Scandal about ex-F1 world champion: Villeneuve kicked out just before the start in Le Mans

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It should have been a big name’s big return to a big race. But now the 24 Hours of Le Mans (10/11 June) will take place without Jacques Villeneuve (52). There is commotion a few days before arrival. Surprisingly, the 1997 Formula 1 world champion does not start for his vanwall team.

But who fired whom remains controversial. In a statement, Villeneuve wrote that he heard through the media: “I have not heard from the team to this day, I am still under contract.”

It is about the birth of his fourth child

The team, on the other hand, announced that Villeneuve himself had asked to withdraw for personal reasons and that he had too little time to prepare due to the imminent birth of his fourth child.

According to “Motorsport total”, there is an email from Villeneuve where he gives these reasons. But the former Sauber driver from Canada expresses himself very differently publicly. “I was very well prepared for the challenge.”

Start of the season with accidents and little speed

Who speaks the truth? Unclear. There is now speculation in the scene that the bang was simply for sporting reasons. This season in the Endurance World Championship, Villeneuve was clearly the team’s slowest driver, sometimes losing several seconds per lap. There were also three crashes, one of which was due to his failure to read the 680 horsepower monster’s manual and thereby making fatal errors in driving the vehicle.

Villeneuve was aiming for victory in his first Le Mans start in 15 years, which would have put him in a very illustrious circle after the F1 title, the Indycar title and the Indy 500 victory. But now he just watches.

Source : Blick