Canada's Jacques Villeneuve becomes Indy 500 and Indycar champion in 1995 before being drafted to Formula One by the Williams-Renault team

Villeneuve becomes the first driver in 26 years to achieve pole position in his first Grand Prix but engine problems force him to settle for second place in the race

But it is not long before Villeneuve reaches the top step of the podium, registering his first F1 victory at the fourth race of the season at the Nurburgring

After narrowly losing out on the title, a determined Villeneuve begins the 1997 season knowing Ferrari's double world champion Michael Schumacher is the man to beat

Villeneuve survives Schumacher's deliberate punt in the final race of the season to win the 1997 World Championship

When Renault decide to pull out of F1 at the end of the 1997, it's a major blow for Villeneuve as the Williams team fail to produce a race-winning car for him in 1998

After a frustrating season Villeneuve joins the new British American Racing team in 1999. The team structures itself around the former world champion

But Villeneuve suffers as series of disappointments, including 12 consecutive retirements and the team fail to score a single point all season

The car improves over the next two years, but the success Villeneuve is hungry for evades him - he achieves just two podium finishes over this period

Things go from bad to worse for Villeneuve when his close friend and mentor Craig Pollock is sacked as BAR team principal at the end of 2001

BAR boss Dave Richards isn't happy with Villeneuve's high salary but is contractually forced to keep him for 2003 alongside Jenson Button

Villeneuve is eclipsed throughout the season by his younger team-mate and is forced to contemplate life outside F1 as BAR look set to replace him