F1 world champion Jody Scheckter slams Daniel Ricciardo for 'smiling too much'

Ricciardo, Hungary, 2023 — Photo: © LAT Images

Daniel Ricciardo

F1 world champion slams Ricciardo for 'smiling too much'

Daniel Ricciardo has been criticised for his positivity around the paddock

Jay Winter

Tuesday 12 September 2023 21:57

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1979 Formula 1 world champion Jody Scheckter has stated that AlphaTauri driver Daniel Ricciardo 'smiles too much' and shouldn't replace under-pressure Red Bull driver Sergio Perez.

Ricciardo decided to take a break from F1 after a two-year stint at McLaren. The Australian then returned to his former team Red Bull in a third driver role before going on loan to AlphaTauri to replace the ousted Nyck de Vries.

However, it hasn't been the brightest of starts for the 34-year-old. After just two races, Ricciardo broke a bone in his left hand during a free practice session at the Dutch Grand Prix.

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And according to Scheckter, Red Bull would be making a mistake by sacking Perez for Ricciardo.

"He smiles too much, that's the problem," said the 73-year-old to Stats Perform.

"When somebody smiles so much… I don't know if he's going to be any better than Perez.

"I don't rate him. I don't rate him right at the top."

Ricciardo under fire

Ricciardo and Perez are going head-to-head to become Max Verstappen's team-mate

Scheckter's critique didn't stop there. The South African questioned Ricciardo's enthusiasm and whether the Australian driver's performance has declined over the years.

"I think he was better when he started," he said.

"He was always a good over-taker. But I'm not sure if I would swap him out for Perez.

"Of course, when you've been there a long time, it's different. Has he got the enthusiasm to do it?

"I don't think he's as good as he was when he started. I think he was quite impressive at some stages. Now, I don't think he's impressive.

"But they know a lot more information than I do."

Ricciardo will be focused on his return to the F1 grid in order to pick up some points for Red Bull's sister team. Currently, his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda has picked up the only three points achieved by the Faenza-based outfit.