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Canadian Jacques Villeneuve has quit the Floyd Vanwall Racing Team after he was replaced by Tristan Vautier for this month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Villeneuve was set to drive the Vanwall Racing entry with Tom Dillmann and Esteban Guerrieri, however it was announced on May 25 that the Canadian would be replaced by Frenchman Vautier for Le Mans.
In response, the 1997 World Drivers’ Champion issued a statement in which he accused the team of having not told him about his replacement for the marquee race and that he will not be returning to his World Endurance Championship seat with the team post-Le Mans.
“I am deeply disappointed to have learned of my replacement for the upcoming Le Mans 24hrs through a public announcement released by the Vanwall Racing Team ByKolles on May 25th, 2023,” Villeneuve’s statement read.
“To date, I have not received any official communication from the team, which is even more surprising given that I am still under contract to participate in the Le Mans 24hrs race.”
ByKolles team boss Colin Kolles has denied that the decision to replace Villeneuve was carried out underhandedly, and that the Canadian driver has full knowledge about the situation.
Kolles replaced Villeneuve reportedly due to his lack of mileage in the Vanwall Vandervell 680 Le Mans Hypercar – which sees the Vanwall name return to the Le Man entry list for the first time since 1961 – and due to the pending arrival of his sixth child, Olivia Villeneuve.
According to Villeneuve, this event was also part of his decision to leave the team.
“The timing of the release strangely coincided with my impending arrival at the hospital for the birth of our baby daughter, which had been planned for May 26th,” his statement added.
“ByKolles was well aware of this personal family event, rendering me unable to respond or address this sudden announcement.
“As a racing family, we have always successfully balanced our personal lives with our professional careers, with racing always holding a prominent place. In fact, my preparation for the Le Mans 24hrs event was meticulous and well-organized.
“Considerable time and effort were dedicated to achieving peak physical and mental readiness for this extraordinary challenge that I was really looking forward to.
“Following victories in the Indy 500, IndyCar and the F1 Championship, the Le Mans 24hrs holds special significance for me. Consequently, I am deeply disheartened that the opportunity to participate has been unjustly and arbitrarily denied.
“Under these circumstances, I have made the decision to abstain from participating in the remainder of the WEC season with ByKolles. Instead, I will redirect my focus and energies towards preparing for a more successful and professionally fulfilling 2024 racing season.”
Villeneuve joined Floyd Vanwall Racing for a full-time 2023 WEC campaign as the team entered its new Hypercar, currently sits 13th and last with Dillmann/Guerrieri after two retirements in three rounds, with a best finish of eighth.
It would have been Villeneuve’s third start in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, having raced for Peugeot’s 908 in 2007 to a DNF, and 2008 where he finished second outright in Nicolas Minassian and Marc Gene.
