Daniel Ricciardo Breaks Hand in F1 Practice Crash, Out for Dutch GP
This was only Ricciardo’s third weekend back since bring promoted to race for AlphaTauri.
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, in the opening minutes of Free Practice 2. 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. The 34-year-old veteran was seen leaving the circuit with his arm in a sling.
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." Yuki Tsunoda, Ricciardo's teammate, concluded Friday's second practice session with the fifth-quickest time.
While Lawson has had plenty of experience in Japan's Super Formula open-wheel series, the 21-year-old New Zealander has not yet participated in an F1 practice session this season, despite serving as AlphaTauri's reserve driver. Ricciardo finished 13th and 16th at the Hungaroring and Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps, respectively, his only two races back since the 2022 campaign. The Australian is likely to miss next week's Italian Grand Prix at Monza with this injury, and the next race after that is two weeks later in Singapore.
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