Sunday March 3rd, 2002

Canadian Jacques Villeneuve revived his 1999 Australian Grand Prix on Sunday when he again crashed out of the race after losing the rear wing of his British American Racing car.

Villeneuve, who had started the event from 12th place behind teammate Olivier Panis, spun at high speed after his rear wing detached from the car. He had the same problem in his first race with the Brackley-based squad in the 1999 season.

The 1997 World Champion crashed against the barriers, and though he escaped unhurt, Villeneuve was frustrated after the race.

"There was smoke everywhere after the crash at the beginning so it was just a question of trying to get through the mess," said Villeneuve. "Then the rear wing broke off on my 27th lap, possibly because it was faulty or maybe it was something that we didn't pick up in testing. We're not sure why yet.

"It's frustrating to finish the race like that, especially after the hard work that everybody has put in over the weekend."

Published at 09:43:16 GMT