After an interesting return to Formula 1 last year at AlphaTauri, Daniel Ricciardo started the 2024 season within Visa Cash App RB (the new identity of the Italian team) with the status of main candidate to succeed Sergio Pérez at Red Bull Racing, the latter having experienced a 2023 campaign well below expectations. A third of the season later, the Australian is dominated by his teammate Yuki Tsunoda on the track and in the championship, and he has just helplessly witnessed the renewal of Pérez’s contract for two seasons.
Beyond contractual questions, it is the sporting difficulties of Ricciardo, winner of eight Grands Prix in F1, which raise questions as they recall, in an admittedly different context, those encountered during his time with McLaren in 2021 and 2022. he himself admits not having any “does enough” to justify a return to Red Bull, his situation did not really arouse empathy from Jacques Villeneuve.
The Canadian, 1997 World Champion and regular consultant for Canal+ on F1 Grands Prix, is for the Montreal event alongside Sky Sports. And it was for the British channel that he was very critical of Ricciardo: “Why is he still in F1? Why?”he first said.
“We’ve been hearing the same thing for four or five years. ‘We need to improve the car for him.’ Poor him! Sorry, it’s been going on for five years No, it’s F1. Maybe you’re making this effort for Lewis Hamilton, who won several championships. It’s not up to par.”
“If you’re not up to it, go home, there will be someone else to replace you. That’s how it’s always been in motor racing, that’s the pinnacle sport There is no reason to continue and make excuses.
“You all talk about his first season or his first two seasons”he added. “He beat a [Sebastian] Vettel exhausted, trying to invent things with the car to win and wasting his weekends. Then he beat for half a season [Max] Verstappen when the latter was 18 years old and just starting out. Then it was over, he didn’t beat anyone after that.”
In reality, ignoring 2016 where Verstappen arrived mid-season at Red Bull, Ricciardo also beat him in 2017, and he also beat Nico Hülkenberg and Esteban Ocon during his seasons at Renault.
Then Villeneuve finally concluded: “I think his image has kept him in F1 more than his actual results.”
While the officialization of Tsunoda’s reappointment to VCARB is expected quickly, the second seat in the team seems to be played between Ricciardo and Liam Lawson.
