Visa Cash App RB driver Daniel Ricciardo has claimed that he would "never talk s**t" about other drivers, responding to World Champion Jacques Villeneuve's comments about him during the 2024 Canadian GP. The former Canadian driver did not hold back in his criticism toward the Aussie as he questioned Ricciardo's place on the grid despite a lack of consistent performances.
The former Williams F1 driver said that it was Ricciardo's image rather than his driving that was keeping him in F1 despite being past his peak as a driver.
The criticism did not sit well with the RB driver, who gave his response to the Canadian on the track as he qualified in P5 and finished the race in P8. Speaking with Mirror Sport, Ricciardo reflected on Villeneuve's comments and pointed out that he won't do the same if he were in a similar position, saying (via PlanetF1):
“Normally I don’t read it, but the team makes you aware of it, to prepare me for things that have been said. It does work me up… this is a World Champion as well, in Jacques’ case, it’s someone who knows the sport. I could comment on other drivers and be like, ‘Yeah, he’s gone through a rough patch,’ but I would never talk s**t about someone because I can relate and I know what they’ve gone through.
"No one can strap themselves and do this, it’s such a rare sport. I was more disappointed, but I thought, ‘If some people think that way, time for me to remind them that I’m still here.’ I used it to my advantage, but it’s fine."
Ricciardo stated that the newly rebranded team was making "big boy decisions" and he didn't feel out of place within the outfit despite it traditionally being the junior team under Red Bull.
Daniel Ricciardo comments on RB's evolution as a team
The Faenza-based outfit have already announced that they will retain Yuki Tsunoda for the 2025 season while Daniel Ricciardo's future remains uncertain. The eight-time race winner is in contention for a possible seat at Red Bull replacing Sergio Perez.
Ricciardo said (via F1.com):
“We're making, kind of, big boy decisions, and we're taking risks and we're setting targets and high targets, and ones that we realistically think that we can attain. So, it's cool. I'm probably too, in a way, honest in myself that if it felt like a junior team still, I wouldn't feel comfortable here. I'm 35 now. So, I think I would feel a bit out of place, and I certainly don't, so I think that's also a good way to probably comprehend it.”
The 35-year-old Ricciardo has scored 12 points from 14 races and three Sprints thus far and is P13 in the Drivers' Championship.