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Australian Formula one star Daniel Ricciardo used very choice words to respond to his critics during the Canadian Grand Prix.
One in particular, 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, questioned why the Australian driver even had a place on the grid.
“I think his image has kept him in F1 more than his actual results,” Villeneuve said on Sky Sports.
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Asked about the comment after qualifying fifth on Sunday morning (AEST), Ricciardo initially bit his tongue – but eventually couldn’t help himself.
“I was just told (about the comments). I don’t listen and I don’t read, but there are definitely some who … yeah, whatever,” Ricciardo said.
“I won’t give them time. But yeah, top five, I was fast all weekend. We are less than two-tenths from the pole.
“So, eat shit.”
The Sky reporter wanted to ask another question, but the Australian just walked away with a big smile on his face.
Ricciardo’s effort came just hours after team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was confirmed to remain at RB.
His own future with the team or otherwise is still undecided, but he says that doesn’t dampen his motivation.
“Obviously I was highly motivated to do more than I was this year,” Ricciardo said.
“Obviously Miami was a bit of a one-off. I know how good those results feel and so I do it to feel those highs.
“I think just at the beginning of the week, I don’t know, everything felt good, I was really happy to come back to this track and drive here because I like it.
“Today marks 10 years since my first win and that day changed my life. So, there’s a lot of good emotions that come into it, and I felt like I was ready to do some good shit.”
Meanwhile, George Russell claimed just the second pole position of his career after setting an identical time to Max Verstappen during a scintillating qualifying session.
The British driver, who was in pole position in Hungary in 2022, proved Mercedes’ progress and beat Verstappen to set first time as the pair could not be separated on the time charts on Saturday.
The top three were separated by just two thousandths of a second, with Lando Norris in third.
Australian duo Oscar Piastri (Maclaren) and Ricciardo (Visa RB) were less than two-hundredths of a second behind Russell in fourth and fifth.
Two weeks after his glorious home win in Monaco, title hopeful Charles Leclerc will start only 11th as Ferrari suffered a shock double elimination in Q2.
Lewis Hamilton (seventh) earlier set a terrific fastest time in final practice as Mercedes hinted at further improvement after a promising performance in Monaco.
The seven-time world champion, who will leave Mercedes for Ferrari after this season, won his first F1 race in Canada during his debut season for McLaren in 2007 and has won seven times in total at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit.
But his teammate Russell took the lead with a stunning performance in the final qualifying session.
“It feels so good,” Russell said.
“Hopefully this is the start of something for our season. I think that it is.
“I’m excited for tomorrow. Now we look at that victory.”
The first session started with the track drying out quickly after rain after the third practice session and times dropped as the clock ticked down.
Sergio Perez, who was handed a new contract by Red Bull until the end of 2026 earlier this week, was eliminated in Q1 for the second race in a row as team-mate Verstappen topped the charts.
Fans reached for their ponchos as the rain returned briefly at the start of Q2 and Russell avoided contact with the wall after a big hit in turn four before posting the fastest time.
Ferrari were tipped by many as favorites for this weekend but struggled throughout Saturday, with Leclerc warning that “we are extremely slow” during final practice.
They were unable to turn things around in qualifying, with the Monegasque ahead of team-mate Carlos Sainz as the Scuderia struggled for grip in the choppy conditions.
“I’m not going to comment here,” Leclerc said on the radio.
Championship leader Verstappen played down Red Bull’s chances after struggling in Monaco, believing the aggressive curbs would not suit their car.
The dominant Dutchman has won just one of the last three races after winning four of the first five and saw his championship lead cut to 31 points by Leclerc.
Team boss Christian Horner said their woes in Monaco were a “wake-up call” and Verstappen held on to finish second on the grid.
– With AAP
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