Jacques Villeneuve was born in 1971 in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, a small town outside of Montreal in the province of Quebec.
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Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve is a Canadian professional racing driver and amateur musician who won the 1997 Formula One World Championship with Williams. Villeneuve was born on 9 April 1971 in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, a small town outside of Montreal in the French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec. Villeneuve was sent to the French-speaking Swiss private boarding Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil by his mother, which he attended from the ages of 12 to 17. He excelled in BASE jumping, ice hockey, motocross and water skiing. Villeneuve left the school by mutual consent between his mother and the school owners.
In addition to Formula One (F1) he has competed in various other forms of motor racing, winning the 1995 Indianapolis 500 and the 1995 PPG Indy Car World Series. He is the son of former Ferrari racing driver Gilles Villeneuve. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 27 Ford Mustang for Team Hezeberg. Villeneuve left Formula One mid-way through the 2006 season and began competing in various forms of motor racing such as sports car racing, NASCAR, and touring car racing. Though not as successful in these forms of racing, he won the 2008 1000 km of Spa driving for Peugeot.
Villeneuve began kart racing at age 14 and he went go-karting with his uncle several times in Canada. In early September 1985, Villeneuve was invited by a SAGIS employee to race in a 100 cc go-kart at Italy’s Imola Circuit. He impressed the track owners so much that they let him test a 135 cc kart and then a Formula Four car. In mid-1987, he left his family to attend the Spenard-David Racing School in Shannonville, Ontario to hone his abilities under Richard Spenard. Villeneuve went on to sign a three-year contract to drive a Reynard-Alfa Romeo car for Prema in the Italian Formula Three Championship.
Jacques moved to the higher-tier Toyota Atlantic Championship, participating in one race during the 1992 season and finishing third overall in the 1993 championship. He began competing in Championship Auto Racing Teams with the Forsythe/Green Racing team in the 1994 season, finishing sixth in the Drivers’ Championship with one victory and earning Rookie of the Year and Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors. In the following year with the renamed Team Green, Villeneuve won four races (including the Indianapolis 500) and the Drivers’ Championship.
In early 1995, the Williams F1 team and engine supplier Renault became interested in Villeneuve replacing the outgoing David Coulthard. Bernie Ecclestone. Negotiations between Villeneuve’s representatives in mid-1995 led to Villeneuve signing a contract for 1996 and 1997 with the option for the 1998 season. illeneuve’s debut at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix saw him become the second driver ever to claim pole position on his first start, and despite an oil leak, he finished second. He beat Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher in the European Grand Prix three races later for his maiden F1 victory.
| Races | 164 |
| Wins | 11 |
| Poles | 13 |
| Podiums | 23 |
| Points | 235 |
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According to the sources, Jacques Villeneuve net worth is estimated to be around $35 million. Although his racing career earnings have been the major contributor to his wealth, he also appeared in several TV commercials for Honda. He appeared in television campaigns for Intel’s Centrino laptop campaign. In 1997, he also appeared in a Volkswagen advert on Quebec television. In 2001, he also briefly appeared in ‘Driven’, a Sylvester Stallone movie, as himself. The Canadian is a musician as well and released his first song in 2006 All of these contribute to his net worth today.
The Canadian was previously in relationships with Dannii Minogue, the Australian singer, and Ellen Green, an American ballerina. He was also briefly engaged to them. In June 2012, Villeneuve married Brazilian model Camila Andrea López Lillo, with whom he has two children. However, his first marriage was to Parisian Johanna Martinez in May 2006. They had two children Joakim Villeneuve and Jules Villeneuve before divorcing in June 2009.
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