'Smiling In Commercials': Former F1 Champion Villeneuve Takes Sly Dig At Ricciardo

Sunday, 15 October 2023 at 12:00

Updated at Sunday, 15 October 2023 at 13:52

F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve hammered Daniel Ricciardo with his claim during his recent interview.

Daniel Ricciardo is a driver not only famous for his driving skills but also for his always positive attitude, huge smile, and fun personality. These are the reasons for which the majority of the fans fell in love with the Australian.

It is also this smile and his personality that make him excellent material for commercials. Working in F1 means Honey Bardger has to collaborate with sponsors, and it is something that he is good at.

During his recent interview for Gazzetta dello Sport, Jacques Villeneuve shared an opinion that might upset multiple Daniel Ricciardo fans. He started by complimenting the Spanish F1 drivers:

"I love seeing what Carlos Sainz is doing. I admire Fernando Alonso because he is hungry. It’s the difference that a great driver makes."

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Both Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso have performed very well throughout the 2023 season. Alonso achieved seven podiums for Aston Martin so far and leads his teammate Lance Stroll by 136 points.

Carlos Sainz is the only driver outside of Red Bull who managed to score a Grand Prix victory this season after he won the challenging Singapore Grand Prix. On the other hand, Villeneuve slammed Ricciardo with his following statement.

"I would ask kids who want to be drivers today – do you want it out of passion or because you want to be like Daniel Ricciardo, smiling in commercials?"

After separating their ways with McLaren following an unsuccessful 2022 season, Ricciardo returned to his old family - Red Bull Racing in the position of a test and third Driver.

The Honey Badger consequently had two significant roles, working on simulator and marketing duties to which Villeneuve referred in his statement.

The Australian then managed to get a seat in AlphaTauri; however, he suffered an injury during free practice before the Dutch Grand Prix and could not attend any of the following five races, including the one in the Netherlands.

Ricciardo has a chance to show Villeneuve and Red Bull he is a worthy driver as he will get back into the seat of his AlphaTauri for the United States Grand Prix in Austin next weekend.