AlphaTauri says it is still monitoring Daniel Ricciardo's recovery process but won't put a firm target on the Aussie's return to the cockpit.
A relatively benign crash in FP2 at Zandvoort last month left Ricciardo with a fractured metacarpal that required surgery and a rehabilitation process.
The latter is still ongoing, with AlphaTauri relying on the interim talented young gun and Red Bull reserve Liam Lawson as Ricciardo's substitute.
It is anticipated that Ricciardo will be fit to drive at the Qatar Grand Prix in two weeks, but AlphaTauri head of trackside engineering Jonathan Eddols says the team will not rush its driver's return.
"We saw him in Singapore, he is still going through that recovery phase," explained the British engineer.
"I would say we are still talking a while away so I wouldn't want to put a target on it.
"The recovery is going well, we have got some simulator work planned before a return and I think from our side and his side, there's no rush to get him back too early.
"The worst thing would be to come back before it is properly healed and cause any issues. So watch this space."
Eddolls added that Red Bull's simulator will provide Ricciardo with a reasonably good test of his ability to drive at his full potential.
"The simulator is a really good representation of the car and all of the loads etcetera," he said.
"I think the final decision is more than likely going to come from him rather than from us, he will know better than anyone how the pain is and how the recovery is.
"We are not putting him under pressure to come back, we have got a pool of three good drivers at the moment, so there is no big rush.
"The focus is on him making a full recovery so that when he comes back, it is not a point that is even talked about."
Ricciardo's state of affairs implies that Lawson – who scored his first points last weekend in Singapore – could extend his apprenticeship with AlphaTauri.
"He's got up to speed very, very quickly," said Eddolls.
"Yuki has still got the edge on him, which is totally to be expected with the experience. But I think the fact that he's got into Q3, he scored points very early in a car that's not the most competitive, and at times difficult to drive.
"I think from what we see compared to some of our previous drivers, he's up there and he's got the potential.
"I think we're all excited for more races working with him in the meantime, while we wait for Daniel to recover."
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