Ricciardo will not 'shy away' from Zandvoort feelings after injury

Daniel Ricciardo admits he has "thought about" the injury he sustained at Zandvoort last season in the run-up to the Dutch Grand Prix.

It caused the 35-year-old to miss the rest of the round in The Netherlands, as well as the four subsequent rounds, with Liam Lawson deputising in his place.

The Australian driver was in just his third event after taking over Nyck de Vries' AlphaTauri seat when he broke his left hand trying to avoid the McLaren of Oscar Piastri at Turn 3 in second practice. 

His fellow countryman, who replaced him at the Woking team, has himself recently recovered from a broken bone, after fracturing his rib during the summer triple-header.

However, Ricciardo is adamant not to let last year's incident impact his weekend, saying he will afford it a moment of recognition before getting on with the task at hand.

"I've thought about it," the RB driver admitted to media including RacingNews365.

"I'm not going to shy away from that. But, I'll get in the car, I'll salute Turn 3, give it a little hello and crack on."

In preparation of the round at Zandvoort, Ricciardo has spent time in the simulator, reacquainting himself with the circuit - something he says has helped with getting comfortable for returning to the scene of the accident.

As he approached Turn 3, Piastri ahead had spun at the banked corner. Ricciardo's evasive action meant he could not release his hands from his steering wheel in time, with his left hand getting caught on the side of the cockpit.

However, he was quick to point out that is not "scared" to drive at the track, and that he was not going to "overplay" the accident.

"I was in the sim a few days ago, and honestly, even just that, driving around, I was like: 'Alright.' I felt better," he explained.

"So, I'm not going to overplay it, like it's some demons and I'm just: 'Oh my gosh, I'm scared to drive here'. Not at all.

"But I'll acknowledge it, and then crack on."