Oct.1 (GMM) Jacques Villeneuve has hit back at rumours his former engineer is involved in an unfair fight to win the 2009 world championship.
The British engineer Jock Clear famously worked with Villeneuve, the 1997 world champion, both at Williams and at BAR/Honda, and now engineers for the Brawn title protagonist Rubens Barrichello.There have been rumblings in the paddock that teammate Jenson Button's side of the garage, run by Andy Shovlin, is unhappy with a lack of cooperation and transparency from the Clear/Barrichello corner.French Canadian Villeneuve denies that Clear, 46, would be involved in anything unfair, but points out that the outcome of the last races of 2009 will crown the new drivers' champion."If you can figure out something better than the other guy why should you tell him? Frankly I see nothing wrong with one engineer withholding information from another engineer," he is quoted as saying by the Mirror."It's two racers and two engineers trying to be the best in the world as well."Team boss Ross Brawn has however promised total transparency and data-sharing as Button and Barrichello tussle for the title.But Villeneuve, 38, added: "They should be keeping technical information to themselves. You shouldn't go out and openly say 'drive this way, you'll see it's faster'."They'll see the data. You can't lie, but you don't have to say what's in your head," he said.
