Jacques Villeneuve is highly excited by the fact that he could be racing Michael Schumacher in Formula 1 again this year after it seemed that the careers of both drivers were over three years ago. The French-Canadian hopes for a place on this year's grid with the Serbian Stefan GP team.
With Villeneuve having left BMW midway through the 2006 campaign with Schumacher then retiring from Ferrari as that year's championship runner-up, Villeneuve is sure that experience should not be written off following a decade which introduced a new generation of young drivers to the sport.
"A year ago, everyone thought that Barrichello was an old driver," Villeneuve said to Auto Motor und Sport of the 2009 race winner. "Rubens is only half a year younger than me. De la Rosa is my age and Michael is three years older.
"In recent years, many young drivers have been in Formula 1. Some, such as Alonso or Vettel, are good. Others have disappeared into oblivion because they arrived in Formula 1 too early. Meanwhile, most teams have suddenly realised that having only young drivers is not a solution, you need a good mix; the ideal mix is a young and an experienced driver - that way, the younger one has a benchmark, otherwise he doesn't know where he stands."
A return for Villeneuve would mean that five World Champions would line-up on this year's grid, matching an all-time record and rekindling several old rivalries. "That would be absolute madness!" he continued of himself and German Schumacher. "Even if we didn't always agree, his performances are beyond doubt. He was, for all of the drivers, always the ultimate challenge - everyone wants to go up against the man who's won the most races and titles. He has the bite, he knows what he wants.
"Michael has spent his whole life driving racing cars and knows how to win championships. Even if a car might not have been the best from the beginning, he would find a way to make it faster. To me, he seems to be just as hungry as when he started in Formula 1 and I imagine the break has made him even better."
Follow-up to: Villeneuve pushing for comeback with Stefan GP
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