Stefano Comini announces he has been dropped by Leopard Racing

Stefano Comini has announced on his Facebook profile he will not be behind the wheel of a Leopard Racing Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR this season, despite winning his second TCR International Series title with the Belgian outfit in 2016.

The Swiss had already hinted at difficulties during ongoing talks with the squad, as the energy drink company was rumoured to be struggling after media from Luxembourg reported financial issues for the company.

The 27-year-old has also claimed he is yet to receive part of his salary from last year. Comini added he is convinced he will be on track this season, though he admitted that the he is running out of time as the TCR International Series curtain raiser at the Rustavi International Circuit in Georgia, which is scheduled in just three weeks’ time.

Although there’s no official statement from the team as yet, Leopard Racing are understood to be scaling back to just a single Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR for Jean-Karl Vernay, who finished third in last year’s championship with three race victories.