TBH, I’ve never thought Jaques was a very good driver. His WDC came driving probably the most technologically advanced car ever built. After that, he really didn’t do much. Saying Ricciardo’s image has kept him in F1 carries some irony with it.
Edit: I probably overstated it before. Jacques isn’t a bad driver. I just never thought his talent warranted the amount of praise he got. I see a lot of similarities between him and Ricciardo. Both are/were “good enough.” I think Daniel is probably more talented, though.
Too bad he doesn’t have more titles in a spec series like IndyCar to prove it, though. Jacques Villeneuve won the IndyCar championship in the 1990s, Daniel Ricciardo won 8 races in 12 years and no junior formula titles after British Formula 3 Championship in 2009.
Daniel Ricciardo is a charming person. I like him and the higher ups at RB seem to be also charmed by him. He’s not in F1 on merit.
His dad’s legacy definitely followed him around his whole career.
Also, FWIW, he’s not a bad driver at all. He still had to show up in the lower formulae to generate interest in F1. Plus, Williams was a top team at the time. They didn’t need a media darling who brought money. Most drivers at the time would’ve loved to drive for them.
TBH, I’ve never thought Jaques was a very good driver. His WDC came driving probably the most technologically advanced car ever built. After that, he really didn’t do much. Saying Ricciardo’s image has kept him in F1 carries some irony with it.
Edit: I probably overstated it before. Jacques isn’t a bad driver. I just never thought his talent warranted the amount of praise he got. I see a lot of similarities between him and Ricciardo. Both are/were “good enough.” I think Daniel is probably more talented, though.
Maybe that’s why he knows what he’s talking about?
Fair point! I wouldn’t be surprised if he had that level of self-awareness.
Too bad he doesn’t have more titles in a spec series like IndyCar to prove it, though. Jacques Villeneuve won the IndyCar championship in the 1990s, Daniel Ricciardo won 8 races in 12 years and no junior formula titles after British Formula 3 Championship in 2009.
Daniel Ricciardo is a charming person. I like him and the higher ups at RB seem to be also charmed by him. He’s not in F1 on merit.
He was also a generational talent and it always felt a bit like he was where he was because of his dad more than anything.
His dad’s legacy definitely followed him around his whole career.
Also, FWIW, he’s not a bad driver at all. He still had to show up in the lower formulae to generate interest in F1. Plus, Williams was a top team at the time. They didn’t need a media darling who brought money. Most drivers at the time would’ve loved to drive for them.
That’s true and I was a fan of his at the time. Much like I’m a fan of Ricciardo while agreeing entirely with Villeneuve’s words!