Daniel Ricciardo has revealed he was left with no choice but to avoid compatriot Oscar Piastri in a Dutch Grand Prix practice crash he has effectively conceded has ruled him out for the next two races.
After just 10 minutes of the second practice session at Zandvoort, Piastri lost control of his McLaren on the approach to the banked Turn 3, hitting the barrier and leaving him perpendicular to the racing line of the seaside circuit.
As the next driver on the scene, Ricciardo was given just milliseconds to react, opting for turning his AlphaTauri into the barrier as opposed to broadsiding Piastri in his MCL60.
Ricciardo’s decision, however, has left him with a broken bone in his left hand that has ruled him out of the rest of the weekend in the Netherlands, and given his remarks, also next Sunday’s Italian GP at Monza.
Following confirmation of the metacarpal break, and reflecting on the incident in the third event of his F1 comeback, Ricciardo said: “I remember coming into Turn 3.
“I had already gotten into the corner and then saw Piastri, so it was either hit him or the wall.
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“When I hit the wall, I didn’t have enough time to take my hands off the steering wheel, so the wheel came and hit my hand. It’s really unfortunate and frustrating, but I’ll try to recover as quickly as I can.”
Suggesting he will also be out of the race at Monza, Ricciardo added: “Obviously, I’d love to get back soon, but I also want to ensure we do things the right way, so I come back strong and competitive.
“I wish the team well, and I’m sorry for the change in plans again.”
That was a reference to the fact he has only just replaced the sacked Nyck de Vries, and the fact the team has been forced to draft in reserve Liam Lawson as his replacement.
The 21-year-old gets his chance after being overlooked for Ricciardo following a decision to promote the 33-year-old from his third driver role with Red Bull.
Lawson becomes the first driver from New Zealand to compete in F1 since Brendon Hartley in 2018, and only the 10th overall.
“It’s a chance for Liam to have a go,” added Ricciardo. “I wish him and the team a strong weekend.”
After finishing third in F2 last season, and lying second in this year’s Japanese Super Formula championship, Lawson is no stranger to an F1 car.
The 21-year-old from Hastings drove for AlphaTauri in the 2021 end-of-season young driver test, and again in first practice for last year’s Belgian GP.
Lawson later drove for Red Bull in the FP1 session for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and a couple of days later in another young driver test.
Chief race engineer Jonathan Eddolls said: “With Daniel recovering, we welcome Liam back to the team to drive his car, but this time in a much more competitive situation.
“It has all happened very quickly, but Liam has shown he is more than ready to step up to the challenge, and he has the whole team behind him.”
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