Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Jacques Villeneuve will return to racing at 55 after being confirmed as a special guest driver in the 2026 Porsche Supercup, putting the 1997 Formula 1 world champion back on the F1 support bill after a hiatus from competition since 2023.
The Porsche Supercup announced the move on its official channels, calling Villeneuve “a legend in the paddock” and highlighting his record as an Indy 500 winner, CART champion and former F1 world champion. His entry brings him back into a competitive role on grand prix weekends after recent years in which he became a regular analyst for Sky Sports UK.
The series opens its 2026 season at the Monaco Grand Prix on 4-6 June, and all eight rounds will run as support events to the Formula 1 world championship. It has not yet been confirmed how many of those weekends Villeneuve will contest.
His Porsche will carry a dedicated livery based on the striped helmet design that became one of his best-known visual trademarks in Formula 1. Villeneuve has said that look was inspired by his mother’s jumpers, and the same colors will now define his Supercup car.
Villeneuve has not raced in F1 since leaving at the end of the 2006 season, but he remained active across multiple major categories after his single-seater career and never fully stepped away from motorsport. This Supercup entry still marks a notable shift because it ends his most recent break from racing and places him back in the paddock as a driver rather than only a broadcaster.
The comeback also adds to Villeneuve’s current presence in Formula 1 beyond television work. Williams announced him as an official ambassador before the 2025 season, and he has retained that role into the current campaign, giving his return in Porsche Supercup another link to the championship where he made his name.