Daniel Ricciardo Replacement Looks Back on “Exciting” Moment When He Got the Better of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari at Zandvoort

The resumption of the 2023 F1 season was as action-packed as one would have hoped. The biggest talking point of the Dutch GP came with Daniel Ricciardo being replaced by Liam Lawson for a surprise debut after the former injured himself in a practice session. Speaking to the Dutch branch of Motorsport.com, the rookie AlphaTauri driver recalled the “exciting” moment he got the better of a potential ‘future champion’ in Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

During FP2 in Zandvoort, Ricciardo fractured his left hand after swerving to avoid a collision with Oscar Piastri at turn three. The car sustained minimal damage, but the kickback from his steering wheel led to a broken metacarpal in his left hand. The Australian driver has since had surgery and reveals he also got his “first bit of metal work.”

 

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With two practice sessions over, Lawson had little time to prepare for his official debut in the F1. When the time came, difficulties only increased with unpredictable weather playing spoilsport to the plans of all teams and drivers. The New Zealand driver performed incredibly despite tricky conditions, but one moment topped his personal highlight reel.

Liam Lawson details his most exciting moment during F1 debut

Looking back at his F1 debut, Lawson termed the race as “chaotic.” The varying conditions during the race had the New Zealander unsettled, but as the race transitioned to its second half, Lawson found his stride and was much more comfortable while driving his car on soft and intermediate tires. However, his favorite moment came during his battle with Charles Leclerc.

“That was quite exciting! I think he struggled a lot on the soft tyre. When I overtook him he got me back on the straight. It was a little bit frustrating but of course it’s good to get that experience. I felt like that I had experience in every situation in that race with multiple pit stops, wheel-to-wheel battles, rain, dry, so it was a good learning experience!”

After having to wait behind teammate Yuki Tsunoda in the pit lane and suffering a ten-second penalty, Lawson pulled an impressive recovery and finished three seconds ahead of his teammate. The rookie driver was able to secure P13 as the race week ended.

Daniel Ricciardo replacement a dream weekend in Zandvoort

With Leclerc having a horrible race, things were much different for the AlphaTauri debutant. Lawson made sure to take full advantage of the opportunity given to him and leave a lasting impression. Not only did he win the battle against Ferrari and Leclerc, but he also beat his teammate, Tsunoda, both of whom were far more experienced than him in the F1.

 

Liam Lawson got to overtake a Ferrari on his F1 debut 🥹❤️#F1 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/nTnTnanVOb

— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) August 27, 2023

Lawson remained humble after his achievements as the 21-year-old said he learned a lot during his time in Zandvoort and will continue learning from the more experienced drivers on the grid.

Lawson’s impressive debut might become a cause for concern for an injured Daniel Ricciardo, who was looking to earn his former Red Bull seat back by putting in impressive performances with AlphaTauri.