Ricciardo delays F1 return to United States Grand Prix
Daniel Ricciardo has delayed his Formula 1 return from hand surgery until the US GP in late October, giving Red Bull junior Liam Lawson another opportunity to race for AlphaTauri in Qatar.
Daniel Ricciardo has decided to postpone his Formula 1 comeback following hand surgery until the United States Grand Prix in late October.
This leaves highly-rated junior driver Liam Lawson poised to continue substituting for the Australian at AlphaTauri for next weekend's Qatar Grand Prix.
Ricciardo, who was released by McLaren for 2022, returned to F1 action after being hired by AlphaTauri to replace sacked driver Nyck de Vries from the Hungarian Grand Prix onwards.
However, the eight-time grand prix winner suffered a broken metacarpal in his left hand after crashing during practice at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort. He immediately flew to Spain for surgery.
Initially, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner suggested Ricciardo could target a return in Qatar after the Singapore-Japan doubleheader.
But it's now understood the Australian has pushed back his comeback to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on October 20-22.
According to AlphaTauri's head of trackside engineering Jonathan Eddolls, there is no rush to bring Ricciardo back prematurely.
"The worst thing would be to come back before it's properly healed and cause any issues," he said.
The team wants Ricciardo to make a full recovery first.
The delayed return gives 21-year-old Lawson, this year's Super Formula championship runner-up, another opportunity to showcase his talents before becoming Red Bull's reserve driver in 2024.
Lawson has impressed in his temporary role so far, handling treacherous wet weather conditions on his debut in the Netherlands.
He then scored points with a ninth place finish in Singapore amidst safety car disruptions.
AlphaTauri has already confirmed its 2024 driver lineup will be Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda, leaving Lawson without a race seat.
However, if Sergio Perez continues to struggle against Max Verstappen at Red Bull next season, it's believed Ricciardo could replace him, opening up a full-time AlphaTauri seat for Lawson.
Verstappen only needs three points in the Qatar sprint race to clinch his third Formula 1 world championship.
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