Villeneuve has no team for 2004 Profile: Jacques Villeneuve

Jacques Villeneuve could yet stay at BAR in Formula One next season, according to team boss David Richards.

The former world champion helped set up BAR in 1999 but had been expected to leave the team at the end of this season.

That is because he fell out with Richards when the new boss arrived last year and because test driver Takuma Sato was considered to be a shoe-in for the second seat alongside Briton Jenson Button in 2004.

But Richards insists that Sato, a protege of BAR's engine partner Honda, does not have a fixed contract for next season.

"That is totally untrue. Jenson does have a contract and we have no other firm contracts for next year with any driver," said Richards.

"Takuma would very much like to drive next year, and there's no getting away from the fact that we do have an option on his services for next year as a driver.

BAR is still on the cards - it's not a bad team Jacques Villeneuve Villeneuve hits back at boss

"But I'm very open about the situation and, quite frankly, the way Jacques has been driving recently, and his whole way of working with the team, I've been very impressed."

Villeneuve was angered last year because Richards tried to get him out of a fixed contract for 2003 because the team boss did not want to pay the Canadian's $21m (�13.1m) salary.

But the 1997 world champion says he could yet stay on at the team.

"BAR is still on the cards. It's not a bad team. The team has always been great - the engineers, mechanics - and now the car seems to be good," said Villeneuve.

BAR was set up by Villeneuve's personal manager and close friend Craig Pollock, who was sacked by owners British American Tobacco at the end of 2001.

Richards is under strong pressure from BAT to save money after several years of overspending by the team.