LONDON — Jacques Villeneuve wants to return to Formula One as part of the expanded series from 2010.

The 1997 world champion last raced in F1 in 2006, pulling out after 12 races following his exit from BMW Sauber.

The 38-year-old Villeneuve has attended recent events and spoken to team principals about the possibility of a seat.

"I'm a racing driver and I always will be," Villeneuve told Autosprint. "That's why I'm looking about myself for F1. Driving is the only thing that interests me, and all the mess that's happened helps me.

"With the test ban, we experienced drivers are handy," Villeneuve said. "I can't say what will happen, but I'm giving it a go. In my opinion today's cars are better to watch, and they will be even more so next year."

Villeneuve has competed in various events in recent years, including NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series and last season's Le Mans 24 Hours.

The F1 grid is due to expand from 10 to 13 teams next season and will introduce further changes to the cars to cut costs.

"The human aspect is counting again, as it did in the past. The work is more like the way I remember it," Villeneuve said. "When I left, F1 wasn't fun anymore. Or rather, driving still was, but the atmosphere outside was bad. You'd spend your half-hour with your race engineer, after which the computer would prepare your setup, and they would tell you 'Shut up and drive.'

"I'm the type of person that always speaks out, but towards the end everything became very difficult."