Villeneuve emerges from the pits with music career

Racing driver Jacques Villeneuve launched his first rock album on Monday, and the former Formula One ace is hoping it will speed to pole position in the charts.

Private Paradise includes Father, a tribute to his late father Gilles Villeneuve, who died in a racing accident in 1982.

Villeneuve, who used to date Australian singer Dannii Minogue, wrote six of the album's songs himself and the disc features appearances by Dirty Vegas star Steve Smith and Canadian singer Ely and Amelie Veille.

He says: "Nobody wants to do something like this and for it just to get blasted. Right now when I think career I still think racing.

"Music is what I call my professional hobby. It has to be fun, it has to remain fun."

The album is available for download online and will be released in Canadian music stores on Tuesday.