Christian Horner revealed how Helmut Marko wanted Daniel Ricciardo out of the RB seat at the Spanish GP. Even Jacques Villeneuve made some harsh comments about the Aussie at the race before the Spanish GP i.e. Canadian GP. However, the result in Montreal was in Ricciardo’s favor. Hence, Horner asked the Honey Badger to call Villeneuve every race weekend.
Horner revealed on the F1 Nation podcast how Villeneuve’s comments ignited a fire in Ricciardo, as the Red Bull boss asked him to call the Canadian every race for some motivation. He said, “It was actually dear old Jacques Villeneuve who got him properly wound up while giving him a hard time and it fired him up.”
Horner added, “The way he drove the car that weekend, he grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and put together a strong weekend. I did say ‘Give Jacques a call every Grand Prix for the rest of the year’ because whatever he said actually worked.”
Villeneuve at the Canadian GP mentioned that Ricciardo wasn’t ‘able to make the cut’ and has been making excuses that the car is not good enough for him. The 1997 world champion went on to slander the Aussie and explained why he should be sacked and doesn’t deserve his place in F1.
Ricciardo took Villeneuve’s comments to heart and finished the race in P8, scoring big points for the team. After the race, the Honey Badger said that he heard Villeneuve talking ‘sh*t’ about him but didn’t care as he wouldn’t his critics his time of the day.
Horner revealed the reason behind Ricciardo’s sacking
Tom Clarkson questioned Horner about the reason behind Ricciardo’s sacking. He asked the Red Bull boss about the Aussie’s standout performances in Miami and Canada and whether the inconsistent results were behind the sacking.
Horner mentioned that the inconsistency definitely played a role. He explained how the Miami GP weekend was split into two halves. The sprint race was a high point but the qualifying and Grand Prix were disappointing from Ricciardo.
The team brought Ricciardo in as a possible replacement for Sergio Perez. Now with Lawson demanding a seat at the team given the clause in his contract, Ricciardo was sacked. The remaining six races will be a test for the New Zealander. If Lawson succeeds, he can possibly replace Perez at Red Bull next year.
