Daniel Ricciardo speaks out after broken bone costs him Dutch GP drive

Henry Valantine 25 Aug 2023 9:44 PM

Daniel Ricciardo holds his broken metacarpal.

Daniel Ricciardo has said his crash was a case of “it was either hit Oscar Piastri or the wall”, after breaking his metacarpal in a crash in FP2 at Zandvoort.

Ricciardo followed countryman Oscar Piastri into the barrier at the banked Turn 3 at Zandvoort in practice, shortly after the McLaren driver went off at that corner.

The AlphaTauri driver was approaching fast and, after seeing him across the track on the racing line, Ricciardo hit the barrier himself – immediately feeling it in his hand.

Daniel Ricciardo on ‘really unfortunate and frustrating’ injury

The Australian climbed out of his car without being able to use his left hand and, upon heading to hospital, was found to have had a broken metacarpal – leaving Ricciardo unable to drive at Zandvoort.

Red Bull junior driver Liam Lawson will take his place for his Formula 1 debut, with the timeline on Ricciardo’s recovery as yet unknown as he returned to the paddock wearing a sling.

在f1回到竞争只是two races ago, it’s an abrupt halt to Ricciardo’s return – something that the eight-time race winner hopes to rectify as soon as he can.

“I was very excited to be back after the break,” Ricciardo said.

“The day was going pretty well. We made some changes for FP2 and the few laps I did on the hard tyre before the crash felt good; we were building up and improving.

“At that time, we were pretty competitive, and I was feeling positive.

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F1 results: FP2 timings from Dutch Grand Prix practice (Zandvoort)

“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.

“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.

“It’s really unfortunate and frustrating, but I’ll try to recover as quickly as I can. 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.”