Villeneuve Criticizes Ricciardo as “Unprofessional” and “Childish”

1997 Formula One world champion Jacques Villeneuve has once again criticized Daniel Ricciardo, calling the Australian driver “unprofessional” and “childish.”

The controversy began during the Montreal Grand Prix weekend when Villeneuve, in a live broadcast on Sky Sports, questioned Ricciardo’s continued involvement in Formula One given his inconsistent performances.

Ricciardo responded on track, taking fifth place in qualifying and finishing the race in eighth place, his best result of the season so far.

However, Ricciardo’s verbal response to Villeneuve’s comments drew even more attention when he suggested that the former Williams driver had been hit in the head during a hockey match. In an interview with CryptoSportsBetting.ltd., Villeneuve doubled down on his criticism, calling Ricciardo’s reaction “childish” and “unprofessional.”

“Daniel Ricciardo is a hot potato,” Villeneuve said. “It’s always risky to criticize him because he’s extremely protected by his team, the media, and the fans on social media. It’s a hot topic; even if you say something constructive, you’ll get attacked in some way, and a lot of people will get angry.”

Villeneuve highlighted Ricciardo’s lack of consistency since leaving Red Bull. “The results haven’t been there. He was very good at Red Bull, but since he left there, it’s been very difficult, and his comeback hasn’t been spectacular at all. He had a good qualifying session and a reasonable race yesterday, marred by a false start that earned him a penalty.

In the end, he scored points because the drivers in front of him made mistakes.” The former world champion also criticized the way some modern drivers deal with the media, calling their reactions unprofessional and often personal. “What I find incredible is the reaction some of these drivers get in the media these days. It’s completely unprofessional and can be personally insulting, which is surprising. I can’t imagine Daniel saying that to other media, so it’s strange. If he says someone got hit in the head playing ice hockey, how constructive and professional is that?”

Villeneuve stressed that drivers need to have “thick skin” when facing criticism in Formula 1. “It’s very childish, and people like Daniel are role models, and they think that’s the right way to act. You have to be careful with that. I find it very strange when someone says they don’t care what people say. You have to have thick skin; in Formula 1, you’re going to get criticism, and you have to accept it. Don’t say something childish and insulting.”

Since leaving Renault at the end of 2020 to join McLaren, Ricciardo has struggled to find his form, being outplayed by Lando Norris and later replaced by Oscar Piastri. Now, alongside Yuki Tsunoda, Ricciardo is facing similar difficulties. Villeneuve concluded: “He hasn’t lived up to expectations, and he hasn’t been consistent, so he knows he’s not up to par and hasn’t had good enough results. The truth hurts.”