Liam Lawson will make his F1 debut with AlphaTauri at this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix as a replacement for the injured Daniel Ricciardo. Australian Ricciardo crashed out in second practice at Zandvoort having locked up in avoidance of the already-stricken Oscar Piastri at Turn 3, hitting the barriers nose first. But he held onto the steering wheel on impact and anguished about pain in his left hand over the radio. After initial checks at the circuit's medical centre and further evaluation in hospital, RacingNews365 can confirm Ricciardo has sustained a broken hand. It means current Super Formula driver Lawson - who has made numerous appearances in F1 machinery during FP1 rookie runs and at the Abu Dhabi post-season test for both Red Bull and AlphaTauri - will become Yuki Tsunoda's third teammate of the season after Ricciardo and Nyck de Vries. It is unclear how long Ricciardo will remain sidelined.
AlphaTauri statement
A statement released by AlphaTauri reads: "After today’s incident during Free Practice 2 in Zandvoort, in which Daniel Ricciardo hit the barrier at Turn 3, he was brought to the local hospital and further examinations were carried out. "An X-ray confirmed he sustained a break to a metacarpal on his left hand, and this injury will not allow him to continue his duties, so he will be replaced by the team’s reserve driver Liam Lawson for the remainder of this weekend. "The team wishes him all the best for the quickest possible recovery."
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