Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 Formula One world champion, last week announced he is to attend the Goodwood Festival of Speed for the first time. The event, sponsored by The Sunday Times, starts this Friday and runs until Sunday.
Villeneuve will make two runs up the hillclimb course on Saturday, driving the Ferrari 312 T3 F1 car in which his father Gilles won his first grand prix in 1978 in Canada. Gilles was killed at the age of 32 while racing in a Ferrari during practice for the Belgian Grand Prix in 1982.
“Jacques is on his way to Goodwood for the first time,” says Lord March, who hosts the festival in the grounds of his stately home just north of Chichester, West Sussex. “He’ll be hugely popular with the crowd and I’m very excited he’s driving.”
On each of the festival’s three days, 300 classic and contemporary cars will drive up the hillclimb course in front of Goodwood House. Other highlights include six F1 teams taking a weekend off to be at the festival — current drivers include Jenson Button, Olivier Panis and Antonio Pizzonia, as well as living motor sport legends such as Emerson Fittipaldi, Sir Stirling Moss, John Surtees, Riccardo Patrese, and Colin McRae.
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Tickets are still available but must be bought in advance — none are available on the gate. To purchase tickets call 01243 755 055 or see www.goodwood.co.uk