Jacques? or Gilles?

[PoweredByHonda]

Who was better? Jacques Or Gilles?
It's a hard one to take...
If Gilles hadn't left us so early, he probably be world champion... If Jacques didn't leave Williams so early, he probably be a multiple world champion...

[Tristan]

I don't think there is any question as to the answer.

Jacques et Jilles whent oop zee heel!!!

[zealot]

Hard to say, really hard to say. The heart says Gilles, he was such a debonair, suave guy who raced with his heart, and then to lose him like we did.

But, numbers wise, there's no comparison. Jacques has nearly double the wins (13 to 6), over five times the poles (11 to 2), and, of course the WDC (although if Gilles wasn't such a team guy, he may have beat Scheckter in '79). Gilles was stuck in a Ferrari that was less than great (except for maybe 1979), but, does anybody really think Gilles would have went anywhere else during his career? He was Ferrari through and through.

Jacques picked up all his hardware with the nearly unbeatable Williams, but he has never been with another top level team.

Who knows the answer, but fun to debate.

[paulzinho]

Gilles for me.

[Jay]

It's a tough comparison... Gilles had a racing spirit that Jacques has never had...on the other hand it is this same racing spirit that may have killed him. Gilles could man handle a car around a track unlike any current driver...however this style might not have worked at all with todays grooved tires and low grip... hard to say....

I've seen Jacques, and really wish I could have seen Gilles...

[f1manoz]

Jacques never has and never will be the equal of his great father Gilles.

[Gt_R]

"Jacques never has and never will be the equal of his great father Gilles."

i have to say, i can't disagree...there's only one of THAT kind of Villeneuve~

[bulldogspirit]

Jacques has shown zero ability to get a rubbish car higher up the order than it should be. Gilles was far superior not only in his driving but in his attitude to racing. Jacques should take a step back and look at how his father used to drive, then maybe he'd deliver what he should have done in the last 3 years.

[srinimax]

jacques should drive for ferrari and complete the cycle for the family.

[Bononi]

The way you talk, looks like Jacques is long gone from F1.


Gilles, no doubt.

[zealot]

I might point out that Jacques finished in a tie for the most points of any of the non Big 3 drivers, and he more than doubled the point total of his talented teammate Oliver Panis.

[GanjaGrizz]

I like jacques but he is nowhere near as good as his Father was. You can't compare the 2.
Gilles was the best ever in wet (learned from his skidoo days).
What Gilles could do with a S hit car was amazing(Some of his Ferrari's were S hit back then) , and what Jacques does with a S hit car is well normal...
Jacques should maybe do some Skidoo racing in the winter it would help him in wet. When you have ice chips and snow flying in your face , well you dont see squat!
Gilles said it helped him big time in wet conditions.

Here's Gilles with lucky #13

[RT]

I've thought about this quite a bit. I never saw Gilles and I don't particularly like Jacques but my vote goes to JV on one simple final issue: Results do count.

I'm sure a lot of members will disagree but this looks a lot like a case of form (romantic, dashing, artiste, promise cut short, etc, etc.) against substance (number of victories and a WC).

[senna12]

Well, having seen Gilles, I have to agree with Ganja on this one...
Gilles skills, motivation, and bravery were beyond comparison, no one could get near him in the wet, which, lucky for me, I saw him drive in at a local, now non-existant track, in Formula Atlantic.
I think Jacques genes have a little too much of mom in them. This is not to say he isn't a great driver, he is. But Gilles was something else.
Statistics are definitely misleading, in this case, as it so often is with those who die for the sport they love.

[Gt_R]

"Gilles skills, motivation, and bravery were beyond comparison"

Hmm...although earlier i had said that i am very much with the belief that Gilles is far greater than his son. But to put something relative in fairness to JV, he does has some skills and bravery. I just thought it must be a pretty daring driver to attempt flat out at Eau Rouge, have a big smash up, get back to the spare, and attempt the same thing 10mins later...like JV did a few years back...

And may i add to the 3 qualities above, GV has far greater enthusiasm. And i agree to that GV can do more with a sh*t car than JV.

But still, the problem that comes with this comparison is, as good as JV might be...his father is still way better.

[Bononi]

Results do count. But is amazing how Gilles with no championships in the pocket is known as one of the best driver. If Gilles could drive the same Williams his son clinched the WDC, how could be his performance ????

[Number Juan]

Gilles no question, Jacques had that spark that Gilles had when he first started but now...hes in it for the money. Gilles was by far the better racer - fearless and brave

[Glen]

Bear in mind though that today's grooved tyred cars are near impossible to throw around sideways, even if the driver thought that the best way to make them go fast. The aerodynamics stop working properly at fairly mild angles as well. This, I believe, is one reason (other than the undoubted romanticism shown by some contributors) that today's drivers don't get as much credit as they deserve - they don't look as heroic as the men of the "glory days".

Jaques is a funny fish, if you ask me. Top drawer one moment (very aggressive when he first started, very fast, flat though Eau Rouge no matter what - great stuff) and then distinctly average the next (particularly strange performance this year, with Panis making him look very poor).

Giles' day was before I really paid close attention to F1 - but I do fondly remember many spirited and aggressive races. And the imfamous driving around on a tyre-less rim!

[Adam43]

Jacques has won more races. Jacques has won a world championship. So on careful consideration I will say Gilles!

[Rimrider]

No contest, Jaques.

[GanjaGrizz]

For those of you that didnt get the chance to see Gilles , well I truly feel sorry for you. You would understand why so many people loved him. He came around a corner on a powerslide 99% of the time, it was truly amazing how he could control it!
Jacques has shown some Gilles in him, the outside pass on Schumi at parabolica Estoril is a fine example.
I see a few have choosen Jacques but im sure that if you would of seen Gilles you would answer Gilles without hesitation.

It will be 20 years next year that he passed away, my god where has the time gone.
I have a site which I'm adding Gilles pics and stories , if you want to see Gilles in powerslides or in all his different cars etc.
It's still under construction but there are 100's of great photos.
If you want to add to it , go ahead, I love all Gilles stories.
I seen a few here love him also.

http://pub47.ezboard.com/bgillesvilleneuve

[Nicholas]

Originally posted by Glen
Jaques is a funny fish, if you ask me. Top drawer one moment (very aggressive when he first started, very fast, flat though Eau Rouge no matter what - great stuff) and then distinctly average the next (particularly strange performance this year, with Panis making him look very poor).

I was just reading an article on ITV's site:

Villeneuve also complained of a ‘rogue car’ syndrome where two cars would be set-up identically and yet one of them would be 1.5s off the pace.

Maybe this was part of the problem why both BAR drivers looked so inconsistent. No, don't tell me, I know, that's what happens with a rubbish car.

[Hesketh]

Hi
I think that Gilles had the possibility of becoming WC, because He was fast, brave and very committed. His death was a shame and so sad.But:Ferrari contender that year(1982) was the best machine around, no doubt, and in my mind i've always kept the idea that Gilles only had two ways to settle himself as a real champ(in the shape of Ayrton, Nelson, Alain and Niky):always racing in the best car(as it was in '82) or changing his famous racing attitude, for which he became so loved by the masses of tifosi and fans and that, in my view, was basically rough and not so effective (nothing good in getting rid of wheels and keeping flat, you're race is over, even if it delights the common imaginary).
ciao

[KC]

The two have many common traits. I think both are very fast racers. I also think both are fatalists in that they recognize that they could die doing it but refuse to let that stop them. The single biggest difference between them is that Gilles raced with more heart than his son. I think Gilles death has taken that heart away from his son. He knows that F1 can take much more than it will ever give. Gilles raced every race like it was for everything, while Jacques at times gets disinterested and disillusioned.

[PoweredByHonda]

Good to see some debates goin on bout this...
For those who think Gilles was better than Jacques, do you think that Gilles could have done better this year in that S hitbox that was the BAR?
I mean JV did get 2 podiums in a very s hitty car while the faster cars ahead of him... Sauber and Jordan got none... correct that sauber had one in Brazil which should have gone to BAR had they not screwed up in the pits...
You may say it was luck but i say it was skill and heart