Australian Alpha Tauri driver Daniel Ricciardo set to miss at least two more races after surgery

Australian Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo will not be racing in Singapore next week, and is a long shot for Japan the following weekend, as he continues his recovery from a broken hand, according to Red Bull boss Christian Horner.

The 34-year-old AlphaTauri driver suffered the injury in practice for last month’s Dutch Grand Prix and had surgery in Spain on August 27.

Ricciardo fractured his left hand when he drove into a tyre wall at Zandvoort in an attempt to avoid crashing into Oscar Piastri’s stricken McLaren after his fellow Australian had just crashed moments earlier.

New Zealander Liam Lawson replaced Ricciardo at the Red Bull-owned sister team for that race and in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza last weekend.

“Certainly Singapore, I don’t think there’s any chance he (Ricciardo) will be ready for then. It would be optimistic for Japan,” Horner told reporters.

“We’ve seen with motorcyclists rushing comebacks, they sometimes do more damage so I think we just want to make sure he’s fully fit before he gets back in the car.”

Horner said Lawson, who has been racing in Japan this year and would undoubtedly feel at home at Suzuka, had done a solid job.

“I think he’s acquitted himself very well,” he said.

Lawson finished 11th at Monza after 13th in the Netherlands.