In the long and often unforgiving story of Formula One, a veteran's standing is measured not only by trophies won but by the patience of those who watch him race. Here, the 1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve, speaking on Sky Sports during the Canadian Grand Prix, questioned whether Daniel Ricciardo still belongs in the sport at all, while the Australian's young Japanese teammate outpaces him and his employer hesitates to act. The moment asks a quiet question older than any single career: how long a reputation can carry a driver whose results have faded, and when loyalty gives way to the logic of
Villeneuve Hits Ricciardo With Scathing Verdict: 'Why's He Still in F1?'
"His image has kept him in F1 more than his actual results."
Mark
Villeneuve was on air at the Canadian Grand Prix and asked why Ricciardo is still in F1. Why does that land?
Mimi
Because it's not only about one driver's results. He's saying the team keeps building excuses around him, and that the car being fixed for him has been the story for five years.
Luke
Worth noting that's Villeneuve's reading. He's a long-time critic and was speaking as a guest expert, so this is opinion, not a finding.
Mark
He also went back to Ricciardo's early Red Bull days. What was the argument there?
Mimi
That the wins over Vettel came when Vettel was burnt out, and the Verstappen stretch came when Verstappen was 18 and just starting. After that, he says, Ricciardo stopped beating anyone.
Luke
Again, that's his characterisation of those seasons. The article doesn't test it against results, so we can't say how fair it is.
Mark
What does the current record show?
Mimi
Outside a fourth in the Miami sprint, he's struggled to get above 12th, and Tsunoda has beaten him comfortably.
Luke
Those points are reported, yes. What we don't have is any detail on why, or any comment from Ricciardo here.
Mark
And the team's stance?
Mimi
RB and Red Bull say they're happy with his improvement. Lawson is rumoured as a replacement, but nothing has happened.
Luke
Rumours are just that. The only confirmed move is Perez re-signing, which narrows Ricciardo's options if RB lets him go.
Il Polso
- Villeneuve publicly demands to know why Ricciardo is still in F1, turning a routine broadcast into a sharp verbal rebuke.
- Teammate Yuki Tsunoda has been beating Ricciardo comfortably, and the Australian rarely finishes higher than 12th this season.
- RB's public line stays patient, praising Ricciardo's improvements while rumours of Liam Lawson's arrival circulate.
- Red Bull's re-signing of Sergio Perez closes off Ricciardo's most obvious escape route, leaving his seat increasingly precarious.
In the long and often unforgiving story of Formula One, a veteran's standing is measured not only by trophies won but by the patience of those who watch him race. Here, the 1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve, speaking on Sky Sports during the Canadian Grand Prix, questioned whether Daniel Ricciardo still belongs in the sport at all, while the Australian's young Japanese teammate outpaces him and his employer hesitates to act. The moment asks a quiet question older than any single career: how long a reputation can carry a driver whose results have faded, and when loyalty gives way to the logic of the next seat in line.
On Sky Sports' coverage of the Canadian Grand Prix, former world champion Jacques Villeneuve was asked about Daniel Ricciardo and responded with a pointed question of his own: why is he still in F1? The 1997 champion, long one of the Western Australian's sharpest critics, was reacting to yet another underwhelming start to the season for the 34-year-old.
Villeneuve's frustration was aimed as much at RB, Ricciardo's team, as at the driver. He argued that the team should stop making excuses, noting that Yuki Tsunoda has been beating his teammate comfortably. In his view, the familiar refrain that the car must be improved for Ricciardo has been heard for five years, and such patience would be shown to a multiple champion like Lewis Hamilton, not to a driver who cannot keep up. If a driver cannot deliver, Villeneuve said, he should step aside for someone waiting to take the seat.
He also revisited Ricciardo's early Red Bull years, suggesting that his success came against a burnt-out Sebastian Vettel and a teenage Max Verstappen, after which he stopped beating anyone. "I think his image has kept him in F1 more than his actual results," Villeneuve said.
The season's numbers give his case some weight. Apart from a fourth-place finish in the Miami sprint, Ricciardo has struggled to reach 12th. Still, RB insists it is pleased with his improvements, and Liam Lawson's rumoured arrival has not materialised. Yet the wider picture has narrowed: Red Bull has re-signed Sergio Perez, leaving Ricciardo with few options should RB decide to move on, and his future hangs over the rest of the season.
On Sky Sports' coverage of the Canadian Grand Prix, guest expert Jacques Villeneuve was asked about Daniel Ricciardo and answered with a question of his own: "Why's he still in F1? Why?" The 1997 world champion, who has long been among the Western Australian's sharpest critics, was reacting to another underwhelming start to the season for the 34-year-old.
Villeneuve's central complaint was aimed as much at Ricciardo's team, RB, as at the driver. He said the team needed to stop making excuses for poor performances, pointing to the fact that Japanese teammate Yuki Tsunoda has been beating Ricciardo comfortably. In his telling, the refrain has barely changed in years: the car has to be made better for him. "Sorry, it's been five years of that," he said, adding that such an effort might be made for a multiple champion like Lewis Hamilton but not for a driver who, in his words, can't cut it.
He was blunt about what should follow. If a driver can't deliver, Villeneuve said, he should go home, because someone else is waiting to take the seat. That, he argued, is how racing has always worked at the pinnacle of the sport, and he saw no reason to keep finding excuses.
Villeneuve also picked apart the early part of Ricciardo's career at Red Bull. He said the Australian's first season or two came against a Sebastian Vettel who was burnt out, who was trying to invent things with the car in order to win and was making a mess of his weekends. Ricciardo then beat Max Verstappen for half a season, Villeneuve noted, but Verstappen was 18 and just starting out. After that, in Villeneuve's words, Ricciardo stopped beating anyone.
The Canadian went further, effectively calling Ricciardo's career overrated. "I think his image has kept him in F1 more than his actual results," he said.
The results this season give his argument some material. Apart from a fourth-place finish in the Miami sprint race, Ricciardo has struggled to finish higher than 12th, and Tsunoda has had the upper hand inside the team.
The team's public position, though, has not shifted. There have been persistent rumours that New Zealander Liam Lawson could replace Ricciardo, but no move has happened. The official line from RB and Red Bull is that they are pleased with the improvements the Australian has shown.
The wider picture has narrowed for him, however. Red Bull has confirmed that Mexican Sergio Perez has re-signed to stay on as teammate to world champion Max Verstappen. That leaves Ricciardo with few options if RB were to release him, and it keeps the question of his seat, and Lawson's possible arrival, hanging over the rest of the season.
Citazioni salienti
If you can't cut it, go home; there's someone else to take your place.— Jacques Villeneuve, Sky Sports
I think his image has kept him in F1 more than his actual results.— Jacques Villeneuve, Sky Sports
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