Daniel Ricciardo has been out of action for the last few weeks because of a wrist injury he suffered following his crash in Zandvoort. Even though Red Bull team principal Christian Horner recently gave a pessimistic update about the Australian’s injury, the 34-year-old is keen to defy the Briton. Ricciardo has been making small steps to return as soon as possible and could return as early as the Qatar Grand Prix, as per Perth Now.
The Honey Badger recently revealed in an interview that he is planning to return to the simulator next week. He said that depending on how his session on the simulator goes, he will decide if he can compete in Qatar. However, Horner claimed in his recent interview with Sky Sports that Ricciardo will unlikely be fit in time to compete in Qatar.
“I would say probably less likely than likely at the moment. His recuperation is going well but he’s fixed in the seat for next year. Does he need to rush a hasty return for Qatar“, explained Horner. While Horner does not believe that Ricciardo should rush his return, the 34-year-old is yet keen to compete in Qatar.
Daniel Ricciardo is hopeful of returning for the Qatar Grand Prix
In his most recent interview with perthnow.com.au, Daniel Ricciardo explained the progress he has made with his recovery. The Australian stated that his recovery was going well and that he would also return to the simulator next week to evaluate his progress.
After stating the same, he added, “That’s kind of my first test really to see where I’m at and simply make a call from there. I definitely want to be out there in, call it the next few weeks. That’s the plan. Probably early next week, I should know“.
The one individual who is gaining massively because of Ricciardo’s absence is Liam Lawson. The New Zealander has competed in three races so far and has already scored a couple of points for AlphaTauri. The 21-year-old has been so impressive that even Christian Horner has praised him.
Horner claims Red Bull will look at Liam Lawson closely for 2025
While speaking in the same interview with Sky Sports, Christian Horner explained how well Liam Lawson has performed so far. The Briton added that while there are no guarantees in F1, he believes that the New Zealander has done everything he could to make himself a favorite for one of the seats at either AlphaTauri or Red Bull in 2025.
“We’ll keep developing him when he goes back into that test and reserve role, and he’ll be a candidate certainly for 2025,” explained the Red Bull team principal. Moreover, an opportunity at either AlphaTauri or Red Bull could open up even further if one of their drivers fails to live up to expectations.
