F1 Ricciardo Injury Update: Breaks Hand and Will Miss Dutch Grand Prix

Daniel Ricciardo suffers a broken hand in a crash during practice for the Dutch Grand Prix, allowing Liam Lawson to make his Formula One debut in his place.

In a shocking turn of events, Daniel Ricciardo has suffered a broken metacarpal in a crash during practice for the Dutch Grand Prix. This unfortunate incident means that Red Bull junior Liam Lawson will be making his Formula One debut with AlphaTauri in Ricciardo's place. The crash occurred during Friday's second practice session, shortly after McLaren's Oscar Piastri had also crashed at the same corner.

Ricciardo's pain was evident immediately after the crash, as he was heard exclaiming over the radio, "F---, my hand, f---." He was seen holding his left arm when he exited the car, and later left the circuit with it in a sling. Hospital checkups later confirmed the break, which was announced by AlphaTauri on Friday evening.

This setback comes just a few months after Ricciardo returned to AlphaTauri in July, taking over Nyck de Vries' position. Interestingly, this crash occurred almost exactly a year after McLaren announced that they would not be continuing with Ricciardo beyond 2022, leaving him without a race seat for this season.

In the wake of Ricciardo's injury, Liam Lawson, a 21-year-old Red Bull driver, will have the opportunity to showcase his skills during a single practice session before qualifying on Saturday afternoon. Lawson, who finished third in last year's Formula 2 championship, has been competing in Japan's Super Formula championship this year. He will be racing at Zandvoort with the number 40 on his car.

This turn of events creates an intriguing dynamic for Ricciardo. He was already in an audition of sorts with AlphaTauri, hoping for a full season with the team next year. Ricciardo has been vocal about his desire to return to Red Bull, the team he left at the end of 2018, and saw his time with AlphaTauri as a stepping stone towards that goal.

As of now, it remains uncertain how long Ricciardo will be out of action, but it seems likely that he will also miss the Italian Grand Prix at Monza next weekend. Following that race, Formula One will have a break until the Singapore Grand Prix on September 17th.