Red Bull boss gives latest update on Daniel Ricciardo's recovery

Red Bull chief Christian Horner believes Daniel Ricciardo should be ready to race again at the 2023 Japanese GP at the Suzuka circuit. The Briton spoke to the media, including Sportskeeda, after the Italian GP, giving an update on the Australian’s recovery after the crash.

After injuring his hand in a crash at the free practice session ahead of the 2023 Dutch GP, Daniel Ricciardo has had to sit on the bench until he recovers. Having gone through surgery last week to repair the break to the metacarpal bone on his hand, the Australian is now reported to be rehabilitating and recovering.

Giving an update on Daniel Ricciardo, the Red Bull boss said:

“I think certainly Singapore, I don’t think there’s any chance he’ll be ready for that. And I think it will be optimistic for Japan. But I think his recovery is going well. He’s got mobility of the hand, he’s into rehabilitation now, but we’ve seen with motorcyclists, rushing comebacks can sometimes do more damage."

He added:

"So we just want to make sure he’s fully fit before he gets back in the car. I should think he’s pretty keen to be in the car in Suzuka. We just take it on a day by day basis and see how the recovery and nature takes its course.”

Daniel Ricciardo was replaced by Liam Lawson at the Dutch GP, who has adjusted well to the AlphaTauri. The Red Bull team boss asserted that they do not want to risk a physically challenging circuit such as Singapore or Japan, which could be a possibility.

Despite the Australian’s desire to return to racing in Japan, Horner felt they were trying not to rush him into a return. The Briton felt that rushing could worsen the injury at times, as seen in bike racing.

Therefore, his rehabilitation and recovery are being monitored before the AlphaTauri driver can drive a Formula 1 car again. The latest the driver could be expected to return to an F1 car could be at the 2023 Qatar GP.

Horner reported that there has been movement in the Australian’s hand as he rehabilitates and recovers from the injury.

Having earned a spot back on the grid after a six-month break from the sport, the Dutch GP crash has spoiled a bit of the momentum for Daniel Ricciardo.

The plan to pitch for a 2025 Red Bull drive is on his agenda, and a good performance with AlphaTauri was a qualifier for the job.

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Red Bull's senior advisor doubts Daniel Ricciardo's return in Singapore

Helmut Marko had spoken to the media earlier ahead of the 2023 Italian GP, suggesting that Daniel Ricciardo would return earliest by Singapore.

However, the Red Bull senior advisor doubted the possibility of a return to the physically challenging street circuit and suggested that it was only a best-case scenario.

The Austrian felt that even Suzuka looked uncertain, which indirectly suggested that maybe the Qatar race would be the perfect race for him to return.

Speaking to on-site media at the Monza circuit, the Red Bull advisor said:

“Normally it takes six weeks. In the very best case, the first race which he will be back is Singapore, however, this is physically one of the most extreme circuits. [He] is unlikely [to return there] and the same is actually true of Suzuka.”

Currently, Daniel Ricciardo has had only two proper race weekends in Hungary and Belgium since his return. The Australian finished the Hungarian GP in 13th place and the Belgium GP in 16th place.

While the two races before a summer break were more about him getting acclimated to his new tools, the Dutch GP free practice has interrupted the momentum.

Similar to the multiple Grand Prix winners, Lance Stroll injured both his wrists earlier this year and managed to rehabilitate and recover soon. His teammate Fernando Alonso had injured his hand at the 2022 Australian GP and nursed the wound through the season.