F1 News: Jacques Villeneuve Fights Back At 'Childish and Insulting' Daniel Ricciardo Comments

The Canadian champion responds to Ricciardo's comments from the Canadian Grand Prix.

5th placed qualifier Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Visa Cash App RB speaks to the media after qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 08, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec. / Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

During the intense Canadian Grand Prix weekend, a fiery exchange between former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve and current VCARB driver Daniel Ricciardo made headlines. Villeneuve, working with Sky Sports F1, openly questioned Ricciardo's place in the sport, sharply critiquing his performance and seemingly undervaluing his past contributions. Despite these harsh comments, Ricciardo shrugged off the criticism with characteristic humor and defiance, quipping about Villeneuve's tendency to talk negatively and jokingly questioning if the former champion had "hit his head a few too many times." Now, the Canadian has fought back, calling his behavior "childish and insulting".

The atmosphere at the Canadian Grand Prix was charged not just with the usual competitive spirit but also with a duel between former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve and current Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo.

Villeneuve labeled Ricciardo as “a hot potato."

. It’s always risky to criticise him because he’s extremely protected by his team and the media and by fans on social media. It’s a burnt subject, even if you say something constructive, you’ll get burnt one way or another and you’ll have a lot of people who get angry," Villeneuve explained. “Ultimately, the results have not been there.

"He was really good at Red Bull and since he left them, it’s been very difficult and his return hasn’t been flamboyant. He had a good qualifying session and then an ok race yesterday marred by the false start where he got a penalty and in the end, he scored points because drivers in front of him messed up."

The Canadian Grand Prix saw Ricciardo showing a mix of performances; commendable in qualifying but average in the race, marred by a false start that led to a penalty. According to Villeneuve, Ricciardo’s ability to score was more due to others' mistakes rather than his own performance.

“He kept his nose clean, he brought home some points but that means very little in the context of the season and he needs to do more than that. It’s that simple. The scoreboard doesn’t lie and it’s like that for every driver.

"Obviously I got under his skin because it made him go faster and even Christian Horner thought that it gave him a bit of a boost and maybe he needed that. At least he got a lot of media mileage out of this!"

The response from Ricciardo to these critiques was both humorous and dismissive. After qualifying fifth, Ricciardo brushed off Villeneuve’s comments, joking about Villeneuve possibly hitting his head playing ice hockey. "I still don't know what he said, but I heard he's been talking s***, but he always does," Ricciardo said, largely dismissing the criticism.

Villeneuve did not hold back in his rebuttal:

“What I find incredible is the reaction that some of these drivers have nowadays in the media. It’s completely unprofessional and has nothing to do with the business and it can be personally insulting which is amazing. I can’t imagine Daniel saying that to other media so that’s weird. If he says that someone hit his head playing Ice Hockey, how constructive and how professional is that?"

He continued:

“It’s very childish and people like Daniel are role models and they think that’s the right way to act. You have to be careful with that. I found that really strange when someone says I don’t care what people say. You need to have tough skin, in F1 you will be criticised and you have to take it. Don’t say something childish and insulting.”

The former Williams driver also questioned the support the Australian has from the media:

“I have no idea why Daniel Ricciardo is so protected but he has a huge aura around him. Good for him but imagine if he could back that up with results? He’s not lived up to expectations and he’s not consistent so he knows he’s not up to speed and he hasn’t had results that have been good enough. It’s that simple.

"There’s nothing wrong with saying that. Saying it might hurt but you’re in F1, just take it and move on. The truth hurts.”

Thank you to CryptoSportsBetting.ltd for the interview.