### “Villeneuve Blasts Ricciardo: ‘Unprofessional’ and ‘Childish’ Remarks Spark F1 Feud

Jacques Villeneuve has renewed his criticism of Daniel Ricciardo, calling him "unprofessional" and "childish."

Jacques Villeneuve has once again criticized Daniel Ricciardo.

Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 Formula 1 world champion, has renewed his criticism of Daniel Ricciardo, escalating their ongoing verbal dispute.

The incident began on Friday of the Montreal weekend when Villeneuve openly wondered on Sky Sports why Ricciardo remains in F1 given his recent lackluster performance.

Ricciardo responded strongly during qualifying, securing fifth place, and then humorously addressed Villeneuve’s remarks by suggesting the ex-Williams driver might have been struck on the head during a hockey game.

Despite having his most successful weekend of the year, finishing eighth in the race, the Australian driver continued to face criticism. Villeneuve maintained his stance, emphasizing that Ricciardo must demonstrate more consistent performances and that such critique was necessary for his improvement.

In an interview with CryptoSportsBetting.ltd, Villeneuve intensified his critique of Ricciardo, describing him as "immature" and "unprofessional" due to how he responded to the initial remarks.

"Daniel Ricciardo is a controversial figure," he remarked. "It's always dangerous to offer criticism because he has strong backing from his team, the media, and fans on social media. It's a sensitive issue; even constructive feedback can lead to backlash and upset many people."

In the end, the outcomes haven't been favorable. He performed exceptionally well at Red Bull, but since his departure, it's been quite challenging, and his comeback hasn't been spectacular. He had a strong qualifying round and an average race yesterday, which was affected by a false start that earned him a penalty. Ultimately, he managed to score points because the drivers ahead of him made mistakes.

"He stayed out of trouble and earned some points, but in the grand scheme of the season, that’s not enough. He has to step up his game, plain and simple. The standings don’t lie, and this applies to every driver. Clearly, I got to him because it made him pick up the pace. Even Christian Horner believed it gave him a bit of motivation, which he might have needed. At the very least, he gained a lot of media attention from this!"

"What amazes me is how some drivers react in the media these days. Their behavior is entirely unprofessional, irrelevant to the sport, and can even be personally offensive, which is astonishing. I can't picture Daniel making such statements to other media outlets, so it's quite strange. If he claims that someone got hit on the head while playing ice hockey, how is that constructive or professional?"

"It's quite immature, and individuals like Daniel are seen as role models, which makes them believe that behaving in such a manner is acceptable. It's important to be mindful of this. I found it very odd when someone claims they don't care about others' opinions. In Formula 1, you need to have resilience because criticism is inevitable, and you must handle it gracefully. Avoid making immature and offensive remarks."

Since departing Renault at the conclusion of 2020 to join McLaren, Ricciardo has faced difficulties in maintaining his performance.

Lando Norris outperformed him, leading to his replacement by Oscar Piastri.

The situation has been much the same for Yuki Tsunoda, and Villeneuve believes it's a matter of "the truth being painful."

"I'm not sure why Daniel Ricciardo is so highly regarded, but he has a significant presence," he remarked. "It's great for him, but think about how impressive it would be if he could deliver consistent results. He hasn't met expectations and lacks consistency, so he knows he's not performing at the required level and hasn't achieved satisfactory results. It's straightforward."

"There's no issue with expressing that. It might be painful to hear, but you're in Formula 1—accept it and keep going. The truth can be tough to handle."

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