Daniel Ricciardo scorches F1 great with best drive of the season

Daniel Ricciardo has turned back the clock to send a scorching message to an F1 great one day after stinging criticism dropped.

Daniel Ricciardo. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images.

Daniel Ricciardo will start the Canadian Grand Prix on the third row.

The Australian turned back the clock in his best qualifying day of the year to finish fifth, less than 0.2 seconds short of pole position.

The stunning drive was one of several shock results in a wild day of qualifying where Mercedes’ George Russell locked up pole position ahead of Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Aussie Oscar Piastri.

Formula 1 commentator Matt Gallagher called Ricciardo’s drive “ridiculous”.

Every qualifying session and race from the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship™ LIVE in 4K. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial Today >

Ricciardo summed it up with a simple message to his team over radio moments after the session finished.

“F*** yeah,” he said.

Ricciardo flashed a big thumbs up as he climbed out of his car.

Daniel Ricciardo gives the thumbs up.

On a wild day of results, it was Ricciardo’s drive that was the biggest surprise — coming just one day after stinging criticism from former Formula 1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve.

The Australian sent Villeneuve a message of his own when interviewed on Sky Sports after the session. He appeared to be trying to hold his tongue as best he could. However, he also leaned into the microphone at one point and said one word that was censored by the broadcaster before trying to strut away from interviewer with his “mic drop” moment.

“I’ve just been told,” Ricciardo said when asked about Villeneuve’s comments.

“I don’t listen or read it… there’s definitely some people out there whoever… yeah, I won’t give them the time of day.

“But, yeah, Top five. I’ve been quick all weekend. We’re less than two tenths from pole.”

Ricciardo then leaned into the microphone to say: “So yeah ****.”

Ricciardo’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda was eighth fastest.

The epic drive by the Aussie came just hours after news dropped Tsunoda has signed a one-year contract extension through to the end of the 2025 season with the junior Red Bull team.

That update means Ricciardo is the last driver left hanging in the Red Bull game of musical chairs.

The senior Red Bull team announced last week Sergio Perez had signed a two-year extension through to the end of 2026.

Ricciardo is widely expected to retain his job, but pressure has been building on him with each race and qualifying session where he finishes slower than his Japanese teammate.

Sunday’s stunning drive will silence a lot of his doubters.

The most prominent of those doubters is Villeneuve — and everyone was saying the same thing after the Aussie’s scorching reply.

Daniel Ricciardo qualifying 5th the day after Jacques Villeneuve questioned what he was still doing in F1... pic.twitter.com/kczACmx1QU

— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) June 8, 2024

The 1997 champ delivered both barrels to the 34-year-old, saying: “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.

“There’s no reason to keep going and to keep finding excuses, and you all 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.

“Then he was beating for half a season Verstappen when Verstappen was 18 years old, just starting, that was it, he stopped beating anyone after that.

“I think his image has kept him in F1 more than his actual results.”

The Sky Sports F1 commentary team said after qualifying that Ricciardo should thank Villeneuve.

“Daniel Ricciardo needs to pay Jacques Villeneuve a bonus for the motivation he’s given him this weekend,” David Croft said.

“That is by far Daniel Ricciardo’s best qualifying day of the season so far.”

F1 guru Martin Brundle responded: “I think those notes might be delivered in a fist rather than a handshake”.

Villeneuve still didn’t back away from his view when speaking about Ricciardo’s commenta after the session.

“It’s working well. The car suits him this weekend,” Villeneuve said on Sky Sports.

“When you have a car that suits you, you drive at your best. That was one good qualifying. If he can carry on like that this weekend and do it four or five or six more races then he’ll be fine. But, like he said, he’s been lacking consistency this year.”

There was plenty of celebrating in the RB team garage on Sunday morning after both cars made it through to Q3 in qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix.

Earlier, Perez suffered another qualifying disaster and was bundled out in Q1.

RB's Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda. Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP.

Daniel Ricciardo. Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images.

It was the fifth time in the past two years Perez has failed to make it out of the opening qualifying session despite driving the fastest car on the grid.

His one-word message on team radio said it all.

“F***,” he said.

His engineer responded: “Yeah”.

F1 guru Martin Brundle said on Sky Sports: “We talked about it in the pre-show, it’s a safe decision to keep Sergio in the car. It keeps Max happy. They have got continuity but he can’t afford to keep having Saturdays like this.”

It was just as big a nightmare for Ferrari with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz both failing to get out of Q2. With the Ferrari’s finishing 11th and 12th, the top ten looked particularly bizarre.

“I guess we are f***ed,” Leclerc said on team radio.

“I won’t comment here.”

Canadian Grand Prix Qualifying top ten result

George Russell

Max Verstappen +0.000s

Lando Norris +0.021s

Oscar Piastri +0.103s

Daniel Ricciardo +0.178s

Fernando Alonso +0.228s

Lewis Hamilton +0.280s

Yuki Tsunoda +0.414s

Lance Stroll +0.701s

Alex Albon +0.796s