Jacques Villeneuve and Daniel Ricciardo found themselves at the center of a heated controversy that generated a lot of attention in the Formula 1 world earlier this summer. It all started with a controversial statement from the 1997 world champion to Sky Sports during the Canadian Grand Prix where he criticized the Australian for his lack of results and declining performances in recent seasons. The former Williams and BAR player questioned the ability of the Perth native to return to his best level, while the latter hoped at the start of the year to find the role of teammate of Max Verstappen at Red Bull.
In response, Ricciardo responded firmlysaying Villeneuve's criticism was unwarranted and did not reflect current realities in F1. Jacques Villeneuve returned to this controversy with the Mirror. « It never occurred to me that I wanted to be right, explains the Canadian. This sparked a lot of reactions, many negative, some positive. This led people to openly discuss the topic. It's not about destroying someone, but about facing reality. People understood that this topic needed to be discussed in depth. That's what makes me happy. My feelings would be no different if Daniel Ricciardo had stayed at Red Bull. I'm not saying I'm happy he left F1, I'm just happy he brought reality to the fore. It makes me happy to give people enough food for thought. »
« Daniel still has a good image and a good career, this has not harmed him. » It is also not impossible to see the Australian return to the Formula 1 grids in the future. The arrival of Cadillac in 2026 could thus be a possibility of a return for the man with 8 victories in F1, even if the 35-year-old driver has shown disinterest in this subject recently.
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