McLaren F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo has hit out at Formula One for over-promoting crashes as part of the action and appeal of the sport.
“I think last year, F1 put on their social channels, like, ‘top 10 moments of the year’ or something, and eight of the ten were crashes,” Ricciardo said in an interview with Square Mile.
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“I was just like, you guys are fu***** idiots. Maybe 12-year-old kids want to see that kind of content, and that’s cool because they don’t know any better, but we’re not kids.
“Just do better, guys. Do better than that,” he added.
He also commented on Netflix’s Drive to Survive (DTS) docuseries, saying that while he believes it has done a good job at promoting F1 and attracting new fans, he believes the apparent rivalry between him and Carlos Sainz in season two was somewhat manufactured for dramatic purposes.
“I mean the second season, there were some episodes or parts where I feel they forced it a little bit,” Ricciardo added.
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“They tried to create a bit of a rivalry between me and Sainz and it wasn’t really there. Like, he’s no more a rival than anyone else.
“There wasn’t any personal grudge with him, but I think [Netflix] wanted something, so a lot of questions led with asking about Carlos. Maybe no one noticed, but for me, I was like, he’s fine.
“I’ve probably got other guys that I dislike, you know, as opposed to Carlos… I mean, he dresses like a 60-year-old, but otherwise he’s alright.”
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