(Paris) Quebecer Jacques Villeneuve, 1997 F1 world champion, will be absent from the Centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (June 10-11) and replaced by Frenchman Tristian Vautier, the Vanwall team announced on Thursday. .
The team revealed on its social networks the trio that will participate in the famous endurance race: the Frenchman Tom Dillmann, the Argentinian Esteban Guerrieri and therefore Tristan Vautier, 33, who replaces Villeneuve, aged 52.
If the team was content to reveal the three names without explanation, the boss of the Vanwall team Colin Kolles then justified this choice to the weekly AUTOhebdo.
“Two reasons explain our decision. The first is that he does not have enough mileage in our car due to various circumstances. The second is that his wife is expecting a child in a few days. That’s why we decided it was better for him not to drive at Le Mans,” he explains.
Jacques Villeneuve, who participated twice in the 24 hours of Le Mans (2007, 2008), had a difficult start to the season with three retirements in three races of the World Endurance Championship (WEC).