“He’s Just Being a J*rk!”: Danica Patrick Gets Candid on Racing Against Her Championship Winning F1 Hero

“Boys move over. The lady is coming through. Danica Patrick wins at Twin ring Motegi!” For a woman who dreamt of making it big in Formula 1, her finest moment came in IndyCar. Nonetheless, Danica Patrick raced in both NASCAR and IndyCar, yet she has raced with some F1 drivers occasionally. Recently speaking on F1’s Beyond the Grid Podcast, Danica revealed a story about Jacques Villeneuve, a driver she admired growing up.

Speaking to Tom Clarkson, Danica opened up on her career and her F1 ambitions. When Clarkson asked which driver did she admire, The IndyCar winner replied, “One of the drivers that I liked growing up, was Jacques Villeneuve.”She further revealed her racing experience with the 1997 F1 World champion.

She stated, “So I had the opportunity to race against Jacques, to look against Jacques. So here’s the story. This was in 2012. We were at Road America. It was coming down to the last lap. I think I was 4th and he was 5th. And we were coming down the hill on the back straightaway to a hard left-hand corner, downhill braking. And he just punted me!”

Patrick was left reeling and Villeneuve went on to proceed with his race. She further reasoned, “The conversation after was obviously I was ahead of him. And like he’s just being a j*rk, taking me out!” She chuckled to say, “I just wanted to look good against the one guy I liked and admired.”

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It must be a mixed feeling to be taken out of a race by your role model. But again it’s racing. Danica’s F1 dream never materialized in reality. Though she has been around the paddock with recent commentary stints with Sky Sports, where she does interact with Villeneuve and several other F1 stars.

How close did Danica Patrick get to an F1 drive?

In her early career, Patrick’s dream was to get to F1. She did all she could competing in European Junior Formulas, only to return to America. After a pretty momentous career in NASCAR and IndyCar, she reflected on how close she was to getting an F1 drive.

When Clarkson asked her this question, she replied, “Not very [close]. Like truly. I don’t think I was ever actually offered a test. It always felt like media fodder. It felt like something to drum up attention.” She mentioned that there were several times when news articles would come about her potential entry to F1 or a potential F1 test.

She added further, “Nobody called me. Nothing was coming down the pipeline. At one point, there was a prospective Exhibition drive. But I didn’t wanna do that.” 

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While Danica never got to the pinnacle of motorsport in a driving capacity. She has been pretty active recently with Sky F1 as an expert analyst and commentator. The NASCAR veteran covered four Grand Prix in the 2022 season including the US Grand Prix at Austin in October.

Having retired in 2018, Patrick will continue on in her ventures as a podcaster, commentator, and race pundit. Still, the question does loom in our minds. How would have Danica Patrick fared in F1? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.