Ricciardo to return to F1 at US Grand Prix after injury as Lawson steps aside

18 October 2023 , 11:49

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Daniel Ricciardo will be back at the US Grand Prix (Image: Getty Images)

Daniel Ricciardo is set to make a comeback at this weekend's US Grand Prix after recovering from an injury.

The 34-year-old Australian racing star has been out of action for the past five races due to a broken left hand he suffered during practice for the Dutch Grand Prix on August 25.

However, it's been revealed that Ricciardo, who recently participated in a Red Bull demonstration run in Nashville, will be back behind the wheel of his AlphaTauri for practice at Austin's Circuit of the Americas on Friday.

Liam Lawson, who has been filling in for Ricciardo, will step aside. The New Zealander will now focus his attention to the double-header finale of the Japanese Super Formula series next weekend, where he is in with a chance of taking the title.

Ricciardo was only three races into his comeback when he had a crash in Zandvoort. He was quickly taken to the medical centre and then to a nearby hospital with his left arm in a sling. An X-ray confirmed that Ricciardo had broken the metacarpal on his left hand.

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This injury ruled him out of the race in Holland and the following rounds in Italy, Singapore, Japan and Qatar. He had targeted the latter as a potential return date but, after a session on the Red Bull simulator a few days before, opted to give himself a little extra recovery time.

Liam Lawson will step aside with the return of Ricciardo (Getty Images)

After being let go by McLaren at the end of last season, Ricciardo was given another shot by Red Bull's junior team AlphaTauri. Despite his injury, AlphaTauri announced last month that they have kept the eight-time grand prix winner on their team for 2024, alongside Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda.

And Ricciardo hopes to use that as a springboard for a potential return to the Red Bull seat he vacated five years ago. Sergio Perez is out of contract at the end of next year and the team will consider its options for who may partner Max Verstappen in the long-term.

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Kit Mann