When can Daniel Ricciardo expect to return in his AlphaTauri F1 car? Christian Horner responds

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has confirmed that Daniel Ricciardo won't be available for the Singapore Grand Prix, meaning the Australian will be out of action for almost another month.

Due to a hand injury sustained in a practice collision before the Dutch Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo has missed the previous two races. Liam Lawson is filling in for the Australian until he recovers.

Horner said the Singapore Grand Prix, which is in two weeks, will be too soon for Ricciardo's comeback. He said that Ricciardo might not compete again until the Qatar Grand Prix in early October.

"Certainly Singapore, I don’t think there’s any chance he’ll be ready for then, and I think it would be optimistic for Japan, but his recovery is going well, he’s got mobility of the hand, and he’s into rehabilitation now," Horner said (via SkySportsF1)

Given that he just recently returned to the grid in Hungary, Ricciardo will likely miss a total of four Grands Prix for AlphaTauri. Liam Lawson will continue to fill the gap in an unusual opportunity to show his own value for a potential future F1 seat.

---

Liam Lawson to fill in for Daniel Ricciardo until he is fit to race

Since it has been announced that Liam Lawson will continue competing with AlphaTauri until Daniel Ricciardo is totally fit, he will have more opportunities to shine in Formula One.

AlphaTauri confirmed Lawson will stay with the team in a statement, which read:

"We are delighted that Daniel's surgery went well and that he is now on the road to recovery. We hope to see him at the track again very soon, but until he is fully fit, we can confirm that Liam, who did a good job in a difficult circumstances at Zandvoort, will continue to drive along side Yuki, from starting our home race this weekend in Monza."

With three points, AlphaTauri are presently ranked 10th in the 2023 constructors' championship. Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson are at the bottom of the driver standings with zero points, while Yuki Tsunoda is 17th place with three points.