During F1 TV’s post-race show after the Italian GP in Monza last weekend, Villenueve said that the possibility of Alpine being interested in signing Ricciardo appears slim. That’s because the Australian had not had a good season in a long time, so he does not deserve a look-in from the French team.
He said that Ricciardo’s indifferent stints with Renault and McLaren doesn’t augur well for his hopes of re-signing with Alpine.
Villeneuve added that Ricciardo was quite impressive during his Red Bull days, but his driving style is incompatible with modern F1 cars. He also added that Ricciardo’s subsequent moves didn’t turn out to be frutiful, saying:
Other than Ricciardo, there are reports of Alpine’s interest in Pierre Gasly as well. The AlphaTauri driver will have to be first released by Red Bull before he can get a seat at Alpine, though.
Villeneuve doesn’t see that happening, though, as the team already have a French driver. Moroever, Esteban Ocon and Gasly don’t seem to get along well. He said:
Gasly is 11th in the driver standings, having garnered only 22 points all season. Meanwhile, Ricciardio is three places behind the Frenchman, with 19 points.
Villeneuve identifies Daniel Ricciardo’s Australian counterpart as next Alpine driver
Jacques Villeneuve thinks thought instead of poaching drivers from other teams, Alpine need to back the youngster present in their ranks.
Villeneuve said that Ricciardo’s counterpart Jack Doohan, an F2 racer, should be given an opportunity next season.
Doohan is the son of the Australian motorcycle legend Mick Doohan and has been impressive in his first season in F2. Villeneuve said:
Considering the plethora of options available for Alpine, it will be interesting to see who gets the nod as the team’s second driver next season.
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