Villeneuve fury at callous thieves 'with no hearts, no brains' after statue of F1 legend stolen

Jacques Villeneuve has launched a broadside at mindless thieves after they stole a bronze statue of his late father Gilles.

The statue was crafted by sculptor Jules Lasalle two years after Villeneuve died in a crash in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder in 1982.

Former Ferrari star Villeneuve is renowned as one of the sport's iconic figures. He was cut short in his prime after winning six of his 67 starts and finishing second in the F1 drivers' championship in 1979.

Since it was installed in 1994, the statue has taken pride of place outside the Gilles Villeneuve Museum in Berthierville, Quebec, where Villeneuve grew up.

Remarkably, the statue was sheared off at the ankles, leaving only racing boots. As museum general manager, Alain Bellehumeur, noted: "It takes special equipment to cut through bronze."

Villeneuve's son Jacques has been left staggered by the theft. Via a post on Instagram, he said: "I can't understand what such people can have in the head or the heart - if they have one.

"To steal a monument like that of someone who is still important. Gilles represented Canada, and Quebec at international level, and there aren't many. It's national pride for all the people who love it.

"Idiots who are capable of such a gesture, these are people with no hearts and no brains, and it's shameful."

Villeneuve added via a written post that the thieves are "shameless, soulless beings [who] do not deserve to be called humans".

Speaking to CanadaCasino.ca, he again expressed his disbelief. "Why would someone do that? I just don’t get it," he said. "It is not like gold or diamonds which you can steal and hide and then sell. It defies belief.

"It’s quite a big heavy piece and would take a lot of effort to cut it down and you’d need a big truck to take it.

"No one noticed, which I found even crazier. How do you not notice somebody doing that? And what do you do with it? It is missing its feet. You can’t sell it because if you tried to, people would immediately realise they were the idiots who took it.

"If you melted it down, it would not be worth much. Bronze is not that valuable. So, it is pointless… financially, with the amount it took to take it, it doesn’t make sense."