Helmut Marko issues stinging six-word Daniel Ricciardo verdict after Villeneuve criticism
Daniel Ricciardo still has work to do to impress Helmut Marko despite his positive Canadian Grand Prix drive.
Helmut Marko remains ‘unimpressed’ with Daniel Ricciardo’s form despite the Australian’s positive Canadian Grand Prix performances. The RB driver secured his first points from a Grand Prix this season in Montreal.
It has been a disappointing year for Ricciardo, having returned to a full-time place on the grid midway through 2023. He replaced Nyck De Vries at Red Bull’s sister team.
Ricciardo has faced criticism for his performances this season, so a positive display in Canada would have been a welcome boost for the 34-year-old. However, Marko
The veteran Red Bull technical advisor, 81, told Motorsport.com: "In general terms, RB is a junior team, so we have to see what happens."
Brutally, Marko added: "The rest is not impressive yet."
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Ricciardo has been embroiled in a recent row with former Williams driver Jacques Villeneuve. The Canadian questioned why Ricciardo remains in F1, with teams frequently insisting they need to build their cars around the driver’s skillset.
Speaking to Sky Sports earlier this month, Villeneuve said: “Why is he still in F1? We’re hearing the same thing now for the last four or five years, we have to make the car better for him. Sorry, it’s been five years of that.”
Ricciardo was unimpressed by the comments and responded at a press conference: “I heard he’s been talking s***. But he always does. I think he’s hit his head a few too many times. So I don’t know if he plays ice hockey or something.
“I won’t give him the time of day but all those people can suck it. I want to say more but we’ll leave him behind.”
Villeneuve continued the war of words after the Canadian Grand Prix, telling CryptoSportsBetting: “Daniel Ricciardo is a hot potato.
“It’s always risky to criticise him because he’s extremely protected by his team and the media and by fans on social media. It’s a burnt subject, even if you say something constructive, you’ll get burnt one way or another and you’ll have a lot of people who get angry.”
The 1997 world champion added: “Ultimately, the results have not been there. He was really good at Red Bull and since he left them, it’s been very difficult and his return hasn’t been flamboyant.
“He had a good qualifying session and then an OK race yesterday marred by the false start where he got a penalty and in the end, he scored points because drivers in front of him messed up.”
