Report: Villeneuve out at BAR

TSN.ca Staff

Jacques Villeneuve's tenure at British American Racing appears to be on shaky ground once again.
A report in Autosport magazine claims the former world champion will not be re-signed for next season after his contract runs out at the end of this year.
The speculation on Villeneuve's roller-coaster F1 future appeared to have turned positive recently, with reports indicating he was set to return to BAR on a performance-based contract.

But the magazine cites sources close to the team who say the decision has been made to find a new teammate for Jenson Button. There are also indications that members with British American Tobacco, the team's primary shareholder, are reluctant to do a deal with former team boss Craig Pollock, who was replaced prior to the start of last season.
David Richards, current team principal, says he will not make any serious decisions about the team's driver lineup until after the British Grand Prix in two weeks time.
Villeneuve's future with BAR has been the subject of intense speculation due to his high salary and the lack of return on that investment by way of results. The Canadian has been plagued by reliability issues this season, having failed to finish five of the first 10 races.
While there was speculation last month that Villeneuve was in line to join Renault, team boss Flavio Briatore appears to have quashed those rumors by stating his driver lineup will remain intact next season.
While it's still early in the 'silly season', the driver market for 2004 is expected to be tight with potential openings at Jaguar, Sauber and possibly Jordan - which would be considered a lateral move for someone like Villeneuve.

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