The 1997 Formula 1 world champion explained in a statement issued on Wednesday that he had yet to receive any communication from the team regarding last week’s announcement that Tristan Vautier would be joining the Hypercar class squad in his place.
Villeneuve, 52, expressed disappointment with the former ByKolles team’s decision to bring in Vautier to share the Vanwall-Gibson 680 Le Mans Hypercar with Tom Dillmann and Esteban Guerrieri at the double-points WEC round on 10/11 June and pointed out that he remained under contract with the team.
He concluded his communication by saying that he would not be returning to the team for any further races this year.
“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 24 Hours,” he said.
“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 26 May [the day after the team’s announcement of Vautier].
“ByKolles was well aware of this personal family event, rendering me unable to respond or address this sudden announcement.”
Villeneuve explained that his preparation for Le Mans “was meticulous and well-organised” and that considerable time and effort were dedicated to achieving peck physical and mental readiness for this extraordinary challenge”.
“Following victories in the Indy 500, Indycar [CART] and the F1 championship, the Le Mans 24 Hours holds special significance for me,” he continued.
“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.
Source: Autosport