By now, you might have already heard of the dreaded news – Daniel Ricciardo will be sitting out the Dutch GP. A very unfortunate incident that stole all the happiness that he brought along with him to the paddock and to Formula 1 fans. His crash in FP2 at Zandvoort led to a broken metacarpal in his left hand, rendering him helpless and unable to drive his car. But as fans, we care about his recovery and would love to see him back in action on the racetrack. But by the time F1 makes its way to the Italian GP, will our beloved Honey Badger be ready to zoom around the ‘Temple of Speed’?

You know that Ricciardo drove his AT04 into the wall at the banked Turn 3 on Friday. But do you know why he did that? It was a selfless act to save his compatriot, Oscar Piastri, from being in grave danger. “I remember coming into Turn 3. I had already gotten into the corner and then saw Piastri (who had already crashed into the barriers), so it was either hit him or the wall,” explained Ricciardo. “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.”

He was immediately taken to the hospital. When he returned to the paddock, he had a plaster on his left hand, supported by a sling. For AlphaTauri, this is an enormous loss, even though they have Liam Lawson’s racing services to avail. Losing the services of such an experienced racer can cost them precious insights into the car’s performance. However, Red Bull TP Christian Horner’s statements gave some hope for a speedier recovery.

Horner told Sky Sports, “He’s got a good medical team that he’ll be working with and these guys recover incredibly quickly. He’s a tough Aussie and I’m sure he’ll be eager to get back in the car as quickly as he can.” 

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The recovery might be quicker than that of the average person. But common sense would say that there is no way his hand can completely heal in 1 week, by September 1, for the Italian GP. And the statements given by his boss align with this common sense.

AlphaTauri Team Principal Franz Tost nearly rules out Monza return for Daniel Ricciardo

The news of the Honey Badger’s fracture is already a depressing one. To add salt to these depressing wounds, Franz Tost has given another glum update. According to him and the doctors, Ricciardo might have to undergo surgery. Though the doctors are yet to confirm if he needs one, Monza will probably be a Ricciardo-less affair.

“For sure he will not drive here and we will see what is going to happen for Monza, but maybe he has to have surgery,” said Tost, conveying the doctor’s messages to Viaplay. “The doctors will decide in the next few days. Normal recovery for a normal person is up to six weeks, but he is a Formula 1 driver, and I hope this process will be shortened because we would like to have him in the car.”

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If the normal recovery period is 6 weeks, fast-tracking it to recover within one-sixth of the time by 1st September looks impossible. But by the Singapore GP, which is 3 weeks away, complete recovery could be possible, considering the expertise of Ricciardo’s medical team.