OCTOBER 7, 2003

BAT kisses Villeneuve goodbye to F1

British American Tobacco, which has supported Jacques Villeneuve for the last five years at BAR, has paid tribute to the Canadian.

"We would like to pay tribute to Jacques Villeneuve's determination to succeed over the past five years," said the company's marketing director Jimmi Rembiszewksi. "He made a courageous decision to join BAR and put his career in the hands of the challenging and innovative individuals who founded the team. We wish him every success in the future."

But it seems that the future for Jacques Villeneuve is not in Formula 1, unless there are some new developments in the weeks ahead.

Villeneuve is thought to be considering moving on to sports car racing in an effort to win the Le Mans 24 Hours and thus complete a unique set of successes in different categories. He has also talked about a career in NASCAR.