In just his third race back since the 2022 season, the popular Australian suffered an injury during a free practice crash.
An accident during Friday practice for the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort sent AlphaTauri’s Daniel Ricciardo to the hospital with a broken left hand. The team has announced the Australian will miss the rest of the weekend, and junior driver Liam Lawson will be his replacement.
Ricciardo, who only rejoined the grid on July 23 at the Hungarian Grand Prix replacing Nyck de Vries, struck the tire barrier outside the Turn 3 left-hander mere seconds after McLaren’s Oscar Piastri had. The AlphaTauri driver locked up his car’s front-left tire while attempting to slow down as he ascended up the banking. As F1.com reported, replays showed Ricciardo’s hands being jerked about at the time of impact, because he was still holding the wheel, leading to complaints of wrist pain in the aftermath.
Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s motorsport advisor, confirmed the developments to Motorsport.com. “Lawson will drive,” Marko said. “It’s difficult for [Ricciardo]. It’s a shame because the car is good here.”
While Liam Lawson has had plenty of experience in Japan’s Super Formula open-wheel series, he has not yet participated in an F1 free practice session this season, despite being AlphaTauri’s reserve driver. Ricciardo finished 13th and 16th at the Hungaroring and Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps, respectively, his first two races back since the 2022 season.
