Villeneuve’s Daniel Ricciardo criticism branded ‘over-simplistic’ by F1 correspondent

Formula 1 commentator and reporter Natalie Pinkham believes Jacques Villeneuve gave an “over-simplistic summary” when heavily criticising Daniel Ricciardo.

1997 World Champion Villeneuve, who served as a Sky F1 pundit at the Canadian Grand Prix, did not hold back when giving his views on Ricciardo, who ahead of that race weekend had been struggling in his first full season back with Red Bull’s second team RB.

Jacques Villeneuve’s Daniel Ricciardo criticism called ‘over-simplistic’

Villeneuve would question why Ricciardo is still in Formula 1 and say: “We are hearing the same thing now for the last four or five years. ‘We have to make the car better for him’,” before telling him to “go home”.

The spat snowballed from there, Ricciardo biting back and Villeneuve claiming the eight-race time race winner made it “personal” in the process.

But Pinkham, who is a close friend to Ricciardo, does not share Villeneuve’s view on the Aussie.

Ricciardo qualified P5 and finished P8 in Canada, his best result of the season, so after it was put to Pinkham by F1 Nation podcast host Tom Clarkson that this performance was the “Daniel of old”, she replied: “Yeah, absolutely.

“And I think Jacques is completely entitled to his opinion. I think it was a somewhat over-simplistic summary of Daniel’s career.

“To say he’s been five years in the sport and struggling throughout isn’t true, because he lost his seat at McLaren due to poor performance and then he earned it back through AlphaTauri, only to break his hand and earn his way back in again.

“So look, as I say, Jacques is entitled to his opinion, but it was great to see Daniel come back and quieten his critics in the best possible way which is on the track and that qualy was fantastic. I was disappointed see both him and Yuki [Tsunoda] lose places at the start. There was obviously some issue there.”

Ricciardo’s P8 in Canada was his first top 10 Grand Prix result of the season, coming at a track where he claimed his first F1 victory back in 2014.

“I think Canada is a racetrack that suits him well,” Pinkham continued, “he obviously got his first Grand Prix win there and so it holds great memories for him.

“And I don’t think that there’s a driver on the grid that doesn’t relish going back to places where they perform well, you get a psychological boost from that.

“But it’s great to see him qualifying well and driving well.

“It was a shame not to see Yuki in the points as well, because bar that spin that he had at the end there, he would have been.

“But yeah, good to see Daniel back, hushing those critics. Long may it continue.”

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Ricciardo has not hesitated to make it clear that a return to the main Red Bull team is his goal, though with Sergio Perez signing a new two-year deal ahead of the Canadian GP, Clarkson would quiz Pinkham on why she thinks Ricciardo is still in F1, considering the VCARB01 is not a race-winning car and he has “nothing to prove”. Is it just that pursuit of a Red Bull seat?

While Pinkham cannot answer that, she hinted that the Red Bull door may not necessarily be closed to Ricciardo for the next two-and-a-half seasons, Perez having suffered Q1 elimination in Canada, making it back-to-back Q1 exits, before spinning out of the race.

“Look, I don’t know. I can’t speak for Daniel,” said Pinkham on Ricciardo’s reason to still want to be in F1, “but I suppose let’s ask you the same question, why do you still work in Formula 1? You love it.

“I mean, it’s the pinnacle of motorsport. For most of us, it’s the ultimate. And I think he had a bit of time away from the sport and probably missed it a huge amount and was ready to come back and test himself at the highest level.

“I was quite surprised that they re-signed Perez for two years and announced that as quickly as they did. It works for Max [Verstappen], perhaps there’s stuff that goes on behind the scenes. And Sergio is no doubt a great racer.”

After Clarkson intervened to say, “He wasn’t in Montreal”, Pinkham continued: “Well he wasn’t and actually, that’s a bit of a shame, because you’d think that the confidence boost signing a new contract would give him would just relax [him], because I think Checo, like most drivers, is at their best when they’re relaxed and they haven’t got anything to worry about, they just do what comes naturally.

“But look, if Daniel puts in regularly strong performances, and Checo doesn’t, then are these contracts worth the paper they’re written on anyway? I mean, I doubt it, they would find a way.

“But equally, it’s no great surprise that Daniel hasn’t been promoted back into the team. By his own admission, he hasn’t had a great start to the season.

“But Miami Sprint and Montreal qualy and then indeed the race, because it wasn’t an easy race, it’s proof that he hasn’t lost any of his talent.”

Ricciardo sits P12 in the Drivers’ Championship standings after the Canadian GP on nine points, while team-mate Tsunoda – who was confirmed at RB for 2025 during the race weekend – has 19 to his name.

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