Villeneuve’s Early Lead Holds Up For Brazilian Win

Jacques Villeneuve seized the lead from Michael Schumacher on the second lap and never relinquished it Sunday in winning the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Canadian, driving a Williams-Renault, completed the 72 laps around the 2.687-mile Jose Carlos Pace track in 1 hour, 36 minutes, 6.990 seconds.

It was his fifth victory in 17 Formula One races.

Judges red-flagged the start of the race when Brazil’s Rubens Barrichello got stuck on the grid with accelerator problems. Barrichello was given the team’s reserve car, depriving teammate Jan Magnussen of Denmark of a chance to run the race.

In the first start, pole sitter Villeneuve veered onto the gravel in the first curve, allowing Schumacher to pull ahead in a Ferrari.

Villeneuve said he was fortunate to have had a second start.

“It would have been nasty if the red flag hadn’t come out,” he said. “It would have changed the end result a lot.”

In the second start, some 20 minutes later, Schumacher - No. 2 on the grid - shot into the lead, but Villeneuve quickly overtook him in the straightaway at the start of the second lap.