Now Alpha Tauri driver Daniel Ricciardo broke his hand recently during practice at Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix. It seems unlikely for him to return any time soon. It’s not very good news for the junior team of Red Bull, Alpha Tauri. Previously, Nyck De Vries did not have much success with the Alpha Tauri car. In his debut season in Formula 1, De Vries pretty much failed to live up to the expectations.
Hence, after only ten races, Alpha Tauri removed Nyck De Vries and brought Daniel Ricciardo in his place. But the injury to Daniel Ricciardo can be very severe. Some experts suggested the Aussie can come back in another two weeks’ time in Singapore racing. However, that’s not what the Red Bull boss feels.
Christian Horner Believes Daniel Won’t Start Racing From The Singaporean GP
Recently, Red Bull ace Christian Horner recently told the media that the Aussie might not be ready to race in Singapore. However, Christian Horner mentioned Daniel Ricciardo might be optimistic about racing in Japan. The Red Bull boss sounds very careful about not rushing to anything because he cites the examples of motorcyclists. It can be damaging if they rush with recovery and rehabilitation too much. But Horner feels Daniel Ricciardo has got mobility of his hand, and he is in rehab at present. Horner and the team want to ensure that the Aussie is fully healthy to resume racing again before he starts driving another Alpha Tauri car.
Since the accident in Zandvoort, Liam Lawson has replaced Daniel Ricciardo in the Alpha Tauri seat. But Christian Horner knows the Aussie too well. Horner feels Ricciardo is desperate to get back to be in the Suzuka car. It is essential to keep monitoring on a day-to-day basis to get an idea of the speed of the recovery. But the New Zealander Liam Lawson was impressive in the Italian Grand Prix as it was his first full race weekend. Moreover, Lawson had a P11 finish in Monza. On the other hand, his teammate Yuki Tsunoda had a DNF because of a power unit failure.
Can Daniel Ricciardo Actually Replace Sergio Perez In Red Bull?
The Aussie has been waiting to resume his racing career after a big break. He was part of the Red Bull team as their third driver for a while. However, he did not get any chance to drive since Sergio Perez won a couple of races this season. Hence, Christian Horner and his team made a new plan to get Daniel’s racing career resume with the Alpha Tauri car. Perhaps they want to see if the Aussie is ready to replace Sergio Perez next year or in 2025.
Moreover, Daniel Ricciardo had a good start with Alpha Tauri from the British Grand Prix in Silverstone. But the truth is Alpha Tauri is no way near as strong as their senior team. There is a big difference between the Red Bull’s car and the Alpha Tauri’s car. However, Horner and co. wanted the Aussie to manage to get a better result than expected with Alpha Tauri. Then, it would make the job of making the decision much easier for Christian Horner. Hence, the chances of Ricciardo replacing Checo are very high.