- Daniel Ricciardo will start the Canadian GP on the third row
- The Australian achieved his best qualification of the season
- He has suffered brutal criticism from the former F1 champion
Australian F1 star Daniel Ricciardo will start the Canadian Grand Prix in fifth position after his best qualifying performance of the season.
George Russell achieved an extraordinary pole position for the GP: he tied in 1 minute 12,000 seconds with Max Verstappen.
It was a dramatic qualifying session with the threat of occasional persistent rain. Everyone had to be alert, a point Russell highlighted when he clung to his spinning car in Turn 4 during Q2.
Lando Norris will start third, 0.021 seconds off the lead, one place ahead of his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.
Daniel Ricciardo (pictured) will start the Canadian Grand Prix in fifth position after his best qualifying performance of the season
Ricciardo currently drives for Visa Cash App RB and is fighting to prolong his career.
Commentator Matt Gallagher described Ricciardo’s drive as “ridiculous”, after a difficult couple of days for the Australian.
Over the weekend, former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve questioned why Ricciardo is still in F1 and claimed his image ultimately saved his career in a wild live television rant.
‘Why are you still in F1? Because?’ Villeneuve was furious with Sky Sports F1.
‘We have been hearing the same thing for four or five years. “We have to improve the car for him.” Sorry, it’s been five years since that. No, you are in F1.
‘Maybe you make that effort for Lewis Hamilton, who won multiple championships. No such effort is made for a driver who cannot do so.
‘If you can’t do it, go home, there is someone else to take your place. That’s how it’s always been in racing, it’s the pinnacle of the sport.
“There is no reason to move on and keep looking for excuses, and you all talk about that first season or the first two seasons, he was beating a Vettel who was burnt out, who was trying to invent things with the car to win and just doing Your weekends are a disaster.
“Then he was beating Verstappen for half a season when Verstappen was 18, just starting out, that was it, he stopped beating anyone after that.”
Former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve wonders why Daniel Ricciardo is still in F1
The commentary team suggested that Ricciardo should thank Villeneuve for the motivation he has given him.
“Daniel Ricciardo needs to pay Jacques Villeneuve a bonus for the motivation he has given him this weekend,” said Sky’s David Croft.
“This is by far the best qualifying day of the season for Daniel Ricciardo so far.”
The Australian driver was emotional after the session and could be heard celebrating over the team radio.
“Fuck yeah,” he said.