AlphaTauri driver Daniel Ricciardo has been ruled out of the Dutch Grand Prix due to a broken wrist sustained following a second practice crash. Liam Lawson will take over for the rest of the weekend.
In the opening moments of Free Practice 2, the Australian driver crashed at the banked Turn 3 bend after being taken off guard by Oscar Piastri’s crash right in front of him.
Ricciardo was taken to the hospital for additional checks, and it was discovered that he had broken his wrist. As a result, he was not going to be capable of racing this weekend.
Soon after, AlphaTauri issued the following statement: “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. Further updates will be released in due course.”
Lawson, a backup driver for Red Bull and AlphaTauri, will take over Ricciardo’s car and contend at Zandvoort alongside Yuki Tsunoda.
Liam Lawson, who is from New Zealand will so make his F1 debut. The 21-year-old will start Saturday’s Free Practice 3 in Ricciardo’s car.
The highly regarded rookie is currently racing in Super Formula, where he currently stands P2 in the championship rankings in his first season in the Japanese series. Lawson has participated in a number of open practice sessions for both Red Bull and AlphaTauri.
Additionally, when racing for Carlin in Formula 2, he placed third in the 2022 F2 championship. Lawson had a bright start to the season but suffered a combination of unfavorable luck and subpar performance.
Lawson was never really in the title fight after that, but he did well to bounce back and finish third behind Felipe Drugovich and Theo Pourchaire.
It is believed that Lawson had been picked for his Formula One debut ahead of Nyck de Vries, who got dismissed and replaced by Daniel Ricciardo three races ago and could have made a dramatic comeback for his home race.
Red Bull appears to have decided that the remainder of the weekend is a good time to test Lawson out.
How long Ricciardo might be out is not yet clear. Furthermore, the Australian may find it too soon to recover given that the Italian Grand Prix is only over the next weekend.
