Despite being injured himself, “super supportive” Daniel Ricciardo helped out Liam Lawson ahead of his debut in the Dutch F1 GP

F1 Grand Prix of The Netherlands - Practice
Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Scuderia AlphaTauri wears a cast on his hand after crashing during practice which has ruled him out of competing in this weekends race ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of The Netherlands at Circuit Zandvoort on August 25, 2023 in Zandvoort, Netherlands. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

AlphaTauri's Daniel Ricciardo was ruled out of the Dutch Grand Prix after he injured his metacarpal during the second practice session. He was replaced by Liam Lawson.

In a recent interview with Planetf1.co, Lawson revealed how a "super supportive" Daniel Ricciardo helped him prepare for the race and get familiar with the car.

When asked if he had had any contact with Ricciardo before making his debut, he said:

“Daniel being the amazing guy that he is, he was super supportive. Basically before he left to go have surgery, he was still on the track and he was very supportive. He told me to make the most it and if I needed any help then to ask him. He was very, very good about it."

Lawson also revealed that he didn't want to make his F1 debut in such conditions, but he took the opportunity that was given to him.

"I didn’t want to make my debut in Formula 1 in that kind of style, but obviously, when you have that opportunity, you need to take it."

He also said that after knowing about Ricciardo's injury, he had to wait for almost two hours before making a decision.

"When I found out what the injury was, and that there was a very good chance he wasn’t going to be able to drive, then it was just very anxious for two hours before we actually made the decision. We had to wait for everything to be 100% sure."

After the Dutch Grand Prix, AlphaTauri announced that Liam Lawson will continue to drive for the team until Ricciardo is cleared to drive again. This gives Lawson a chance to prove his speed and secure his future in Formula One.


David Coulthard to replace Daniel Ricciardo at Nurburgring

Daniel Ricciardo was scheduled to drive at the Red Bull Formula Nurburgring event on September 9. But after injuring his wrist and undergoing surgery, he will be replaced by David Coulthard.

David Coulthard, a 13-time Grand Prix winner will be driving the Red Bull on the Nordschleife track. The 12-hour event will also see the return of the four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel.

Ricciardo is expected to spend a month on the sidelines. The Aussie will miss the Italian GP this weekend and is also not likely to be available for the Singapore GP and Japanese GP later next month.

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