Surprise new addition to Sky F1 team announced for Canadian ….
Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 F1 World Champion.
Sky F1 have announced that 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve will join their punditry line-up for the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend.
The former Williams and BAR driver will be with the British-based channel this weekend for a one-off appearance, having become a familiar face as a motorsport pundit around the world.
Jacques Villeneuve to join Sky F1 team at Canadian Grand Prix
Villeneuve has appeared on the channel before, at the 2012 edition of the Canadian Grand Prix, but has become a prolific motorsport pundit alongside his racing career for various channels around the world.
The 1997 World Champion has previously commentated for Canal+ in France as well as Sky Italia, and has gained a reputation for offering forthright views on the world of Formula 1 as he sees it.
The 53-year-old is due to appear on all of Sky F1’s coverage of the race this weekend at his home circuit.
Which other presenters, commentators and pundits are on the Sky F1 line-up?
Villeneuve’s opinions have often made headlines over the years, and he has also been a featured interviewee in recent months on PlanetF1.com, most recently having discussed the tough scheduling behind the current Formula 1 calendar and ending the season with a globe-spanning triple-header.
“That’s gonna be brutal,” he said in our most recent exclusive at the start of the year.
“Already, the double-header late in the [2023] season, flying back from Vegas – it’s not an easy airport to fly from so getting here… it’s OK for a big team because they can rent a big plane, put all the mechanics in it, and fly.
“It’s really brutal for the media – I think this is the group that is being left behind in all that is happening. The cost of everything is going up, hotels, travelling, these trips have become very, very complicated.
“But, for teams, they find ways to travel. Staff rotations can work but it’s hard on the staff. The timezone is in the wrong direction because you lose time by coming in instead of gaining.
“It makes it very hectic to set everything up, set the teams up, catering, and all that. It takes time and that’s a little bit rough.
“To have three in a row, although Qatar is not far from here, will be very tiring, especially at the end of the year and the season finishing in December. It’s tough for the mechanics as well, not the drivers.”