Jacques Villeneuve has hit back at embattled F1 veteran Daniel Ricciardo getting "personal" in Montreal last weekend.
The 1997 world champion suggested the Australian, who appears unlikely to remain part of the Red Bull family beyond 2024, had survived in F1 for the past several years mainly due to his "image" rather than his results or pace.
Ricciardo’s reaction was scathing, wondering if the Canadian had "hit his head too many times" and telling Villeneuve to "eat sh*t".
"He went a bit personal in his reaction," Villeneuve is quoted as saying by the Finnish broadcaster MTV. "When you’re criticised you need to have a thick skin but modern drivers are role models.
"When you’re at the top, like all 20 of them here, you have to behave professionally," the 53-year-old added.
"Young people and children listen when the drivers talk. So you can’t get personal.
"I clearly got under his skin, and I got him out of his funk. But it’s not enough," Villeneuve suggested.