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Ex-F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve brands Daniel Ricciardo as ‘a pure product of image and modern social media’

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Justin P Joy | Last updated 3/1/24

Jacques Villeneuve, former Formula One world champion, has aimed VisaCashAppRB’s Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo. The Canadian champion did not shy away from saying that it is more the popularity over his driving ability that has kept the ex-Red Bull driver relevant over the last few years.

Villeneuve also believes that there are many drivers out there who are on the same level as Ricciardo when it comes to speed, but they do not get the same opportunities as him, due to their lack of what one can say, ‘popularity’ or ‘image’. He highlighted the fact that last season Yuki Tsunoda performed better than the ex-GP winner.

Ricciardo is a pure product of image and modern-day social media, You can't base his long career on results. You just can't. They don't stack up. It is amazing. He can thank Netflix [thanks to its Drive To Survive series] and all that kind of stuff. Jaques Villeneuve said, as reported by dailymail.co.uk.

The Australian driver is yet to respond to this bashing done by Villeneuve. While doubts surrounding his talent, and competence are going around, The Bahrain GP, would be a great place for Ricciardo to silence all the noise. This year, Ricciardo will be driving for VCARB with the objective pod securing the Red Bull seat for next season.

Daniel Ricciardo’s scathing critique on the dream of becoming part of the constructor’s Champions team

After a successful F1 comeback with AlphaTauri (now Visa Cash App RB), Daniel Ricciardo is now being considered as a possible 2025 Red Bull driver to replace the struggling Sergio Perez. Sergio Perez goes out of contract with Red Bull at the end of this year.

To be considered for a position at his former team, the former F1 driver Karun Chandhok feels that Ricciardo must excel against his current teammate Yuki Tsunoda. If he doesn’t, Perez may stay with Red Bull, as the eight-time race winner must consistently outperform Tsunoda. According to Chandhok Tsunoda was more than a match for the Australian driver, last season.

To surpass one another at RB in 2024, Tsunoda and Ricciardo are both vying for Perez’s seat for the following season. The 23-year-old Japanese driver Tsunoda, who is swift and has a good rapport with the Faenza-based team, presents a formidable opponent for the Australian driver.

Despite the Perez vs. Ricciardo controversy for 2025 in the Formula One forum, Chandhok suggests that Tsunoda might not be ready for a top team just yet. If Perez maintains the seat next season, both VCARB drivers would be discouraged.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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