Canadian IndyCar racer James Hinchcliffe was excited to hear about the return of one of his childhood heroes to the Indy 500.
It was confirmed earlier this week that Jacques Villeneuve would be coming back to open-wheel racing to contest this year's race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the aforementioned Indy 500.
Reached by Auto123.com, Hinchcliffe admitted he was "a big fan" of the 1997 F1 world champion.
"I’m excited (about his return) because that means I get a chance to race against one of my heroes," the Andretti Autosport driver said.
"But it’s definitely going to be a big challenge for him. I’m not sure what exactly motivated him to come and do it but I think if you got the motivation to get back behind the wheel, then you know… why not?
"Especially in a race like the Indy 500."
42-year-old Villeneuve, a former champion of the CART series (which became IndyCar), will be driving Schmidt Peterson Motorsports' third Dallara-Honda for a one-off appearance at the Brickyard.
"He hasn’t been at that track in 20 years (and) unfortunately, doing a one-off, you don’t get that much time in the grand scheme of things to practice and get up to speed," warns Hinchcliffe.
"So it will be a huge task but he’s obviously experienced and talented so hopefully it will go well."
It was confirmed earlier this week that Jacques Villeneuve would be coming back to open-wheel racing to contest this year's race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the aforementioned Indy 500.
Reached by Auto123.com, Hinchcliffe admitted he was "a big fan" of the 1997 F1 world champion.
"I’m excited (about his return) because that means I get a chance to race against one of my heroes," the Andretti Autosport driver said.
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| Jacques Villeneuve (Photo: Albatec Racing) |
"But it’s definitely going to be a big challenge for him. I’m not sure what exactly motivated him to come and do it but I think if you got the motivation to get back behind the wheel, then you know… why not?
"Especially in a race like the Indy 500."
42-year-old Villeneuve, a former champion of the CART series (which became IndyCar), will be driving Schmidt Peterson Motorsports' third Dallara-Honda for a one-off appearance at the Brickyard.
"He hasn’t been at that track in 20 years (and) unfortunately, doing a one-off, you don’t get that much time in the grand scheme of things to practice and get up to speed," warns Hinchcliffe.
"So it will be a huge task but he’s obviously experienced and talented so hopefully it will go well."