AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost has revealed that Daniel Ricciardo might require surgery, after the Australian broke a bone in his left hand at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Ricciardo endured an opening day to forget at Zandvoort, following an unfortunate crash in Free Practice 1.
Ricciardo crashed at Turn 3 after taking avoiding action, to stop himself from driving directly into a stricken Oscar Piastri.
Piastri crashed ahead of him at the blind corner, meaning Ricciardo couldn’t see his fellow Aussie as he approached the corner.
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The AlphaTauri driver was left with a choice: either crash into Piastri or put himself in the wall.
Ricciardo opted for the latter but didn’t have time to take his hand off the steering wheel in time.
As a result, the steering wheel smashed his hand, leaving the driver in some considerable pain.
He has since been ruled out of the weekend and has been replaced by Liam Lawson, who’ll make his debut.
Ricciardo will also miss the Italian Grand Prix, and it is possible he’ll be forced to miss additional races.
“There was little he could do about it – he could no longer brake and he could no longer avoid Piastri,” said Tost.
“He was laughing, but not much,” the Austrian smiled. “He’s in a lot of pain because it’s a serious injury.
“I hope he can sleep tonight and he will probably see another doctor tomorrow. They will decide how to proceed.”
Ricciardo is reportedly targeting to return at the Singapore Grand Prix in three weeks’ time, although the recovery time for a “normal person” is six weeks.
It means that the 34-year-old is a definite doubt for the Italian Grand Prix next weekend, although a decision won’t be made just yet.
“We’ll see how it goes next week in Monza,” Tost told Viaplay. “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.”
Ricciardo’s injury has certainly put Lawson into the spotlight, with him being a star of the future.
Lawson has an excellently opportunity to show what he can do, although Tost recognises that it “won’t be easy” for the Kiwi.
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“You always have to be prepared – that’s part of it,” Tost said. “Liam drove the Abu Dhabi test for us last year and he’s pretty fast.
“It won’t be easy, because the field is very competitive. We are preparing him now but there is no pressure on him and he has to enjoy himself.
“Don’t crash, drive as many laps as possible and get used to the car,” the Austrian added. “The rest will then come naturally.”