French racing driver Franck Montagny has been suspended from competition after testing positive for cocaine use. He does not dispute the charges.
The 36-year-old has driven in several international series over the years, including F1 and IndyCar. Most recently he was one of the drivers for Andretti Autosport in the Formula E, which features battery-powered open wheel cars.
Montagny drove in the first two races of the season, but pulled out of the third round in Uruguay, citing health reasons. He now tells French sports daily L’Equipe that it was in fact due to this failed test, which took place at the previous race in Malaysia.
“At the end of the race, I see the guy who control signals me, Montagny said. “There in my head, I understood immediately. I knew I was dead.”
Montagny has no plans to fight the suspension, and acknowledges that this may be the end of his career. He will be replaced at Andretti Autosport for the upcoming Buenos Aires Formula E ePrix by Marco Andretti, IndyCar driver son of team owner Michael Andretti.
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