The one announced by Scuderia Baldini is not going to be the simple participation of a driver to the 17th Italian GT Championship. The presence of Jacques Villeneuve in the Italian Endurance series has been made official by the Italian team and generates unforgettable memories in the minds of Ferrari fans. The times of the deeds of the legendary Gilles are quite far, but the memory is still alive and it will be even more so thanks to the participation of his son Jacques to the Italian GT Championship. The former F1 97 World Champion will be behind the wheel of a Ferrari, the 488 run by Scuderia Baldini, carrying the unforgettable number 27. He will most probably share driving duties with Giancarlo Fisichella and another driver still to be decided. The new format of the Endurance series requires lineups made of three drivers that will exchange at the wheel in the four 3-hours-long races scheduled in Monza (April 7th), Misano (May 19th), Vallelunga (September 15th) and Mugello (October 6th).

This is going to be a happy comeback for Jacques on the Italian racetracks, where he moved his first steps in motorsport with Prema Racing in the Italian Formula 3 Championship in 1989 following some appearance in the Italian Touring Championship on the Alfa 33. The debut in the Italian Championship was followed by the Formula Nippon and the move to the USA where the young Canadian competed in the Atlantic and Cart Formulas. He won Cart in 1995, the same year in which he also won the prestigious Indy 500. This successful season saw Jacques always competing with the number 27 on his car, the same number that will be used this year.

The following year Frank Williams signed the 25 years old Jacques for the Formula 1 season, championship that he won in 1997 thanks to 7 wins, 10 pole positions and a total of 81 points. The unlucky experience with Bar followed until 2003. Renault, Sauber and BMW Sauber were his Formula 1 teams until 2006, when he decided to leave F1. In 2007 Villeneuve contested his first 24 Hours of Le Mans, race in which he came second absolute the following year, in the same season that saw him winning the 1000 km of Spa. Jacques competed in Nascar from 2010 to 2013, before moving to the Rally Cross World Championship and to the Indianapolis 500. He also contested three races in Formula E. Jacques has been a Sky Sport commentator for Formula 1 races since 2013.

We cannot wait to welcome him on track. The appointment for all the fans is at the Monza Eni Circuit on April 5th,6th and 7th for the season opener.

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(Debut of a very young Jacques Villeneuve in the Italian F3 with Prema Racing)