Bad news for Daniel Ricciardo? “Fracture more complicated than expected”
It was hoped that the hand problem sustained in Friday practice at the F1 Dutch Grand Prix was a clean break, but AlphaTauri and Red Bull have both confirmed this is not the case.
The veteran driver underwent surgery in Barcelona on Sunday morning.
"Unfortunately, the break is complicated,” said Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko to Sky Germany.
“It's not a straight break.
"We'll get a confirmation from the doctor tonight, but things are looking bad for the next two races."
AlphaTauri CEO Peter Beyer said: "I just spoke to his manager.
“The surgery went well, even if the fracture was more complicated than expected.
“He's staying in Barcelona for a few days for observation. We wish him all the best.”
Next week’s grand prix in Monza will inevitably be missed as Ricciardo recovers.
Sky Germany are now reporting that Ricciardo “is likely to miss at least” the F1 Singapore Grand Prix too, on September 15-17.
That means he could aim to return in Japan a week later on September 22-24.
"Hey everyone," Ricciardo posted to social media from his hospital bed on Sunday.
"Had surgery this morning, got my first bit of metal work so that’s pretty cool.
"Big thanks to everyone who reached out and kept my spirits up. This ain’t a setback, just all part of the comeback."
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
