Ricciardo undergoes surgery – will miss Italian GP

Daniel Ricciardo successfully underwent surgery on his left hand on Sunday in Spain after fracturing a metacarpal bone during Friday's FP2 session at Zandvoort.

Ricciardo's accident occurred at Zandvoort's banked Turn 3 when the AlphaTauri driver lost control as he approached the corner where McLaren's Oscar Piastri had clouted the barrier just moments earlier.

X-Rays at a local hospital confirmed that the violent whiplash from the AlphaTauri's steering wheel had snapped a metacarpal bone in Ricciardo's left hand upon his car's impact.

Red Bull revealed on Saturday that Ricciardo had left Zandvoort and traveled to Barcelona to visit renowned MotoGP traumatologist Dr. Xavier Mir who also handled Lance Stroll's cycling crash injuries earlier this year.

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Thanks to Mir, Stroll enjoyed a speedy recovery in time for the start of the 2023 F1 season in Bahrain, and Red Bull hope that the Spanish surgeon will be able to also fast-track Ricciardo's return to the grid.

On Sunday, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner provided an update on the Aussie's condition.

"He had an operation earlier today. He’s had several screws and a plate fitted to his [metacarpal]. It went well, it was successful," commented the Briton.

"The bone was broken in multiple places, but it was a fairly straightforward procedure."

While resting, Ricciardo shared a post with his fans on Instagram.

"Hey everyone. Had surgery this morning, got my first bit of metal work so that’s pretty cool. Big thanks to everyone who reached out and kept my spirits up. This ain’t a setback, just all part of the comeback."

While Red Bull reserve Liam Lawson will sub for Ricciardo next week at Monza, it's unclear when the 34-year-old will return to the fray, with a potential comeback in Singapore next month depending on the speed of the Aussie's recovery.

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