On Friday, Leclerc revealed a tribute helmet sporting the iconic red and black colour scheme used by former Ferrari driver Gilles Villeneuve, after whom the Canadian Grand Prix venue was named.
But Leclerc’s announcement surprised the Villeneuve family as neither the Ferrari driver nor his management had asked the family for permission.
After talks between Leclerc and Villeneuve’s sister Melanie, who controls her late father’s image rights, the issue was settled, and Leclerc was cleared to use the design from Saturday onwards.
But before the true nature of the issue was made public, 1997 world champion Villeneuve received a barrage of abuse on social media after being perceived to deny Leclerc the right to honour his father …