Bill Pemberton
0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
I have found it somewhat odd that Jacque has been so vociferous about Lance Stroll since he began running in Formula 1 , since the two drivers both went into the ultimate racing series with similar pressures. Jacque had the legendary success and image of his super popular father Gilles, who had a meteoric career cut short by his horrific accident and death at Zolder in 1982. Living up to a father who is an icon in the Country of your birth and trying to equal or exceed his success is a task fraught with unknown pressure. Jacque obviously struggled internally but corralled his talent and went on to win the Formula 1 Championship in 1997 and arguably became and even more established and talented driver than his father.
With all this in mind , it has been perplexing how he constantly condemned Lance as being without talent, even in one case calling him the worse driver Formula 1 had ever seen. The lack of empathy and understanding perplexed me because it is so easy ( and often heard ) to criticize Lance because his father is a Billionaire, and he even owns the Racing Point Team. The pressure Lance comes under from numerous sides , Jacque being right at the forefront, just because his father is rich, is so similar to the pressure Jacque must have felt with his father's shadow constantly over him in his early racing career . One suspected the strong placing by Lance in Azerbaijan a few years back might have changed his mind, or the decent placing Stroll has in the driver's placing this year , but I wonder what Lance landing on the pole had on Villeneuve's perceptions?
First Canadian to be on the Pole in Formula 1 since 1997 ( and that was Jacque of course ) , still early in his F1 career , and in the worse track conditions of 2020. The track in Turkey was treacherous and it showcased the talent of all the drivers and yes there were some surprises.
I guess the reason I like Lance is because money may have helped him get into a Formula car, but loonies do not drive the machine, or help one pass other cars , or get one on Pole. Time for Jacque to take a deep breath and realize there may be another Canadian with talent to drive and eventually win in Formula 1 , who had a different , but just as difficult pressure situation to overcome.
Many of the drivers in F1 had advantages that helped get them into racing, money is likely one of the top ones, but talent is the only thing that keeps them there. Best of luck to Lance in the coming years, as he is the only North American Driver in Formula One and many of us in Canada and the United States wish him well.
With all this in mind , it has been perplexing how he constantly condemned Lance as being without talent, even in one case calling him the worse driver Formula 1 had ever seen. The lack of empathy and understanding perplexed me because it is so easy ( and often heard ) to criticize Lance because his father is a Billionaire, and he even owns the Racing Point Team. The pressure Lance comes under from numerous sides , Jacque being right at the forefront, just because his father is rich, is so similar to the pressure Jacque must have felt with his father's shadow constantly over him in his early racing career . One suspected the strong placing by Lance in Azerbaijan a few years back might have changed his mind, or the decent placing Stroll has in the driver's placing this year , but I wonder what Lance landing on the pole had on Villeneuve's perceptions?
First Canadian to be on the Pole in Formula 1 since 1997 ( and that was Jacque of course ) , still early in his F1 career , and in the worse track conditions of 2020. The track in Turkey was treacherous and it showcased the talent of all the drivers and yes there were some surprises.
I guess the reason I like Lance is because money may have helped him get into a Formula car, but loonies do not drive the machine, or help one pass other cars , or get one on Pole. Time for Jacque to take a deep breath and realize there may be another Canadian with talent to drive and eventually win in Formula 1 , who had a different , but just as difficult pressure situation to overcome.
Many of the drivers in F1 had advantages that helped get them into racing, money is likely one of the top ones, but talent is the only thing that keeps them there. Best of luck to Lance in the coming years, as he is the only North American Driver in Formula One and many of us in Canada and the United States wish him well.