Ricciardo Suffers Broken Hand in Practice Crash, Liam Lawson to Replace Him in Dutch GP
Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo will be forced to sit out for the remainder of the Dutch Grand Prix weekend after sustaining a broken left hand in a practice crash. The incident occurred during Friday’s second practice session when Ricciardo collided with fellow Australian Oscar Piastri, who had crashed his McLaren in Zandvoort’s Turn 3.
Ricciardo’s steering wheel snapped violently upon impact with the wall, causing him to complain about wrist pain over the team radio. He was immediately taken to a nearby hospital in Haarlem for X-rays, where he was spotted with his left arm in a sling.
Later in the evening, AlphaTauri confirmed the extent of Ricciardo’s injury, stating that he had broken a metacarpal on his left hand. This injury will prevent him from participating in the rest of the Dutch GP.
As a result, Liam Lawson, the Red Bull junior driver who was on standby as the reserve driver for both Red Bull teams, will replace Ricciardo starting from Saturday’s FP3 session. Helmut Marko, a top Red Bull official, confirmed Lawson’s promotion and expressed his disappointment about Ricciardo’s injury. Marko also noted that the car was performing well at the circuit, making Ricciardo’s absence particularly unfortunate.
Lawson, who currently ranks second in Japan’s Super Formula championship with three wins, is set to make his debut in a 2023 Formula 1 car on Saturday. Despite being the reserve driver, he has not had the opportunity to participate in any rookie FP1 sessions for Red Bull or AlphaTauri this season. There were previous speculations that Lawson could replace Nyck de Vries from the Hungarian Grand Prix onwards, but Red Bull ultimately chose Ricciardo to provide more experience to the struggling AlphaTauri team.
Furthermore, Marko added that de Vries, who was replaced by Ricciardo, was not considered for a return on home soil. The decision to bring in Ricciardo was likely influenced by his experience and familiarity with the team and the circuit.
The absence of Ricciardo will undoubtedly impact both AlphaTauri’s performance and his own chances of scoring points in the Dutch Grand Prix. However, fans will undoubtedly be looking forward to witnessing Lawson’s debut in a Formula 1 car and seeing how he performs in Ricciardo’s absence.