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Villeneuve contract
talks not before July, says Richards
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AFP
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2003.06.14
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''He can see the
team's improving.''
BAR-Honda team boss David Richards has
said that contract talks with driver Jacques Villeneuve will not
begin until next month at the earliest. Speaking at Villeneuve's
home Canadian Grand Prix, Richards insisted he will stick to his
current policy of negotiating driver contracts after the British
Grand Prix.
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Villeneuve, 32, is out
of contract at the end of the season and will have to take a pay-cut
if he is to remain with the British team, which he joined in 1999
from Williams.
"The situation with
the drivers I've always tended to leave until well after mid-season,
certainly after the British Grand Prix," said Richards.
"I'm not going to get into debates about where we are with
drivers - other than the fact that we have a contract with Jenson
for the long term - until the latter part of July. So we're
certainly working on that together and he (Villeneuve) feels
confident, he can see the team's improving, he can see the
opportunities are there and so hopefully we can sort that out."
Button is on a long-term
deal after joining this year from Renault, but speculation has
surrounded the future of 1997 world champion Villeneuve. The
Canadian took just 33 races to win that title with Williams but has
since gone 90 races without a victory. Villeneuve has gained just
three points in 2003, but Richards insists the driver is not to
blame for a season that has seen him outperformed by British
teammate Jenson Button.
"I have to admit
that Jacques has had a very poor start to the season, not from his
own making, but quite frankly through the reliability that ourselves
and Honda have offered to him with the car," said Richards.
"That's an issue we have to address ourselves."
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