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F1 fans were left shocked when former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve harshly criticized Daniel Ricciardo for his underachievement in the sport. The Canadian held no punches back in his comments regarding the Aussie driver and his career in the sport.
The Visa Cash App RB driver has had a relatively difficult start to the 2024 season as he has been largely outperformed by his teammate Yuki Tsunoda in both races and qualifying. Apart from his P4 in the Miami Sprint race, the former Red Bull driver has failed to score any points thus far.
Speaking with Sky Sports, the 1997 world champion questioned Daniel Ricciardo's presence in F1 currently given his lack of performances and results, and said:
“Why’s he still in F1? Why? We are hearing the same thing now for the last four or five years. ‘We have to make the car better for him’. Sorry, it’s been five years of that. No, you are in F1.
“Maybe you make that effort for Lewis Hamilton whose won multiple championships. You don’t make that effort for a driver who can’t cut it. If you can’t cut it, go home, there’s someone else to take your place. That’s how it’s always been in racing, it’s the pinnacle of the sport."
F1 fans took to social media to give their reactions to Jacques Villeneuve's comments about Daniel Ricciardo on X, saying:
"Just witnessed a murder on live TV," said a fan.
"It's true, cool smile and cool personality but that's all he has atp," wrote another fan.
"My thoughts exactly. It's the sentimental factor for Horner and his fans. Sadly their feelings have clouded their judgment," claimed another.
Here are some more responses:
Daniel Ricciardo takes responsibility for missing out on Red Bull seat
Daniel Ricciardo stated that he held himself accountable for missing out on the Red Bull seat for next year after the Austrian team decided to extend Sergio Perez's contract for two years.
Speaking with RacingNews365, the Aussie driver said:
"Miami was great but I haven't really done enough to raise hairs. To be honest, the mindset hasn't changed. We're fairly into the season now and as I said, I've had one result that I was really happy with and then the others less so, and so I must hold myself accountable for not doing anything spectacular.
"Obviously when you are trying to fight for a top seat, you know you need to be doing some pretty awesome things."
Daniel Ricciardo has amassed five points in the 2024 season from eight races and two Sprints thus far and is currently in P14 in the Driver's Championship, 14 points behind his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who sits in P10 in the standings.
