Red Bull reserve Liam Lawson will make his F1 debut in place of injured Daniel Ricciardo for this weekend’s Dutch GP.
Following his unfortunate shunt in FP2 of F1 Dutch GP, Ricciardo was taken to the medical center due to pain in his left hand. He was spotted leaving for hospital with a sling as AlphaTauri noted about him having troubles with his wrist.
After the hospital visit and x-rays done, AlphaTauri has confirmed a broken metacarpal on his left hand which has forced him out of this weekend’s Dutch GP. As a result, he will take no further part at Zandvoort with Red Bull reserve Lawson stepping in for him.
The Kiwi is present at Zandvoort fresh from his Super Formula weekend at Motegi. Lawson is currently second in the drivers’ championship, eight points behind Ritomo Miyata with the double-header finale to go at Suzuka in October.
He is in the running for the AlphaTauri F1 seat in 2024 and this will be his chance to prove his mettle. Lawson will be the second Kiwi racer in recent times to race in F1 after Brendon Hartley, who raced for Toro Rosso briefly in 2017 before a full season in 2018.
“After today’s incident during Free Practice 2 in Zandvoort, in which Daniel Ricciardo hit the barrier at Turn 3, he was brought to the local hospital and further examinations were carried out,” a statement from AlphaTauri said.
‘An X-ray confirmed he sustained a break to a metacarpal on his left hand, and this injury will not allow him to continue his duties, so he will be replaced by the team’s reserve driver Liam Lawson for the remainder of this weekend. The team wishes him all the best for the quickest possible recovery. Further updates will be released in due course.”
UPDATE: The FIA confirmed Lawson as Ricciardo’s replacement for the rest of the Dutch GP with the Kiwi using #40 as his race number which is the first time that is being used in F1. AlphaTauri, meanwhile, shared the video of Ricciardo making it back in the paddock with a bandaged hand.
Here’s the video: https://twitter.com/AlphaTauriF1/status/1695153588476027108?s=20
Here’s how Dutch GP FP1 panned out
Here’s how Dutch GP FP2 panned out
