Jacques Villeneuve calls thieves of late father’s bronze monument soulless idiots

Nov 4, 2024 | 9:12 AM

MONTREAL — Jacques Villeneuve, the son of late Canadian Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve, is lashing out at thieves who stole a bronze statue of his father from outside a Quebec museum in his honour, calling them “idiots.”

The younger Villeneuve, also a celebrated F1 driver, posted a video to social media on the weekend saying he has had trouble sleeping since learning of the theft, and in an accompanying message he describes the culprits as “shameless, soulless beings.”

The five-foot-three-inch bronze statue was stolen sometime between Wednesday night and Thursday morning from a podium in front of the Gilles Villeneuve Museum in Berthierville, Que., about seventy kilometres northeast of Montreal.

The museum displays trophies, racing gear and other items that belonged to Villeneuve.