1997 Formula One world champion Jacques Villeneuve has finally admitted that his Formula One career is likely over, after his dreams of becoming an owner/driver with a new team in 2011 were dashed by the governing body.
Villeneuve has been out of the sport since midway through the 2006 season, when he was released by the BMW Sauber team, but has made a number of increasingly desperate comeback efforts in recent years.
At the start of 2010, he was linked with the Stefan GP project, which failed to secure a spot on the entry list even after the collapse of USF1.
Then, earlier this year, he joined forces with the ex-GP2 Durango squad to bid for the vacant 13th grid slot for next season.
But the FIA chose to leave the grid spot open for next season, having deemed none of the bids to have the financial ability to succeed.
And Villeneuve admitted to BBC radio on Thursday evening that the chances of a new bid for the 13th slot for 2012 were now slim, and his hopes of an F1 return were over.
"It looks quite dim right now," the Canadian admitted when asked about his comeback hopes, "We worked hard on it this year, to come back and build a team. That was the easiest way.
"But then it didn't work out, so I think it's time to not bother looking at F1 anymore."
He insisted that the team had secured the necessary budget for 2011, but that the FIA decision not to give them a spot had seen that backing fade.
"We had the budget to build a team and you can only hang on to that for a certain time, and then people get bored and move on to something else," he lamented, "It was a lot of work and we concentrated only on that.
"All the other stuff we're doing took to the backburner, like NASCAR. I think it's time to just focus on one thing."
Villeneuve drove in the recent Australian V8 Supercar race weekend at Surfers Paradise, but said that his future now lay in NASCAR in America.
"I've been working mainly on NASCAR, doing a few races, and it's been fun. Mostly on the road courses. They're fun cars," he grinned.
"Last week I was in Australia doing a V8 race and that was interesting, but right now my focus is on NASCAR."
Villeneuve has competed in 14 NASCAR events in various series since 2007.
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