Daniel Ricciardo not running, replaced by Liam Lawson

AlphaTauri has confirmed news that has been circulating since Daniel Ricciardo’s accident in practice two. He will miss the Dutch Grand Prix and will be replaced by young New Zealander Liam Lawson.

Why isn’t Daniel Ricciardo racing at Zandvoort?

The problem keeping Daniel Ricciardo out of the race at the Dutch Grand Prix was a collision that forced him to retire from the second free practice session today.

Approaching Turn 3, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri made a mistake, losing his rear end and colliding with a guard. Shortly after, the Australian passed the same spot, but due to bad luck he was unable to avoid it and again hit the wall.

Here the problem arose at the moment of collision. Cars are so well designed that drivers tend to get away from almost any crash unscathed, but this time it was different in one important way. Daniel Ricciardo’s hands were still on the steering wheel at the time of the crash.

It is common to see drivers “avoid” significant damage during a wrist impact by letting go of the steering wheel at the moment of impact. That’s exactly what #3 didn’t do this time, meaning he won’t be able to ride the AT04 tomorrow and Sunday.

Nothing else hit him, but he had already reported to his engineers that his hand hurt and he got out of the car in pain. The AlphaTauri driver was immediately rushed to the circuit’s medical center, followed shortly thereafter by a hospital. There they determined that his wrist was broken and he was unable to run.

Chance for Liam Lawson

In his place will be Red Bull and AlphaTauri reserve Liam Lawson. The New Zealander, who graduated from the Red Bull Academy, is currently competing in the Japanese Super Formula Championship and is in second place, eight points behind first place.

Liam is a highly regarded driver within the team. The driver was considered a potential replacement for Nick de Vries, but is hoping to finish the year at the Asian Championships and has already had the opportunity to ride the RB18 once and the AT03 twice in official sessions last season. was there.

Lawson now has his F1 debut and could prove he deserves a seat at the Grand Circus next season, with at least one race, possibly two, at Monza next week.