Jacques Villeneuve will step out of retirement this year and indulge in a double racing programme, one of which will lead him to an "important" moment in his life.
The 1997 F1 world champion and Sky Italia pundit will dovetail his involvement in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series with several races in the Italian GT Endurance Championship where he will driver a Ferrari 488 GT3.
"My priority goes to the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series," Villeneuve told Motorsport.com. "For that reason, I won’t be contesting all the endurance races of the Italian championship."
The official NASCAR series in Europe will kick off at Valencia in Spain on April 13 and conclude 16 races later in Belgium, at Zolder, a venue of significance for Villeneuve, for obvious reasons.
"The last two rounds of the NASCAR Euro Series will be held on one weekend in Zolder, Belgium. For me, it’s a race not to be missed," added the Canadian.
"It was on the Zolder circuit that Gilles drove for the last time and lost his life. I’ve never been there. It's quite important to me."
©NascarWhelenEuroSeries
As for his foray into the Italian GT championship, Villeneuve's Scuderia Baldini Ferrari will be emblazoned this season with the family's historic number '27'.
"I’m happy to drive a Ferrari," he said. "As for the race number, personally, I prefer the 12 to the 27.
"Gilles lost his life in a car that carried the number 27, but at the same time I won the Indy 500 in a car that carried the number 27."
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