Daniel Ricciardo won’t be rushed back to the grid by AlphaTauri as the Australian recovers from a broken wrist while Liam Lawson continues to star in the veteran’s absence

• The Australian is still recovering from surgery on a serious wrist injury
• AlphaTauri have confirmed Daniel Ricciardo is still unavailable to race
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Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula One return is ‘a while away’, with AlphaTauri reluctant to ‘rush’ the Australian back following his serious wrist injury.

Chief engineer Jonathan Eddolls poured cold water on a swift return to the grid for Ricciardo after his suffered the injury at Zandvoort last month.

Ricciardo underwent surgery involving a metal plate and some screws to secure the bone, while New Zealand’s Liam Lawson has taken to the cockpit in the Aussie’s place.

Lawson has won huge plaudits for his performances in the AlphaTauri, culminating in a ninth place finish at the Singapore Grand Prix.

As a result, there have been calls for Lawson to be given a seat on the grid in 2024. Ricciardo has the team’s full backing for 2024, though, and Eddolls says they will not accelerate his return.

Daniel Ricciardo won’t be rushed back onto the grid by AlphaTauri as he continues to recover from a broken wrist

Liam Lawson will continue to deputise for Ricciardo and was involved in opening practice sessions ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix

‘Well, we all saw him in Singapore,’ he said. ‘He’s still going through that recovery phase. I would say we’re still talking a while away, so I wouldn’t want to put a target on it. The recovery is going well.

‘We’ve got some simulator work planned before a return. I think from our side and his side there’s no rush to get him back too early. The worst thing would be to come back before it’s properly healed and cause any issues.’

Calls have been growing for Lawson to be given a main seat in the team next year

He added that Ricciardo’s simulator sessions will serve as a fitness test for the former Red Bull man.

‘He’ll jump in, the simulator is a very good representation of the car, all of the loads, Eddolls said.

‘I think the final decision is more than likely going to come from him rather than from us. He will know better than anyone, how’s the pain, how’s the recovery, so as I said, we’re not putting him under pressure to come back.

‘We’ve got a pool of three good drivers at the moment, so there’s no big rush. The focus is on him making a full recovery so that when he comes back, it’s not a point that’s even talked about.’

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