SEPTEMBER 16, 1996

Villeneuve - it's not over yet

JACQUES VILLENEUVE says that he has not given up hope of winning this year's Formula 1 World Championship - despite the fact that he is 13 points behind Hill with a maximum of 20 points available in the final two Grands Prix of the year.

To have any realistic hope of winning the world title Villeneuve has to win in Estoril. If Jacques retires from the race Hill is automatically the champion and the result is the same if Hill finishes ahead of Villeneuve on the road.

The upshot of this is that Villeneuve will have to adopt an all-or-bust pit stop strategy, which means that Hill has the advantage as he can use a less risky plan. Qualifying will be important but the run down to the first corner will be significant.

Visiting France's "University of Motor Racing" at Le Mans last week Villeneuve indicated that he had not been very impressed by the way in which Hill had squeezed him towards the edge of the track at the start of the Italian GP and that if the same happens again he will not be averse to giving as good as he gets.