Ricciardo reveals choice between hitting Piastri or wall

Daniel Ricciardo has revealed he faced a choice between hitting Oscar Piastri or the wall during the crash in which he suffered a broken hand.

In second practice at Zandvoort, Ricciardo entered Turn 3 seconds after Piastri had spun in the McLaren, crashing hard into the wall at the top of the banking.

The AlphaTauri driver slid into the wall himself, but in doing so, suffered an injury to his left arm which was diagnosed as a broken metacarpal which has ruled him out of the weekend to be replaced by Liam Lawson.

The incident happened after what Ricciardo described as a promising day for the team, and revealed that he hit the wall to avoid ramming the stopped Piastri.

Ricciardo's Piastri choice

"I was very excited to be back after the break. The day was going pretty well," Ricciardo explained.

"We made some changes for FP2 and the few laps I did on the Hard tyre before the crash felt good; we were building up and improving.

"At that time, we were pretty competitive, and I was feeling positive.

"I remember coming into Turn 3. I had already gotten into the corner and then saw Piastri, so it was either hit him or the wall.

"When I hit the wall, I didn’t have enough time to take my hands off the steering wheel, so the wheel came and hit my hand.

"It's really unfortunate and frustrating, but I’ll try to recover as quickly as I can.

"Obviously, I’d love to get back soon, but I also want to ensure we do things the right way, so I come back strong and competitive.

"I wish the team well, and I’m sorry for the change in plans again. It’s a chance for Liam to have a go, and I wish him and the team a strong weekend."