Daniel Ricciardo Injury Update: Helmut Marko Details F1 Return Date After Eerie “Seven Fractures” Revelation

A hero for some, a giant bulb of happiness for others, and an irritation to none – Daniel Ricciardo stamped his mark in the hearts of F1 fans with his million-watt smile, brilliant sense of humor, and sublime racecraft. But with his horrid Dutch GP accident, he was left with a broken, immovable left hand. With his F1 future hanging in the balance, Red Bull Advisor Helmut Marko has given an update on Ricciardo’s injury.

The banked Turn 3 at Zandvoort is a tricky part of the track to maneuver. And if there’s Oscar Piastri’s McLaren already in the wall, the gap on track reduces. That is the tricky situation that Daniel Ricciardo found himself in. He only had one choice to avoid smashing into Piastri’s MCL60 and that was to turn his AlphaTauri into the barrier. And he did, leaving himself injured, with a broken metacarpal on his left hand, which underwent surgery last week. RB taskmaster Marko has now divulged the extent of the injury.

“It’s complicated,” Marko told Servus TV, as quoted by Formula Passion. “There are seven fractures. The same doctor who operated on Marc Marquez is taking care of him. We expect a six-week break and have brought in a top-notch replacement, Liam Lawson. We don’t want to take any chances.”

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7 fractures sustained from a crash in which his AT04 wasn’t even going at top speed. That should tell you the dangers that come with racing in F1. Despite losing his opportunity to race in F1 temporarily, he is present at the Singapore GP playing a different role for AlphaTauri.

AlphaTauri summon Daniel Ricciardo for “Engineering Purposes” at the Singapore GP

Daniel Ricciardo might have provisionally lost his ability to drive owing to the injury but his racing mind is still of the highest quality for his team to make use of. As F1 makes its way to the Marina Bay Circuit, AlphaTauri has gotten the Honey Badger across the globe in a different capacity.

In a ‘Prixview’ of the Grand Prix in Singapore, the Red Bull junior team stated that “Daniel Ricciardo will be present with the team in Singapore only for engineering purposes”. In addition, he won’t be participating in the media interviews, with Liam Lawson continuing with all the formal driver duties.

This Daniel Ricciardo injury is something that no one wanted to see. Why should the man who brings a smile to the faces of millions be in such pain?

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