Four rounds into the season, Villeneuve won his first Formula One race at the Nürburgring. Villeneuve won a further three races and managed to take the title fight to the final round at Suzuka. The Canadian and teammate Damon Hill were the only drivers who could win the title, but with a gap of nine points between the two prior to the final race, his chances of winning the title were slim. In the end, Hill won the race, and the championship, while Villeneuve retired on lap 37 after his right-rear wheel came off.