Red Bull's Christian Horner provides pessimistic F1 return update for injured Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo and Christian Horner — Photo: © LAT Images

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Horner provides pessimistic F1 return update for injured Ricciardo

A Ricciardo return may take longer than reported

Jay Winter

Tuesday 5 September 2023 04:56

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Christian Horner has ruled Daniel Ricciardo out of competing at the Singapore Grand Prix and believes it would be 'optimistic' to see the Australian driver return at the race in Japan.

Ricciardo broke a bone in his hand during free practice at the Dutch Grand Prix after colliding with the barrier at turn 10 when he avoided a collision with fellow countryman Oscar Piastri.

Speaking to the media after his team's impressive 1-2 victory in Monza, Horner provided insight into Ricciardo's recovery process.

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"Singapore, I don't think there's any chance he'll be ready for then," he said. "I think it will be optimistic for Japan."

Ricciardo's accident on the Friday free practice session in Zandvoort

Ricciardo's recovery

While the Honey Badger's recovery is progressing well, Horner emphasised the importance of not rushing his return to the cockpit.

“But I think his recovery is going well," he said. "He’s got mobility of the hand, he’s into rehabilitation now, but we’ve seen with motorcyclists, rushing comebacks can sometimes do more damage.

"So we just want to make sure he’s fully fit before he gets back in the car."

With his half-year away from F1, Ricciardo – who has been replaced by Liam Lawson during his absence – is eager to return to racing.

"I should think he's pretty keen to be in the car in Suzuka," said Horner. "We just take it on a day-by-day basis and see how the recovery and nature take their course."

Ricciardo's experience will certainly be a big miss for AlphaTauri at the Singapore Grand Prix.