Christian Horner sheds light upon Daniel Ricciardo’s recovery in Barcelona visit amidst his wrist injury at Zandvoort

An incident at Zandvoort led Daniel Ricciardo to break his wrist, potentially requiring surgery.

Christian Horner and Daniel Ricciardo (Image via Imago)

During Friday’s practice in Zandvoort, Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo broke his hand in a crash, forcing him out of the Dutch Grand Prix. Red Bull junior Liam Lawson will take his spot. Surgery for Ricciardo’s hand is possible on Sunday, as indicated by Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner. Presently in Barcelona, Ricciardo is being treated by MotoGP doctor Xavier Mir, as stated by Horner after Saturday’s practice.

Christian Horner noted the rapid recovery of drivers, citing parallels with MotoGP. Ricciardo traveled to Barcelona for a potential operation on his clean hand fracture. The uncertainty of recuperation duration was highlighted, with normal individuals needing 10-12 weeks, whereas athletes differ. The focus is on the recovery timeline—whether around three weeks, a month, or six weeks remains unknown.

“He’s headed off today to Barcelona. They may even have a little operation on him tomorrow to just tidy up where that break is. It’s quite a clean break. Then of course it’s all about the recuperation and how long that takes. Any normal human being would probably be 10 to 12 weeks but we know these guys aren’t normal,” Christian Horner told SkyF1.

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Also: Oscar Piastri and Daniel Ricciardo’s bizarre crash halts the second free practice at Zandvoort

Daniel Ricciardo to probably miss the Singapore Grand Prix claims Christian Horner

Christian Horner and Daniel Ricciardo (Image credit: The Independent)

Daniel Ricciardo replicated compatriot Oscar Piastri‘s incident at Zandvoort’s banked Turn 3, acknowledging the choice between colliding with Piastri or the wall. He chose the latter but couldn’t remove his hands from the steering wheel in time, resulting in a hand injury due to the impact. For Ricciardo, the Singapore Grand Prixx too seems like a far-fetched dream at the moment.

Christian Horner expressed his frustration, highlighting a conversation with Daniel Ricciardo the prior night. Ricciardo had reclaimed his enthusiasm after a break, only to be sidelined again. Horner noted Ricciardo’s Singapore aspirations, yet acknowledged the circuit’s challenge. He concluded that nature would inevitably have its say in the matter.

“He’s [Daniel Ricciardo] just taken a bunch of time off, just got his mojo back, back into it, now he’s on the bench again. That was his frustration. They’ve [Alpha Tauri] started to make some progress. A shame for him but I am sure that at the back of his mind he has got Singapore as a target,” Horner concluded.

Daniel Ricciardo has flown to Barcelona to see specialist, Dr Javier Mir, the man who helped get Lance Stroll racing just 12 days after his broken wrist in preseason ? pic.twitter.com/vHNr639JWq
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) August 26, 2023

Daniel’s potential return hinges on the Singapore street circuit race in three weeks, yet the circuit’s challenges might delay his comeback to Japan. Liam Lawson aims to replicate Nick de Vries‘ past success. Just like Alex Albon‘s appendicitis sidelining him in Monza a year ago, current events echo the unpredictability of racing.