New Canadian Grand Prix pit building revealed in Montreal
Jacques Villeneuve: Zolder track debut will be “important to me”
NASCAR Euro
NASCAR Euro
Jacques Villeneuve: Zolder track debut will be “important to me”
More from
Jacques Villeneuve
Jacques Villeneuve calls out Oscar Piastri after costly Azerbaijan GP error: "Rookie mistake"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Azerbaijan GP
Jacques Villeneuve calls out Oscar Piastri after costly Azerbaijan GP error: "Rookie mistake"
Jacques Villeneuve defends Red Bull team orders call at F1 Azerbaijan GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Azerbaijan GP
Jacques Villeneuve defends Red Bull team orders call at F1 Azerbaijan GP
Jacques Villeneuve delivers verdict on Esteban Ocon's F1 future
Formula 1
Formula 1
Azerbaijan GP
Jacques Villeneuve delivers verdict on Esteban Ocon's F1 future
More from
Venturi
Venturi boss d'Ambrosio leaves rebranded Maserati Formula E team
Formula E
Formula E
Venturi boss d'Ambrosio leaves rebranded Maserati Formula E team
Di Grassi's 1000th Formula E point an "emotional" landmark
Formula E
Formula E
Seoul ePrix I
Di Grassi's 1000th Formula E point an "emotional" landmark
Di Grassi explains London Formula E race-winning tactics
Formula E
Formula E
London ePrix II
Di Grassi explains London Formula E race-winning tactics
Latest news
"Not allowed, not made possible": Was BMW denied its title chance?
DTM
DTM DTM
Hockenheim
36 min
"Not allowed, not made possible": Was BMW denied its title chance?
Max Verstappen: FAQ on his GTWC Europe debut
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 45 min
Max Verstappen: FAQ on his GTWC Europe debut
Pedro Acosta: "I'm going to Ducati to learn from Marc Marquez, not to beat him on same bike"
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Indonesian GP
1 h
Pedro Acosta: "I'm going to Ducati to learn from Marc Marquez, not to beat him on same bike"
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe