Daniel Ricciardo fractured a metacarpal bone during Friday’s FP2 session at Zandvoort, and he underwent a successful left hand surgery on Sunday in Spain.
The Dutch Grand Prix’s second practice session earlier this weekend resulted in a crash that resulted in AlphaTauri driver Daniel Ricciardo breaking a metacarpal on his left hand, which was successfully fixed through surgery.
Ricciardo’s crash happened at Zandvoort’s banked Turn 3 after the AlphaTauri driver lost control as he came to the curve where McLaren’s Oscar Piastri had slammed into the barrier only a few moments before.
The Australian driver had been taken to a nearby hospital for X-Rays, which revealed a broken metacarpal in his left hand. The metacarpal bone had been broken by the AlphaTauri’s steering wheel’s strong whiplash during the crash.
Ricciardo flew to Barcelona for treatment from Xavier Mir, the MotoGP paddock’s go-to surgeon, as disclosed on Saturday.
Mir has also operated on Lance Stroll as a result of the cycling accident that sidelined him from participating in preseason testing. Within a week, Stroll was back in time for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
Red Bull are hoping that the Spanish doctor will be able to speed up Ricciardo’s return to the racetrack as well. Team boss Christian Horner gave an update on the Australian’s condition on Sunday.
“He had an operation earlier today,” Horner confirmed. “He’s had several screws and a plate fitted to his [metacarpal]. It went well, it was successful.
“The bone was broken in multiple places, but it was a fairly straightforward procedure.
While resting, Ricciardo shared a post with his fans on Instagram.
“Had surgery this morning, got my first bit of metal work so that’s pretty cool. Big thanks to everyone who reached out and kept my spirits up. This ain’t a setback, just all part of the comeback.”
Due to his injury, Ricciardo was compelled to miss the Dutch Grand Prix, and Red Bull reserve Liam Lawson filled in for him.
The Australian will also not be racing in the Italian Grand Prix next weekend, but Christian Horner was unable to provide an estimate for Daniel Ricciardo’s return. That choice, according to Horner, can only be evaluated based on how quickly the AlphaTauri driver recovers.
Liam Lawson will once more fill in for Ricciardo at Monza, according to Franz Tost, the AlphaTauri team principal. Given the risky conditions and volatile weather, Lawson’s debut was challenging as he moved up from 19th on the grid to 13th.
