Villeneuve speaks out on Leclerc Canada helmet controversy

Jacques Villeneuve has commented on Charles Leclerc wearing a helmet inspired by his father Gilles Villeneuve.

There was some consternation from the Villeneuve family when the news broke of the Ferrari driver paying tribute to the late Ferrari legend, as they were not aware it was happening.

As the incident became sensationalised, Jacques, now a TV pundit, took to Instagram to clear the air.

In a post captioned ‘let’s put things straight’, he wrote: “To clarify the situation regarding the recent incident where some individuals felt the need to insult me and my family over Charles Leclerc using my dad’s helmet, I want to provide some context: As I was arriving at the track, my sister called me in a state of anger.

“She had seen Charles using our dad’s helmet without any prior knowledge or communication about it.

“The entire family was taken by surprise, as we had not been informed beforehand…”

Jacques added that he spoke to Leclerc and sorted things out after the driver apologised.

READ MORE: F1 Canadian Grand Prix weather forecast

He said: “I immediately conveyed the message to Charles, who was kind enough to give me a call. We had a heartfelt conversation where he sincerely apologised for the situation.

“I reassured him that I considered it a touching tribute and that I personally had no issues with it.

“However, I stressed the importance of him reaching out to my sister, as she is the one responsible for managing everything related to our dad. I also suggested that he invite both my sister and mother to the track to address any remaining concerns.

“Fortunately, everything eventually worked out, but it would have been preferable for these discussions and arrangements to take place before the weekend in a respectful and professional manner… Unfortunately, the incident was blown our of proportion, turning it into an unnecessary controversy.”

READ MORE: Leclerc hits out at Ferrari for ignoring his 'CLEAR OPINION' in Canada shambles

Related

More F1 news

Latest F1 news

Williams F1 boss claims Albon and Sainz would tell him if they were going to leave

• 34 minutes ago

F1 star tells struggling team to 'do more' as exit rumours swirl

• 1 hour ago

Lewis Hamilton's title chances take hit as Mercedes find fix to stop the pain

• 2 hours ago

How George Russell injured himself during Mercedes F1 celebration

• 3 hours ago

'Emotionless' Lewis Hamilton can dominate Charles Leclerc at Ferrari

• Today 18:58

Mercedes find answers to 'painful' F1 failures

• Today 17:54