Daniel Ricciardo makes thoughts clear on Jacques Villeneuve 'talking s**t' about him

Daniel Ricciardo has spoken out on the intense public spat he had with Jacques Villeneuve earlier this Formula One season, claiming he wouldn't sink to the level of attacking another driver after he felt targeted by the former champion.

The verbal tussle kicked off at the Canadian Grand Prix in June following criticisms from Villeneuve, the 1997 F1 title-holder, who bluntly asked: "Why is he still in F1? " At the time, Ricciardo was struggling to match his less experienced team-mate Yuki Tsunoda's performance at VCARB.

Reacting to the unflattering comments, Ricciardo powered through to qualify fifth for the Montreal race, expressing afterwards that he wouldn't give Villeneuve "the time of day" and retorted that the critic should "eat s**t."

This fiery response, however, did not quell the controversy, as Villeneuve fired back, calling the VCARB contender "unprofessional" and "childish".

Ricciardo, though he is now finding more consistency on the track and attracting less criticism, hasn't put the clash with Villeneuve behind him.

In an interview with the Mirror about handling negative remarks, Ricciardo brought up Villeneuve's jibes, noting: "In Montreal, Jacques was talking some stuff and there were a few things where I had a chip on my shoulder.

"I was like, 'Alright, if you guys want to test me, let's go'. I think I responded well to some of that.

"Normally I don't read it, but the team makes you aware of it, to prepare me for things that have been said. It does work me up... this is a world champion as well, in Jacques' case, it's someone who knows the sport.

"I could comment on other drivers and be like, 'Yeah, he's gone through a rough patch', but I would never talk s**t about someone because I can relate and I know what they've gone through. No-one can strap themselves and do this, it's such a rare sport.

"I was more disappointed, but I thought, 'If some people think that way, time for me to remind them that I'm still here'. I used it to my advantage, but it's fine. I know people have opinions. I just thought, 'Don't get agitated, get motivated'."

Ricciardo continued, expressing his renewed sense of harmony with his car: "It's definitely clicking a bit more. Canada was definitely a bigger turning point. I had the new chassis in China and Miami worked better.

"I had a couple of not-as-good ones and then in Canada, there was a lot on the line. There was talk already of me maybe losing my seat and I was like, 'Okay, everything I've done so far this year, for whatever reason, hasn't worked the way I wanted - I need to try to change a few things'."