Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo just returned to F1 after being promoted in place of the underperforming rookie Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri before the summer break. But now it seems that Ricciardo is going to face several weeks out of the car as he recently got injured.
Ricciardo found himself in the barrier prior to the Dutch Grand Prix and now is gonna be out till he recovers. This has made many wonder when they can see the honey badger back in action on a Formula 1 track.
When will Daniel Ricciardo return? Reviewing the latest on Aussie star’s injury at Dutch GP
Daniel Ricciardo’s third weekend with the Red Bull-owned AlphaTauri squad at Zandvoort was cut short when he crashed in FP2. The crash happened just under 20 minutes into the session, and it appeared that Ricciardo was caught out by a crash for McLaren’s Oscar Piastri ahead of him at Turn 3.
Ricciardo’s car speared into the outside barrier, and he reported that he had hurt his left hand. He gingerly extracted himself from the car, and he was taken to the medical center for further examination. Upon a swift trip to the hospital for checks, it was found that he had broken a metacarpal, and Red Bull junior Liam Lawson will be drafted in to replace him for his F1 debut this weekend.
After being ruled out of the weekend and the foreseeable rounds, Ricciardo said, “I remember coming into Turn 3. I had already gotten into the corner and then saw Piastri, so it was either hit him or the wall,” Ricciardo said.
“When I hit the wall, I didn’t have enough time to take my hands off the steering wheel, so the wheel came and hit my hand.
“It’s really unfortunate and frustrating, but I’ll try to recover as quickly as I can. Obviously, I’d love to get back soon, but I also want to ensure we do things the right way, so I come back strong and competitive.”
According to Planetf1, Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, said that Daniel Ricciardo is expected to make a quick recovery from his broken hand. Horner compared Ricciardo’s recovery to that of MotoGP riders, who are known for their quick healing ability. Horner said that Ricciardo will undergo surgery in Barcelona to clean up the fracture.
Horner said that it is too early to say when Ricciardo will be back racing. He said that it could be three weeks, a month, or even six weeks. He said that Ricciardo is targeting a return at the Singapore Grand Prix, but that Singapore is one of the toughest circuits on the calendar. He further said that AlphaTauri has started to make some progress and that it is a shame that Ricciardo is out but will be determined to come back strong.
Liam Lawson replaces the Aussie driver
Liam Lawson last competed in Formula 2 with Rodin Carlin in 2022, finishing the season in third place with 10 podium finishes and four race victories. AlphaTauri has now announced that Lawson will drive for them in this weekend’s Dutch Formula 1 Grand Prix
This will mark his debut in Formula 1 after driving in Free Practice for AlphaTauri in the 2022 Belgian and Mexico City Grands Prix and with Red Bull at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In a statement, the team confirmed that Lawson would be in the car from Saturday’s Free Practice 3 onwards.
“After today’s incident during Free Practice 2 in Zandvoort, in which Daniel Ricciardo hit the barrier at Turn 3, he was brought to the hospital and further examinations were carried out,” the team statement said.
“An X-ray confirmed he sustained a break to a metacarpal on his left hand, and this injury will not allow him to continue his duties, so he will be replaced by the team’s reserve driver Liam Lawson for the remainder of this weekend. The team wishes him all the best for the quickest possible recovery.”
What are your thoughts on the Oscar-Ricciardo controversy? And do you think Liam will do a good job? Let us know your thoughts on the topic in the comments section below.
