‘Why is he in F1?’: Daniel Ricciardo called out by former F1 champion

A Formula 1 world champion has applied the blowtorch to Daniel Ricciardo, questioning how the Aussie has kept his spot on the grid.

Former Formula 1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has taken a flamethrower to Daniel Ricciardo.

The 1997 champ delivered both barrels to the Aussie in a scathing takedown over his place on the grid.

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Ricciardo’s place on the grid has been under an intense spotlight since he made his return midway through the 2023 season.

But on Saturday Villeneuve, 53, didn’t bite his tongue as he unleashed a brutal reality check for the eight-time grand prix winner.

“Why’s he still in F1? Why?” Villeneuve told Sky Sports on Friday.

“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.”

Villeneuve went off on Ricciardo.

Is the end coming for Danny Ric? Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images/AFP.

The attack comes days after Ricciardo’s dreams of returning to Red Bull were dashed after the team renewed Sergio Perez’s deal for a further two years.

It was a bitter blow to the 34-year-old Australian, who had hopes of pushing his way back into the seat he vacated in 2019 when he left for Renault.

After two years at Renault and another two at McLaren, Ricciardo had hoped to push his way back into the top team to partner Max Verstappen, and had been putting pressure on the Mexican in 2023.

But while Perez hasn’t set the world on fire and is currently ranked fifth in the driver’s championship in 2024, his four podiums in eight races ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend were enough to convince Red Bull to stick with him for a further two years.

It’s a bitter pill for Ricciardo, who is six months Perez’ senior and faces a fight to even keep his seat with his Visa Cash App RB team after a horror season.

Sorry Daniel, I’m keeping the Red Bull seat. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

But ever the optimist, Ricciardo doesn’t believe his shot at the Red Bull top team is over.

“It doesn’t surprise me and it doesn’t change anything for me,” Ricciardo told Sky F1 about Perez’ new deal.

“Obviously, my goal, at some point, I’d love to be back there [at Red Bull]. But I also know that my season hasn’t been spectacular. I had a spectacular moment I think in Miami, but otherwise, I’ve been a bit up and down.

“And look, I’ve been doing this long enough, I know myself that I want to be doing better.

“I think already after the first few races, I was just very focused on trying to do the most I can here. And through that, then I’ll have maybe the most control over my future.

“So up until now, yeah, I haven’t probably been awesome enough, but equally, I am happy being here and just being back in the Red Bull family.

“So we’ll keep charging forward and yeah, I don’t think now it means it will never happen. But we’ll see.”

The Canadian Grand Prix gets underway at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Monday morning at 4am AEST.