‘Not live up to expectations’: F1 great launches fresh Daniel Ricciardo attack
F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has launched a fresh attack on Daniel Ricciardo following their ugly war of words.
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Jacques Villeneuve isn’t ready to give up on his war of words with Daniel Ricciardo just yet.
The 1997 Formula 1 world champion ignited a feud with the Aussie during the Canadian Grand Prix and more than a week later he’s still holding on.
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Villeneuve kicked off proceedings when he launched a scathing critique on the career of Ricciardo and questioned why he still has a place on the grid.
Ricciardo didn’t bite his tongue when he responded as he hit back in brutal fashion by proclaiming the 53-year-old Canadian had been “hit in the head a few too many times”.
Those remarks didn’t sit well with Villeneuve, who responded by saying Ricciardo took the war of words to a personal level and didn’t display a thick skin.
But instead of waiting for a response from the 34-year-old Australian, Villeneuve has launched another attack on the eight-time Grand Prix winner.
“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,” Villeneuve told CryptoSportsBetting.
“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.
“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?
“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.
“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.”
Ricciardo hit back emphatically to the criticism during the Canadian Grand Prix when he produced a qualifying masterclass to start from fifth on the grid.
His race sadly went south in the blink of an eye when he was flagged for a false start before he tumbled down the order to ninth.
He ultimately fell as far down as 12th before he fought back to finish in eighth place and secure four points.
The Formula 1 paddock now heads to Spain for the next Grand Prix with the race set to take place on Sunday, June 23 from 11pm (AEST).
Originally published as ‘Not live up to expectations’: F1 great launches fresh Daniel Ricciardo attack
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