An injury to Daniel Ricciardo during a practice session in Zandvoort saw Liam Lawson get an unexpected debut in F1. After an impressive showing during the Dutch GP, the New Zealander extended his stint with the team and will suit for the Italian GP this weekend. With Ricciardo on the sidelines for a long while, Lawson might be racing in Singapore as well as Japan in the following weeks. However, things could change with Red Bull snowboarder Scott James providing an injury update on Ricciardo that might not leave Lawson too happy.
During FP2 in Zandvoort, Daniel Ricciardo broke the metacarpal in his left hand after avoiding a crash with fellow countryman Oscar Piastri. At Turn 3, while trying to avoid collision with Piastri, the front wheels of Ricciardo’s car locked up, resulting in him crashing into the barrier. The steering wheel moved violently, resulting in an injury to the driver. He was soon rushed to a nearby hospital, where he underwent surgery and got his first piece of metalwork.
Now in recovery, the Australian driver will be keen on making a return to F1, and if James’ words are anything to go by, the day isn’t too far.
Daniel Ricciardo might be back racing very soon
With Daniel Ricciardo recuperating, the Australian will push for a 100% recovery as soon as possible, especially given what’s on the line for him. After a split with McLaren, the 34-year-old had no seat in F1 before Red Bull recalled him as their third driver. Ten races into the season, AlphaTauri sacked Nyck de Vries, with Ricciardo taking the spot. Seeing the chance as his audition for another shot at driving for Red Bull, the Australian could only muster up two races before being sidelined again. He will want to get back to racing and prove his mettle before it’s too late, and James believes it’ll be very soon.
“He’s in good stead and recovering super well. And we’ll see him back out there very very soon.”
With Ricciardo’s return, Lawson will have to step down from his seat at AlphaTauri. But before that happens, he has at least one more chance in Monza to show just how good he can be. With the expectations of Daniel Ricciardo not being able to drive in the Asian leg of F1, Lawson might get more races under his belt, but for now, Monza is all he has.
All-important race for Lawson on Sunday
With the grid for the feature race in Monza set, Lawson will have to exhibit some extremely impressive driving on Sunday. Since the future remains heavily uncertain, the New Zealander will have the most important race of his life in just his second race in F1. While it may be a huge ask, his showing in Zandvoort says he might be up for the challenge.
Heading into the Zandvoort GP, Lawson only had one practice session. As such, the only expectation from him was to cross the finish line. However, he had much more on his mind in a rain-soaked race. Not only did he perform beyond anyone’s expectations, but he also outperformed his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda.
With dry conditions in Italy, Lawson will also attract more expectations from his team and himself. The AlphaTauri driver finished P12 in the qualifying session in Monza, with his teammate finishing P11. With a stacked top ten grid, finishing in the points will be Lawson’s primary target.
