--- title: "F1 Champ Jacques Villeneuve Got Trapped in an Airport Toilet Last Weekend" date: "2025-03-10" modified: "2025-03-10" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/f1-champ-jacques-villeneuve-got-trapped-in-an-airport-toilet-last-weekend" categories: - "F1" - "News" - "Racing" --- # F1 Champ Jacques Villeneuve Got Trapped in an Airport Toilet Last Weekend ![Jacques Villeneuve during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas at Las Vegas Strip Circuit on November 22, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.]() *\Song Haiyuan/Getty Images, Instagram\* The long winter is coming to an end, and the world's press is making its way to Australia for the start of the 2025 [Formula 1]() season next weekend. Among them is 1997 drivers' champion [Jacques Villeneuve](), who should be in Melbourne by now after spending a half hour trapped in an airport bathroom stall against his will. Let's take [a short view back to the past](): On Sunday, the former [Williams]() star posted a selfie on [Instagram]() from Milano Malpensa Airport. By that time, Villeneuve had spent 20 minutes in the stall and, to add insult to injury, estimated that the automatic toilet he was stuck with had flushed about 40 times over that span. "Very impressive," he wrote. One commenter compared the experience to his first year on the British American Racing team in 1999, to which the Canadian replied, "The BAR broke down faster. Never got stuck in it for that long." > [View this post on Instagram]() > [A post shared by Jacques Villeneuve (@jacques\_villeneuve\_official)]() Security apparently couldn't get Villeneuve out, but he didn't let that stop him. About 10 minutes later, Villeneuve said he broke the door down with his legs. This apparently also caused a panel from the ceiling to fall and strike him in the head, but thankfully it seems he wasn't too busted up, judging from the fact Villeneuve shared the whole aftermath on social media. If you know Jacques, you know he's a polarizing figure in the F1 world. He's never afraid to speak his mind, as demonstrated last year when he went after former F1 driver [Daniel Ricciardo]() at the Canadian Grand Prix, following a string of underwhelming performances for the Aussie. "Why is he still in F1?" Villeneuve said. "We’re hearing the same thing now for the last four, five years—we have to make it better for him, poor him. It’s been five years of that. Sorry, no, you’re in F1." > [View this post on Instagram]() > [A post shared by Jacques Villeneuve (@jacques\_villeneuve\_official)]() Ricciardo has many fans, and Villeneuve, perhaps, many detractors. Dutch racing driver Tom Coronel asked Villeneuve during the toilet saga who might've locked him in; the Williams ambassador and Sky Sports pundit replied, "Wondering how many enemies I have before the 1st GP." *Go tips? Send ’em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()