Jacques Villeneuve is racing at the Goodwood Revival

The Canadian driver has never been able to stay far from the world of motorsport; since walking away from F1 in 2006 he has kept himself busy racing in NASCAR, sportscars, Formula E and even rallycross all over the world. His latest activity saw him join the Floyd Vanwall Racing Team’s efforts in the World Endurance Championship in 2023, but he has since become a regular F1 pundit on our TV screens.

After attending the event as a guest in 2024, Villeneuve’s appearance at the 2025 Revival marks his motor racing debut at Goodwood, and we’re expecting his spectacular driving style to fit perfectly with the kind of racing we’re used to seeing on the Motor Circuit. He returns to Goodwood after recently starring at the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard, as part of this year’s F1 75 celebrations.

He’ll be driving ‘Hairy Canary’, a 1963 AC Cobra that will be impossible to miss thanks to its bright yellow bodywork. It’s a car that ought to respond well to the hustle of an F1 World Champion.

Villeneuve’s career started in 1989, when he joined the Italian Formula 3 Championship with Prema, seven years after the death of his father, Gilles. He made steady progress in Italy before heading to Japan, where he started to achieve success.

He won three times in All-Japan F3 to claim second place in the Championship, and also made a one-off appearance in the Atlantic Championship over in the US. He joined the series full-time in 1993 and won five times on his way to third in the standings.

His performances there earned him a drive with Forsythe-Green Racing in the 1994 Indy Car World Series. His first major result was a second-place finish at that year’s Indy 500 behind Al Unser Jr., and he followed that up with a victory at Road America and another podium at the final round at Laguna Seca.

Clearly now up to speed, Villeneuve got off to a flying start in 1995. Driving with his dad’s famous number 27 on his car, he won the opening round of the season in Miami, but his momentum was rocked with a couple poor results before arriving once more at Indianapolis.

He qualified fifth for the showpiece event and started from the middle of the second row. A chaotic start to the race saw him climb unwittingly into the lead of the race, and when the safety car came out on lap 38, he had no idea that it was trying to pick him up at the front of the pack. After passing the safety car twice, he was finally made aware, but by then he had already picked up a two-lap penalty.

Victory at that point looked pretty unlikely, but he carried on all the same and gradually worked his way back onto the lead lap, in 12^th position, by lap 124. He continued to make progress as he navigated a series of caution periods, and with ten laps to go he was in second place behind Scott Goodyear and the safety car.

But the leader botched his restart, throwing the hammer down too early and passing the safety car before the green flag was waved. He was given a stop-go penalty, but opted not to serve it, remaining ahead on the road with an intention to protest post-race. His car was ultimately discounted from the race order, and Villeneuve inherited the race lead.

He took the chequered flag to claim victory at the Indy 500, a result which gave him the momentum to challenge for the title in 1995. Further wins at Road America and Cleveland were supplemented by podiums in Toronto and Mid-Ohio and several more points scoring finishes in the second half of the season, and Villeneuve had done enough to claim the Championship ahead of Al Unser Jr.

His performances had caught the attention of Williams, Renault and Bernie Ecclestone, who all wanted to see the Villeneuve name return to F1 in 1996. He first tested the Williams car in August 1995, and although he was slower than Damon Hill, he signed a contract for the following season. He spent the rest of the off-season carrying out a relentless testing programme to prepare himself for life in F1.

That preparation showed, because his performance in 1996 was one of the greatest ever by a rookie driver. After taking pole position ahead of Hill at the opening round in Melbourne, he led away from the start, and then a restart, and an epic battle for the ages ensued between the Williams team-mates.

Villeneuve’s grit and determination was remarkable, and he pulled off a spectacular overtaking move around the outside of Hill after he lost the lead during the pitstops. He was deservedly out in front, seeing off the challenge of his rival, and was on course to become the third F1 driver to win on his Grand Prix debut. But it wasn’t to be, as his car suffered an oil leak that eventually saw him forced to back off and allow Hill through to take the victory.

Despite that huge disappointment, Villeneuve continued to showcase his speed and took the battle for the World Championship right down to the wire, although he ultimately had to settle for second behind Hill.

He had another chance to claim the title in 1997, and this time he would not let the opportunity pass. Williams still had a superior car, although Ferrari and Michael Schumacher had closed the gap, and Villeneuve had to fight hard once again to beat his rival.

In all he took seven Grand Prix victories in ’97 but still went into the final round a point behind Schumacher in the title race. It all came down to the last race of the season at Jerez, a race which went down in history for one of the sport’s most controversial moments.

In what looked to be a carbon copy of the title-deciding collision between Hill and Schumacher three years earlier, the Ferrari driver was again driving into the side of a Williams as Villeneuve attempted to overtake. This time, however, the Canadian came away relatively unscathed, and went on to finish third as Schumacher retired, to become the 1997 F1 World Champion.

Villeneuve remained in F1 for much of the next decade, although his decision to join the brand new British American Racing team for 1999 proved to be a misstep, and his career was never quite the same.

He made a fleeting impression in NASCAR, and finished second overall with Peugeot at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2008, but his status as one of the few drivers to have won the IndyCar title and the F1 World Championship will remain forever — which makes him an exciting addition to the line-up at the 2025 Goodwood Revival.

Villeneuve’s presence on the grid for the RAC TT Celebration is sure to add an extra element of spice, his exuberant driving style is bound to suit the dramatic machinery that gets unleashed at 14:00 on Sunday afternoon. He joins 2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button, who himself will be seeking glory at the wheel of his newly acquired ‘Cut 8’ Jaguar E-type.

“I am very excited to be participating in the RAC TT Celebration,” Villeneuve said. “It was very frustrating seeing all my pals having fun racing it out last year while I was sitting watching.

“Driving the Cobra on such a fun track will be an exceptional moment, I can’t wait!”

His efforts on the Goodwood Motor Circuit are going to be worth watching, if you haven’t bought a ticket yet, this is as good a reason as any to rectify that.

Tickets for the Goodwood Revival are limited! Saturday tickets have sold out, so secure your Friday and Sunday tickets to avoid missing out on the world's best historic motorsport event.

Goodwood photography by Pete Summers, Toby Adamson and Toby Whales. 

Other images courtesy of Getty Images.