Daniel Ricciardo was a key player in last year’s driver market and continues to dictate movement in the 2023 F1 season. Unfortunately for the Australian, an injury sustained in Zandvoort could rule him out of several Grand Prix.
The 34-year-old impressed immediately at AlphaTauri, securing a Q2 appearance at the Hungarian GP.
However, the euphoria of his comeback was short-lived, with an unfortunate incident after the Summer break breaking the metacarpal in his wrist.
Red Bull have been cautious about giving timelines on a recovery, although Christian Horner has expressed optimism that Ricciardo might recover faster than the average person.
When asked for an update on Ricciardo’s situation, the Red Bull team principal said the following:
“I don’t think there’s any chance he’ll be ready for Singapore. It would be optimistic for Japan.
Liam Lawson confirmed to drive alongside Yuki until Daniel is fit pic.twitter.com/GQ6TgEw75H
— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) August 28, 2023
“But I think his recovery is going well. He’s got mobility of the hand. He’s in rehabilitation now,” Horner told the media.
“But we’ve seen with motorcyclists [that] rushing comebacks can sometimes do more damage.
“We just want to make sure that he’s completely fit before he gets back in the car.”
Whilst the Austrian outfit is clearly taking a sensible approach, Ricciardo’s injury could still have negative implications for his F1 career.
Primarily, the 8-time race winner will have very limited time behind the wheel this season.
Considering his ambitions of competing at the front, it will be very difficult for Red Bull to gauge his level accurately. Even when he returns, there will be an element of re-learning.
Additionally, last-minute substitute Liam Lawson is performing at a very high level already. Some would argue the F1 market is a secondary issue in the context of Ricciardo’s injury.
Though this might be true, it is difficult to overlook the bad timing of this incident.
Author: Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
