Following the crash in Zandvoort that left him with a fractured left hand, Daniel Ricciardo made a comeback to the F1 paddock for the Singapore GP. The comeback, however, might have been a worrying sight for the Australian driver. Engrossed only in engineering duties, Ricciardo saw his replacement, Liam Lawson, make the top 10 for the feature race by out-qualifying championship leader Max Verstappen.
Things took a turn for the worse for the 34-year-old as Ex-NASCAR star Danica Patrick had some jarring comments about his future. Speaking to Sky Sports (reported by Fox Sports), Patrick said, “Daniel Ricciardo is obviously at the end of his career.”
Danica Patrick draws flak for her comment on Daniel Ricciardo
Following de Vries’ axing, Ricciardo had a golden opportunity to make amends for his past actions. The Australian driver was on the right track for his shot at redemption, but an unfortunate injury halted the progress. With Lawson exceeding expectations, Patrick made a bold claim about Ricciardo’s future, which attracted a lot of flak from fans, who considered the statement to be disrespectful of Ricciardo’s achievements.
Daniel Ricciardo seeing Danica Patrick in the paddock. #SingaporeGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/PEAoZm7jBp
— ShelbyGT (@MooncakeShelby) September 16, 2023
One fan questioned Patricka’s statement by citing the example of Fernando Alonso still racing in F1.
How can @DanicaPatrick say @danielricciardo is at the end of his career when you have someone like Alonso still racing and performing to such a high standard, this is why she has no place in our sport she doesn’t know what the fuck she’s talking about just walk away
— MR P1CK3R1NG (@MR_P1CK3R1NG) September 16, 2023
While some others could not believe the statements from a driver who did not have a stellar career herself.
Can you believe Danica Patrick just said Daniel Ricciardo is at the end of his career? 🫠
— Katie (@riracingblog) September 16, 2023
Someone keep Danica Patrick away from the microphone please
For a washed up driver who was barely successful in her own career she has no right to judge other drivers and criticise them
— #1 Taylor Zakhar Perez defender (@ComfortTZP) September 16, 2023
danica patrick i’m in your walls
daniel’s career isn’t over. yours is
— abi✧ (@leqlercs) September 16, 2023
Ricciardo seems to be recovering well
With each passing day, the extent of Ricciardo’s injury kept going up. A supposed spasm became a broken metacarpal in his left hand. Helmut Marko later added that Ricciardo had not one but seven fractures. Despite such a grave injury, Ricciardo has been recovering quickly, with PlanetF1 quoting Ted Kravitz‘s injury assessment.
The pit lane reporter kept a close watch on Ricciardo every time he would go to the pit wall. Kravitz said he has been looking at Ricciardo, and he seems to be able to do stuff with his left hand with ease. He added the AlphaTauri driver was often drinking water from the bottle using his left hand, suggesting it could be an exercise. In conclusion, Kravitz said that while Ricciardo still isn’t fit to drive yet, he looks to not be in pain either.
