As Daniel Ricciardo made a comeback with AlphaTauri mid-season this year, it is fair to say that the stars are not in his favor. With mere average performance in the initial races as a replacement for Nyck de Vries, the Aussie’s future is on hold now since the incident at the Dutch Grand Prix. He was quickly replaced by Formula 2 driver, Liam Lawson who will drive for the team as a substitution until Ricciardo gets better and is back in the game.
After missing the Italian Grand Prix last weekend, Ricciardo’s return post-recovery at the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix is in question at the moment. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has categorically put out that Daniel Ricciardo will not be capable of competing in Singapore. He stated, “Certainly Singapore, I don’t think there’s any chance he’ll be ready for then, and I think it would be optimistic for Japan.”
BREAKING: Daniel Ricciardo is unlikely to return to action after breaking his hand until Formula 1’s Qatar Grand Prix, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has suggested. #F1 #Formula1 pic.twitter.com/QfvqX8yqsi
— Sofia Siriatou 🇬🇷🇸🇲 (@sophia_wrc) September 4, 2023
According to the reports, in order to repair his metacarpal fracture, Ricciardo underwent surgery in Barcelona and is going through physiotherapy at the moment. Despite the setback, he remains hopeful as he shared a picture of himself from the hospital bed humorously sharing about getting some “metalwork” in his hand.
Will Daniel Ricciardo return for the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix?
Given that the Japanese Grand Prix is coming up on September 22 and the Singapore Grand Prix is very close and to be held between September 15-17, Christian Horner was a little skeptical when talking about Daniel Ricciardo’s return.
There is a higher chance that the New Zealander, Liam Lawson will continue to compete for AlphaTauri at the Marina Bay Street Circuit which is less than desirable for Daniel as he wishes to secure a permanent seat in Formula 1.
Daniel Ricciardo reflects on his FP2 incident that led to his hand-breaking injury
We hope to see you back soon, @danielricciardo ❤️#DutchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/UAeI6ngHYL
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 26, 2023
While speaking to the media, Horner shared his opinion on the issue of speedy recoveries, “He’s got mobility of the hand, he’s into rehabilitation now, but we’ve seen with motorcyclists, rushing comebacks can sometimes do more damage.” The Briton also shared Ricciardo’s eagerness to be able to drive at the Suzuka circuit at the end of the month. But nothing is certain at present, regarding the precise state of recovery or return.
However, the 21-year-old Lawson’s first full racing weekend with AlphaTauri was at Monza, and the result proved to be a solid effort. He finished less than two-tenths of a second behind teammate Yuki Tsunoda in the Q2 qualifying round, barely missing out on advancing forward.
Lawson eventually finished the race in a wonderful 11th spot, but Tsunoda was not able to get underway because of a power unit malfunction during the formation lap.