F1 champion slams Ricciardo with brutal 'smiling' claim
F1 News
F1 champion slams Ricciardo with brutal 'smiling' claim
1997 Formula 1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has taken aim at Daniel Ricciardo, claiming that the Australian is only in the sport to 'smile in commercials'.
After Nyck de Vries' mid-season departure, Ricciardo returned to F1 after a brief hiatus following his exit from McLaren.
Now at AlphaTauri, the Honey Badger is aiming to demonstrate exactly what he has to offer, with one eye on becoming Max Verstappen's team-mate at Red Bull in 2025.
Away from racing, Ricciardo is scarcely seen without a smile on his face. The infectious energy of the 34-year-old has made him one of the more popular members of the grid.
Yet according to Villeneuve, Ricciardo is not as good a driver as some of his rivals due to his seemingly carefree attitude.
Villeneuve slams Ricciardo
"I love seeing what Carlos Sainz is doing. I admire Fernando Alonso because he is hungry," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "It's the difference that a great driver makes.
"I would ask kids who want to be drivers today – do you want it out of passion or because you want to be like Daniel Ricciardo, smiling in commercials?"
"Max Verstappen is unbeatable," he added. "You cannot say that Red Bull cannot be beaten, Verstappen is the unbeatable.
"His strength is that he was never a child. He was already an adult when he was young. He was made a champion by a father who was very hard on him. That means Max doesn't have a weak spot.”
Despite being on the sidelines through injury since the Dutch Grand Prix, Ricciardo has confirmed he is set to return at the upcoming United States Grand Prix next weekend.
READ MORE: Ricciardo hits back at key F1 driver 'misconception'
Related news
Ricciardo ready to be 'beat up' in Austin after long injury layoff
Embarrassing Ricciardo error revealed ahead of US Grand Prix weekend
Ricciardo told what he must do to earn Red Bull move
F1 team confirm Ricciardo return
Most read
FIA take action after Verstappen track limits mishap
F1 News Today: FIA make changes as Mercedes receive double penalty and Horner curses bad luck
Red Bull to replace driver at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Stroll issues Alonso Aston Martin contract verdict
Horner takes aim at Kravitz with savage jibe at Sky Sports pundit
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Nyck De Vries
- Liam Lawson
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2023
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Australia 2023
- Grand Prix of China 2023
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2023
- Miami Grand Prix 2023
- Qatar Airways Gran Premio Del Made In Italy E Dell'emilia Romagna 2023
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2023
- AWS Gran Premio de España 2023
- Grand Prix du Canada 2023
- Grand Prix of Austria 2023
- Aramco Grand Prix of Great Britain 2023
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2023
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2023
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Italy 2023
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2023
- Grand Prix of Japan 2023
- Qatar Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of the United States 2023
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2023
- Rolex Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2023
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2023
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860