Villeneuve had not expected Vanwall to refuse his services

It was announced last week that the Vanwall team refused Jacques Villeneuve’s services, and Tristan Vautier will take his place in the No. 4 crew during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As it turned out, this news came as a surprise not only to the racing community, but also to Jacques himself, who learned of the loss of his seat behind the wheel through the team’s press release.

The Formula 1 champion became a father for the sixth time last Friday and only released a statement today commenting on the situation surrounding his collaboration with Colin Kolles’ team.

“I am deeply disappointed with my replacement for the next 24 Hours of Le Mans from the public announcement published on May 25 by the Vanwall Racing Team ByKolles,” Jacques Villeneuve said in a statement. – To date I have not received any official notification from the team, which is surprising as I still have a contract to participate in the 24-hour race at Le Mans.

Curiously, the timing of the press release coincided with my visit to the maternity hospital where my daughter was expected on May 26. ByKolles was aware of this event in my family’s life and knew that I would not be able to respond immediately to this unexpected announcement.

Our racing family has always managed to balance personal lives and professional careers, and racing has always been prominent. My preparation for Le Mans was thorough and well organized.

I put a lot of time and effort into achieving maximum physical and mental readiness for this extraordinary challenge, which I was really looking forward to. After winning the Indy 500, Indycar and Formula 1, the 24 Hours of Le Mans has a special meaning for me. That is why I am deeply disappointed that I was wrongly denied the chance to go to the start.

Given the circumstances, I have made the decision to withdraw from further stages of the WEC season with Bykolles. Instead, I will direct my focus and energy to preparing for a more successful and professional 2024 season.”