Ricciardo ruled out of Dutch GP with broken hand, Lawson steps in

Friday Practice crash ends Ricciardo's Zandvoort race

Daniel Ricciardo has been ruled out of competing in the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix after sustaining a broken hand in a crash during Friday's second practice session at Circuit Zandvoort.

The Australian driver followed McLaren's Oscar Piastri into the barriers at Turn 3, with replays showing Ricciardo's hands jolting in the cockpit as he impacted the wall while still holding the steering wheel.

“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, said Ricciardo after returning from the medical center.

“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.

Ricciardo was visibly uncomfortable exiting his damaged car and was taken to the medical centre and then hospital, where scans confirmed a broken metacarpal bone in his left hand.

With the injury ending his participation for the remainder of the Zandvoort weekend, Ricciardo becomes the second F1 driver this season to suffer a fracture, after Lance Stroll broke both wrists ahead of pre-season testing in February.

Lawson steps up for shock F1 debut

Replacing Ricciardo in the sister AlphaTauri car will be 21-year-old Liam Lawson, Red Bull's junior driver who has split duties between Formula 2 and Super Formula.

The New Zealander was already on standby this weekend and is now set for his first F1 race entry, becoming the tenth driver from his country to compete in a Grand Prix.

Lawson has previously driven in F1 practice sessions, gaining experience last year with AlphaTauri in Belgium and Mexico, plus the season finale in Abu Dhabi with Red Bull.

Thrust into his debut Grand Prix on late notice, the youngster will need to quickly acclimate to Ricciardo's AT-03 to deliver a solid performance.

Uncertainty over Ricciardo's Monza return

Looking beyond Zandvoort, Ricciardo's injury casts doubt on his participation in the upcoming Italian Grand Prix, scheduled just one week later at Monza.

After fracturing both wrists in a cycling accident in February, Lance Stroll returned to racing action two weeks post-injury.

However, with Ricciardo's fracture occurring much closer to the next event, his recovery timeline remains uncertain.

The team will likely evaluate his condition in the coming days before determining if an additional replacement is required for Monza.

Regardless, this untimely injury has disrupted the Australian's momentum after recently joining Alpine's sister team.