Villeneuve ready to hit the pedal at Indy 500

The Indy 500 is not just the biggest IndyCar race — it’s the largest single-day sporting event in the world.

So it’s only right that Jacques Villeneuve would want to try to win it again this weekend — even if it’s been almost two decades since his last victory. Lately, the former IndyCar and Formula One world champ has been racing in Europe on the world rallycross circuit, and he’s thrilled to be back.

“Once you get to Indy and you’re going 220 mph and your foot has to stay down, that takes a little bit of getting used to.”

Villeneuve finished 27th in qualifying last weekend, whereas fellow Canadian James Hinchcliffe finished second, and is hoping to become the second Canadian to ever win at Indy.

“It would be great for Canadian motorsport because it’s been hurting for many years. Hard to find a budget, so it would be good if there was a good result for a Canadian.”

Both Villeneuve and Simon Pagenaud are part of the Schmidt Peterson racing team — a team that’s finished in the top five of every race on the Verizon IndyCar series this season.

Pagenaud: “You know it’s up to me to do my job, push myself to the limit and I think I really have a chance at the championship, and perhaps the Indy 500.”

Pagenaud will return to Toronto this summer for the Honda Indy, while Villeneuve’s focus is solely on the Indy 500. “I’m there because I love racing, not just to relive the past, that would make it emotional. But it’s the biggest race in the world, so when you get an opportunity like this, it’s amazing.”

Additional video: News Now coverage of Villeneuve & Pagenaud’s news conference: