planet-f1
Theissen: 'No guarantee JV will be back'

04/08/06
BMW team boss Mario Theissen has admitted Jacques Villeneuve's Formula
One career could be over.

The former World Champion will not race this weekend in Hungary, with
the after-effects of his Hockenheim crash blamed for his absence.

Test driver Robert Kubica stands in to make his Formula One debut and
Theissen revealed Villeneuve will not necessarily return to the race
seat when he is fit.

He said: "There are no guarantees in life. We just want to see how the
weekend works and take the decision after that."

Theissen was believed to be reluctant to retain Villeneuve this year
before a watertight contract forced his hand.

The German is an admirer of Kubica, who he plucked from obscurity to
make him test driver this season, and would relish giving the
youngster a prolonged run in the race car.

Theissen said: "We don't have a decision on the outstanding races of
this season or next year either.

"We are starting to think of next year and certainly this is an
opportunity for us to see how Robert copes with a race situation.

"I expect him to do well. After the weekend we will evaluate the
situation."

Theissen is full of praise for Kubica's performances this season,
which have seen him regularly top the timing sheets in Friday practice
at the expense of more experienced testers.

He has no doubts that will translate into race speed, adding: "He has
proved to be much more mature than you could expect from a
21-year-old.

"He has performed exceptionally at the tests. Apparently he has a good
judgement on how far he can go. Despite being very quick he has almost
never gone off.

"I am very confident he will be up to it."

That could mean the end for Villeneuve's turbulent Formula One career,
with no other teams expressing an interest in the 1997 world champion.

Kubica took a cheeky swipe at his BMW-Sauber colleague when asked why
Theissen should chose him at the Canadian's expense. He replied:
"Maybe my pace."

Kubica's first taste of life as a race driver will come as a shock
today, when he can expect to sit out large swathes of the two one-hour
practice sessions.

He is more used to doing the donkey work of car set-up but now has to
worry for the first time about Sunday's race.

"I will run much less than normally on Friday because we have to save
tyres and the engine," he added.

"It will be something strange for me because I am used to running more
on Friday."

And he could do with the practice at the Hungaroring, revealing: "I
have raced here in Formula Renault but it was the fourth race in my
career so I don't remember a lot of things."

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