Just three races into Daniel Ricciardo’s AlphaTauri return, the Australian driver injured his wrist during the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix. Following this, Red Bull called Liam Lawson as an immediate replacement to fill his shoes. Now, as Ricciardo is inching closer to his recovery, the Austrian team is unsure if they are ready for the swap as yet, as per Perth Now.
Lawson has been phenomenal since making his debut in Zandvoort. He picked up points in his third race and now, has two points in four races, thus putting a big spotlight on him, as talks about his future begin.
Nevertheless, Ricciardo also made a decent comeback after he was called in to replace Nyck de Vries. De Vries, who seemed out of place following numerous finishes without points, saw himself out with immediate effect after the 2023 British Grand Prix.
Is Red Bull ready to bring in Ricciardo as yet?
Ricciardo had a severe injury on his wrist which sent him away from the grid for multiple races. Even though he is recovering quite quickly, Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes he is unlikely to return in time for the Qatar GP.
Even if he does, he will have to take to the simulator and then a decision will be taken on him. Nevertheless, experts believe that the 2023 United States Grand Prix at Austin might be a suitable time to bring back the Honey Badger.
Talking about his current situation to Perth Now, Ricciardo, who already has a contract with him next year, said, “That [Simulator] will actually be my first test to see how I’m doing, and then we can make a decision. I definitely want to compete again in the coming weeks, that’s the plan. I should know more early next week.”
Is Liam Lawson doing better than Daniel Ricciardo?
When it comes to statistics, Lawson has done much better than Ricciardo at AlphaTauri. The young Red Bull academy driver had a brilliant debut and has already scored points, something Ricciardo has failed to do.
With his P9 in the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix, he inched closer to his teammate Yuki Tsunoda who could manage three points in 16 races. On the other hand, Daniel Ricciardo is still to score points since his return.
When it comes to the Constructors’ championship, Scuderia AlphaTauri is at the bottom in P10 with five points. They are behind Williams, Haas, and Alfa Romeo in terms of points and would need massive improvement next year to be in contention for points.
