Daniel Ricciardo says he'll try to recover as quickly as possible, but "in the right way", to come back strong following his crash at Zandvoort on Friday in which the AlphaTauri driver suffered a broken hand.
Ricciardo clouted the barrier in Friday's second practice when he lost control of his car on the approach to Turn 3 where McLaren's Oscar Piastri had crashed just seconds earlier.
Unfortunately, the Aussie was still gripping his steering wheel when his car hit the outside Tecpro barrier,the whip-back movement instantly breaking his left hand.
"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.
"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."
After visiting Zandvoort's medical center, Ricciardo was taken to a local hospital where X-Rays revealed a fractured metacarpal.
It's unclear how long Ricciardo will remain on the mend but it's likely that Liam Lawson who will deputise for the Aussie this weekend will also fill in for the AlphaTauri driver next week at Monza.
We’ll see how it goes next week in Monza," said AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost. "Maybe he needs surgery. The doctors will decide on that in the coming days.
"The recovery for a normal person is six weeks, but he is an F1 driver and hopefully it will go a bit faster for him. We’d like him back in the car, but it’s done now."
It is believed that Red Bull has already contacted renowned MotoGP surgeon Doctor Xavier Mir – who looked after Lance Stroll earlier this year following the Canadian's cycling accident that ruledhim out of pre-season testing – to help fast-track Ricciardo's recovery.
However, the eight-time Grand Prix winner made clear that he wants to recover "in the right way".
"It's really unfortunate and frustrating, but I’ll try to recover as quickly as I can," Ricciardo said.
"Obviously, I’d love to get back soon, but I also want to ensure we do things the right way, so I come back strong and competitive.
"I wish the team well, and I’m sorry for the change in plans again. It’s a chance for Liam to have a go, and I wish him and the team a strong weekend."
welcome back to the paddock @danielricciardo the road to recovery starts here 🙏 it’s great to see that smile! pic.twitter.com/KEGzqgbnlp
— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) August 25, 2023
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
