Charles Leclerc is now allowed to wear his tribute helmet for Gilles Villeneuve at the Formula 1 weekend in Canada after getting permission from the driver’s family, who died in 1982. The Ferrari driver presented the design on social networks on Friday, but then only wore the helmet in the shortened first training session.
It was initially said that the Villeneuve family had forbidden him to wear the helmet, but the story had a different background.
Leclerc had not informed the family about his plan in advance. While the design was intended to honor the former Ferrari legend, Gilles’ son Jacques Villeneuve Leclerc pointed out that the design is protected by law and he could therefore run into problems if the design is seen with current Ferrari sponsors.
Gilles Villeneuve’s image rights are controlled by Jacques’ sister Melanie, who was called by Leclerc on Friday evening: the Monegasque apologized to her for not asking the family in advance.
In return, Ferrari invited Melanie and mother Joann as guests on Saturday. The family also agreed that Leclerc can use the helmet this weekend. “Charles was very sweet with it,” Melanie Villeneuve told Motorsport.com’s global voice output. “We don’t mind. It’s a nice tribute.”
Jacques Villeneuve: It was a “big surprise”
Jacques Villeneuve, who is on site as a TV expert in the Montreal paddock, says that the family was disappointed not to have been asked in advance: “It was just a big surprise to see the helmet yesterday because nobody called the family,” the Canadian told Motorsport.com.
“It’s mainly my mother and my sister who are involved. It was just a big shock.” He emphasizes that Lewis Hamilton, for example, had consulted Ayrton Senna’s family before he wore a helmet from the Brazilian racing legend. “Because it’s not just something you do,” said Villeneuve.
He then spoke to Leclerc, who told him he hadn’t thought of it. “And then I think he spoke to my sister and everything was settled.”
commercial problems
“It was just the way you do things,” he adds. “You just check with those involved first. That’s all. It’s not a big problem. But it happened without any of us knowing, which was a big surprise.”
Villeneuve makes it clear that there are commercial problems with using the helmet: “People don’t realize that you have to think about the brand,” he says. “If you take a brand and just link it to something, you’ve got lawyers breathing down your neck.”
“But now there’s a picture with my dad’s helmet with sponsors now attached to that helmet that shouldn’t be there, so that’s a bit of the gray area,” he explains. “So you should always ask and talk about it first and do it the right way. And I think it’s all been made clear.”