Jacques Villeneuve

Villeneuve's career saw him racing in the Italian and Japanese Formula 3 Championships in 1990. In 1994, he began racing Indy Cars, taking Rookie of the Year honors after finishing sixth in the World Championship. The following year, in just his second year with the series, Villeneuve won both the famed Indy 500 and the IndyCar Championship.

In 1996, he joined Williams-Renault to race in Formula One. He won four races in his first year, earning him Rookie of the Year and a second-place finish in the Championship. His success continued with the team the following year when he captured the Championship after winning seven Grand Prix.

He joined BAR-Supertech in 1999 and raced with BAR until 2004. In 2004, he drove for Renault in three races as a replacement at the end of the season for Jarno Trulli. He got a full-time ride again with Sauber in 2005.

Sauber was bought out by BMW for 2006, leaving Villeneuve's race seat in question.