Daniel Ricciardo out of Dutch Grand Prix with broken wrist as replacement named

25 August 2023 , 17:12

655     0

Daniel Ricciardo held his wrist in agony after the crash on Friday (Image: Getty Images)

Daniel Ricciardo will miss the Dutch Grand Prix through injury.

The Aussie racer crashed in the second practice session on Friday and was taken to hospital to assess the damage. X-rays showed he suffered a broken wrist, meaning he will play no further part in this weekend's action at Zandvoort.

AlphaTauri will turn to Liam Lawson to replace him. The Red Bull junior driver has been in the Dutch Grand Prix paddock all weekend and will make his Formula 1 debut.

Nyck de Vries is still under contract at Red Bull and would have been the alternative choice. But Lawson has been deemed ready to step up in the Aussie's place.

It is not currently known for how long Ricciardo will be sidelined. It will depend upon the severity of the breaks, as Lance Stroll demonstrated earlier this year that it is possible to drive with a broken wrist if the pain is manageable.

Sebastian Vettel warns of looming F1 ban and is "very worried about the future"

An AlphaTauri team statement read: "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 local hospital and further examinations were carried out.

"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."

Lawson will be the fourth driver to race for AlphaTauri in what is becoming a more and more disrupted season for the team. The New Zealander is racing in Japan this year and is a title contender in the Super Formula championship.

He is believed to be an outside contender for an F1 race seat with the team for the 2024 season, with both Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda not yet confirmed for next year. A strong performance at Zandvoort this weekend will only strengthen Lawson's case.

Oscar Piastri was the other driver involved in the same incident as the one in which Ricciardo picked up his injury. But the McLaren driver was uninjured and will continue to compete this weekend as planned.

Daniel Moxon