In Canada, Jacques Villeneuve and Daniel Ricciardo engaged in a heated verbal battle.
As the dust begins to settle on a thrilling Canadian Grand Prix, we have some major talking points to bring you up to speed with.
Arguably, the most intense confrontation unfolded not on the track, but in a war of words between Jacques Villeneuve and Daniel Ricciardo. We bring you the latest update from their ongoing verbal clash, while fans express their frustration over a controversial false start penalty for Ricciardo, among other grievances.
Jacques Villeneuve chastises Daniel Ricciardo for making it ‘personal’
During the Canadian Grand Prix, Villeneuve took on the role of a pundit for Sky F1. He didn’t hold back in his criticism of RB driver Ricciardo, igniting a spirited exchange of views throughout the race weekend.
Villeneuve believed that the exchange of words became “personal” when Ricciardo commented, “I think he’s had a few too many knocks on the head. So I’m not sure if he plays ice hockey or something.” He further criticized Ricciardo for not setting a better example as a role model.
Read more – Jacques Villeneuve hits back at ‘personal’ Daniel Ricciardo comments as war of words continues
Fans call Daniel Ricciardo penalty a ‘joke’
In a twist of irony, Ricciardo managed to achieve a commendable performance in Canada, securing his first points finish of the season in a grand prix. Despite being penalized with a five-second penalty for a false start, he clinched P8.
Fans on social media expressed their discontent with the stewards’ decision using the terms “joke” and “robbed”.
Read more – Daniel Ricciardo reveals suspected cause of Canadian GP jump start as ‘joke’ penalty criticised
Will Buxton tears into Red Bull punishment
Red Bull and Sergio Perez also drew the stewards’ attention. Perez incurred a €25,000 fine and a three-place grid penalty for the Spanish GP. This came about when Perez crashed his RB20 and, as per Red Bull’s request, he drove it back to the pits to retire from the race.
Will Buxton, a Formula 1 presenter, expressed his belief that the penalty was excessively lenient considering the potential harm caused to fellow drivers. He even made a comparison to the infamous ‘Crashgate’ incident.
Read more – Red Bull punishment slammed after rule break and ‘endangering’ drivers
Toto Wolff leaps to defence of George Russell
George Russell, the Mercedes driver who began the race in Montreal from pole position, had a strong chance of claiming victory. However, his hopes were dashed due to a series of mistakes, such as miscalculating the kerb at Turn 8 and colliding with Oscar Piastri. These errors ultimately resulted in him finishing in third place.
Ralf Schumacher, a six-time F1 race winner, expressed his dissatisfaction, while Toto Wolff, the team principal of Russell’s Mercedes team, stood up for the British driver, highlighting the presence of “brilliance” in his performance.
Read more – Toto Wolff defends George Russell after ‘force his way through the wall’ criticism
Alpine radio transcript highlights Esteban Ocon team orders frustration
Esteban Ocon, who has already been announced to depart Alpine by the end of F1 2024, expressed dissatisfaction with his team’s implementation of team orders during the Canadian Grand Prix. Despite referring to himself as a “team player” for adhering to the request of letting Pierre Gasly overtake him, Ocon felt that the team did not fulfill their end of the bargain by not allowing him to regain his position after Gasly failed to pass Ricciardo.
The complete radio transcript from this saga has now surfaced, revealing Ocon’s sarcastic remark of “amazing” directed towards his race engineer, Josh Peckett.
Read more – Full Esteban Ocon radio transcript uncovered after team order row in Canada
