(Motorsports news) Ricciardo, who was paid by McLaren to quit the team for the season, was summoned to Hungary to replace dismissed AlphaTauri driver Nyck de Vries. However, two rounds later, in practice at Zandvoort, the Australian wrecked, incurring a broken metacarpal in his left hand and flying to Spain for emergency surgery.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner speculated that Ricciardo would return to Qatar after the Singapore and Japan double header. However, it is clear that the eight-time grand prix winner has now postponed his return to Texas (20-22 October).
Jonathan Eddolls, AlphaTauri’s head of trackside engineering, stated ahead of the most recent Japanese Grand Prix: “He’s still in that recovery phase.” We’re still talking a long time away, so we don’t want to set a date. The recuperation is proceeding swimmingly. Before we return, we’ll do some simulator work.
“I don’t think there’s any rush on our or his part to get him back too soon.” The worst-case scenario would be to return before it has fully healed and cause problems. So keep an eye on this space. The simulator is an excellent representation of the car, all of the loads, and so on.” I believe the final choice will most likely be made by him rather than by us.
“He will know better than anyone how the pain is and how the recovery is going.” We’re not putting any pressure on him to return. We now have a pool of three good drivers, so there’s no need to rush. “The focus is on him making a full recovery so that when he comes back, it’s not a point that’s even talked about.”
Ricciardo’s delayed return will allow 21-year-old Super Formula points runner-up Liam Lawson to make another substitute appearance before taking a spot as Red Bull’s reserve driver in 2024. Lawson has pleased with his cameo outings, given how he managed the tricky wet-weather conditions and safety car delays on his debut in the Netherlands before finishing ninth in Singapore with two points.
However, ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, AlphaTauri declared a 2024 lineup of Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda, leaving the Kiwi out. However, if Sergio Perez continues to struggle for confidence and form against Max Verstappen – who only needs three points in the Qatar sprint race to clinch his third world championship – early next season, it is expected that Ricciardo will be promoted to make room for Lawson in the AlphaTauri.
