Daniel Ricciardo is still out of action following a crash at the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix.
The Australian broke a bone in his left hand during a practice session, with Liam Lawson temporarily taking his seat.
The Sporting News has the latest updates on Ricciardo’s condition and his potential return date.
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What is Daniel Ricciardo’s expected return date following hand injury?
Ricciardo underwent surgery shortly after his crash, with screws inserted into the metacarpal of his little finger.
Typically, a broken metacarpal takes between three and eight weeks to heal.
This saw the Australian miss the Italian and Singapore Grands Prix, although he was present at Marina Bay for “engineering purposes”.
There is a limited chance he will return behind the wheel at Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix.
Assuming he is still not at full fitness by then, the Qatar Grand Prix in early October is a likely return race for the 34-year-old.
“I think it will be optimistic for Japan, but I think his recovery is going well,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told media at the Italian Grand Prix.
“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.
“So we just want to make sure he’s fully fit before he gets back in the car. I should think he’s pretty keen to be in the car in Suzuka.
“We just take it on a day-by-day basis and see how the recovery and nature take its course.”
Ricciardo made a post on Instagram confirming the surgery and his intentions to return behind the wheel in due course.
“Hey everyone. Had surgery this morning, got my first bit of metal work so that’s pretty cool,” he wrote.
“Big thanks to everyone who reached out and kept my spirits up.
“This ain’t a setback, just all part of the comeback.”
Daniel Ricciardo injury: What happened to Australian F1 driver at Dutch Grand Prix?
Ricciardo crashed during the early stages of the opening practice session at Circuit Zandvoort.
The AlphaTauri driver went into the barrier at Turn 3, appearing to be slow to notice McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who had crashed there shortly beforehand.
Ricciardo, whose steering wheel snapped, immediately told his team that his hand was in pain as he struggled to leave the car following the accident.
Hospital results later showed Ricciardo had broken a metacarpal in his left hand.
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“The day was going pretty well,” Ricciardo told AlphaTauri’s official channel.
“We made some changes and the few laps I did on the hard tyre before the crash felt good; we were building up and improving.
“At that time, we were pretty competitive and I was feeling positive. I remember coming into Turn 3. I had already gotten into the corner and then saw Piastri, so it was either hit him or the wall.
“When I hit the wall, I didn’t have enough time to take my hands off the steering wheel, so the wheel came and hit my hand.”
Who is Liam Lawson? New Zealand driver replaces Ricciardo at AlphaTauri
Liam Lawson was chosen by AlphaTauri to step in for Ricciardo at the recent Dutch Grand Prix.
Born in Hastings, New Zealand, Lawson was a karting champion as a child.
He finished sixth in the NZ Formula First championship as a 14-year-old, winning Rookie of the Year in his debut campaign in the competition.
The Kiwi prodigy won all but one race in the 2016/17 F1600 Championship Series, becoming the youngest-ever Formula Ford champion in the world at the time.
After impressing in the Euroformula Open Championship, F3 Asian Championship, ADAC Formula 4 and the Australian F4 Championship between 2017 and 2019, Lawson won the Toyota Racing Series title in his home race.
He then joined Red Bull’s junior driver system, collecting wins at the Red Bull Ring, Silverstone and the Mugello Circuit on his way to fifth place in the Formula 3 standings with British team Hitech Grand Prix.
He competed for Hitech in Formula 2 in 2021 and 2022 and made his F1 debut during the first free practice for the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix, replacing AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and taking 19th place in the session.
He then drove Max Verstappen’s Red Bull in the first free practices of the Mexico and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekends and is currently a test and reserve driver for AlphaTauri and Red Bull Racing in 2023.
Lawson made his F1 race debut at Zandvoort, finishing P13 after a rain-affected afternoon.
He then had another solid performance at Monza, picking up a P11 finish before securing his first championship points with an impressive P9 result in Singapore.
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