Villeneuve: I wanted to stay.

Jacques Villeneuve has revealed that he wanted to be part of the BMW Sauber team next season, even though he and the team have parted company with immediate effect.

The termination was announced less than 24 hours after replacement Robert Kubica had claimed seventh place at the flag in the Hungarian Grand Prix, a race Villeneuve allegedly missed due to injuries sustained in the German Grand Prix the previous weekend. Although Kubica was subsequently stripped of his two points, he did enough to convince the team that he could be a star of the future, and will now remain in the second car, alongside Nick Heidfeld, for the rest of the season.

Villeneuve has been linked to a possible NASCAR switch should he not remain in F1, but insists that his plans had included being a part of the BMW squad next season.

"Last week, the team informed us of its decision to review its options for next year, including assessing Robert Kubica in a race environment at Hungary without offering me any assurance about my race seat beyond Hungary," he told his personal website, "Therefore, the team and I agreed to part ways with immediate effect.

"This is really disappointing, as I was looking forward to working with BMW on longer terms, going into next season, capitalising on our common experiences. I will now have more time to concentrate on future projects."