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Jacques Villeneuve questioned the presence of Daniel Ricciardo in the sport ahead of the 2024 Canadian GP. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, the 1997 World Champion felt that the Australian was in the sport more because of his image than his performance.
With Sergio Perez being signed for Red Bull Racing in 2025, the RB seats remain unconfirmed. Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo are rumoured to be retained by the Faenza team but unlike last year, there has been a stark difference in performance between the two. The 34-year-old has failed to outqualify his younger teammate in six out of eight qualifying sessions. With the F1 calendar reaching its midpoint soon, he ran out of time to turn around his performance.
Speaking after the FP1 in Canada where Daniel Ricciardo was quicker than his teammate, Villeneuve questioned the Perth-born driver’s presence in the sport. The former world champion even used the word ‘clown’ while commentating during the session when Ted Kravitz was discussing the former Red Bull driver’s Canadian GP race helmet.
The Canadian driver was critical in recognizing Ricciardo's performances with Red Bull and felt the performances after 2018 were underwhelming. He has not pointed out a new narrative, one that the RB driver has struggled to overturn.
In Renault, Daniel Ricciardo had beaten Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon but the results were not the same as Red Bull Racing due to the car. Villeneuve felt that the car has often been the excuse in the last five years.
In theory, the Red Bull cars and the Renault car did suit the eight-time Grand Prix winner’s driving style, but the McLaren car did not which led to Ricciardo being unable to deliver the best results. Nevertheless, returning to RB, the Faenza team is tailoring the car to his peculiar style but the process has not been quick enough for him to make a bid for 2025.
Speaking on Sky Sports F1, Villeneuve commented on Daniel Ricciardo saying:
“Why is he still in F1? We have been hearing the same thing now for the last four or five years- ‘we have to make the car better for him’. Its been five years now. Maybe you make that effort for Lewis Hamilton who has won multiple championships, you don’t make that effort for a driver that cant cut it. If you cant cut it, go home, there’s someone else to take your place. That’s how it has always been in racing, its the pinnacle of the sport. Theres no reason to keep going and keep finding excuses.
“You don’t talk about that first season or first two seasons, he was beating a Vettel that was burnt out, that was trying to invent things with the car to go win and just making a mess of his weekends. And then he was beating for half a season Verstappen, when Verstappen was 18 years old and just starting and then that was it. He stopped beating anyone after that.”
“I think its his image has kept him in F1 more than his actual results,” Villeneuve added.
Daniel Ricciardo admits underperforming but has not lost hope for a Red Bull seat
Daniel Ricciardo conceded with critics that his performances have not been enough to land a top seat on the grid, particularly a promotion to the Red Bull team. Ideally one of the prime candidates for the Red Bull seat in 2025, the Australian has run out of time to make a bid for his former seat.
He felt that despite the result in Miami, there have not been any head-turning performances from him this year. But he feels that the chance for a Red Bull seat still remains a possibility in the future.
Speaking to onsite media in Montreal ahead of the Canadian GP, Daniel Ricciardo said:
“I don't think it means anything from a ‘that's it', in terms of I don't see it as ‘Oh, maybe I won't get a chance' or anything. Personally, I've had one amazing result in Miami, but then the rest of my season has been not really what I expect out of myself. I want my season to go better than it is, really to help with any opportunities like that. I'm also realistic.”
On his hopes for the Red Bull seat in the future, Ricciardo said:
“The mindset hasn't changed. We're not halfway through the season yet but we're fairly into it now. I've had one result which I was really, really happy with, and then others which have been maybe less so. So I just, I guess, hold myself probably accountable for not doing anything too spectacular. When you're obviously trying to fight for a top seat, you need to be doing some pretty awesome things. That's why I say I don't think it means it will never happen.”
For Daniel Ricciardo, time has been of the essence to earn the Red Bull seat or even extend his current RB contract. According to speculation and reports, it is understood that after the Perez signing, the next announcement could be a potential renewal of the Aussie’s contract with the Faenza team. Currently, he has scored only five points for the RB team, while his teammate Tsunoda has scored 19.
