August 26th 2023.
After a crash during Friday practice for the Dutch Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo is set to miss the next three races due to injury. The AlphaTauri driver had broken his left hand when he hit the barriers at the Zandvoort circuit and had to be replaced by debutant Liam Lawson for the race this weekend.
Ricciardo himself revealed that he had no choice but to take the necessary steps to fully recover before getting back to racing. He said, “I remember coming into Turn 3. I had already gotten into the corner and then saw [Oscar] Piastri, so it was either hit him or the wall. 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.”
He also wished the team well and apologized for the change in plans. He said, “I wish the team well, and I’m sorry for the change in plans again. It’s a chance for Liam to have a go, and I wish him and the team a strong weekend.”
Red Bull boss Christian Horner revealed that Ricciardo could have surgery on his hand as early as Sunday but he certainly won’t recover in time for the next weekend’s race in Italy. He might return for the Singapore Grand Prix on 17th September, but given the gruelling nature of the Marina Bay street circuit, Horner thinks Ricciardo may give that a miss as well, meaning he may only come back for the Japan race the following week.
Horner said, “He’s headed off today to Barcelona. They may even have a little operation on him tomorrow to tidy up where that break is, it’s quite a clean break. Then of course it’s all about the recuperation and how long that takes. Any normal human being would be 10-12 weeks but we know that these guys aren’t normal. So it will all be about the recovery process. Is it going to be three weeks? Will it be a month? Is it six weeks? Nobody really knows. I’m sure at the back of his mind he’s got Singapore as a target. But, then again, Singapore is probably one of the toughest circuits on the calendar. So nature will take its course.”
Ricciardo is certainly hoping to get back into the cockpit as soon as possible, but he is aware of the need to take the necessary steps to ensure that he can return to full strength. Until then, he will be rooting for his replacement, Liam Lawson, and the AlphaTauri team.
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