Shortly after making a famous return to a driving seat in F1 with AlphaTauri, Daniel Ricciardo had to sideline himself from the action once again following an injury. The FP2 at Zandvoort saw Ricciardo crash into the barriers at Turn 3, leading to the Australian driver breaking his left hand. Appearing as a guest on Spotify Podcast P1 with Matt and Tommy, the 34-year-old revealed that the injury was not as painful as the recovery process.
“Once I’d had the surgery, I was like, ‘Okay, I’m through like, the thick of it,’ in my head, ‘now it’s time to just focus on recovery. Little did I know that Physio was probably the most painful part of everything.”
Talking about the mental effects of the crash, the AlphaTauri driver admitted to it taking the wind out of not only his but also his team’s sails, especially given the circumstances around him joining the team. Speaking further, Ricciardo also mentioned the thing that made him the most sad through it all. While going to the Hospital, Ricciardo saw a gym park where some people were doing pull-ups, and the Australian instantly felt hurt knowing he wouldn’t be able to train for weeks to come.
“He’s still in good spirits”
Christian Horner discusses Daniel Ricciardo’s broken hand and his expectations for replacement driver Liam Lawson at the Dutch Grand Prix pic.twitter.com/Q06YfVWmCg
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 25, 2023
Ricciardo injuring himself meant he would be away from action in the F1 in one of the most significant phases of the season, with most teams bringing in their mid-season upgrades. As such, the back end of the season became even more crucial for the 34-year-old eyeing a Red Bull comeback. In Ricciardo’s absence, Rookie Liam Lawson took his place and surprised everyone with his impressive performances on the grid. The New Zealander posed a major dilemma for Red Bull over who to pick for the 2024 lineup before settling with a Ricciardo-Tsunoda partnership.
Daniel Ricciardo came back with a point to prove
With Lawson putting in solid performances with each passing race, Ricciardo had a huge task facing himself, adding to the pressure already on him. However, Ricciardo kept himself composed and did not let it get the better of him, even mentoring Lawson every step of the way. Once the 34-year-old made his way back into the car, the Honey Badger found his flow back instantly, putting in major drives for AlphaTauri.
Daniel Ricciardo could switch to Red Bull during the 2024 season if Sergio Perez doesn’t improve#F1 #F1Newshttps://t.co/toEBy6m7Ki
— Total Motorsport (@TotMotorsport) December 11, 2023
The most important of these drives came in the Mexico City GP, where Ricciardo out-qualified Sergio Perez, starting the race in P4. Continuing a strong weekend, the former Red Bull driver secured P7 in the feature race, bringing in a major chunk of points for his team. Heading into the 2024 season, Ricciardo would be hoping to put in more such performances and impress the Red Bull top personnel enough to ensure himself a seat with the Milton Keynes outfit, should Perez leave at the end of the season.
