Ricciardo warned “you’ve got to be worried” about Lawson taking his seat

In just his third race since making his shock F1 comeback with AlphaTauri, Ricciardo broke his hand in a crash during practice at the Dutch Grand Prix.

The Australian was ruled out of the rest of the Zandvoort weekend and AlphaTauri have confirmed that Lawson will continue to drive for the team until Ricciardo is fully fit. 

Lawson had a solid run to 13th place on his F1 debut as a last-minute replacement for Ricciardo. 

Asked if Ricciardo should be worried about his position, Schiff replied: “Of course. Any driver whose seat has been taken by another driver, you’ve got to be worried. 

“I think Daniel will be monitoring everything Liam is doing.

“It’s up to Liam now. This is an opportunity that comes once in a lifetime. 

“Obviously he’s been prepared to step up into one of these seats, but for it to come to him in Zandvoort? He’s got to take this opportunity to show exactly what he’s got.”

Martin Brundle believes the timing “couldn’t be worse” for Ricciardo. 

“He [Lawson] did well just to survive the race. He’ll have a better chance here to show his mettle,” he explained. 

“It couldn’t be worse timing for Ricciardo, I feel so sorry for him. It’s a nasty break.

“These cars, when you go over kerbs or in Singapore up against a wall, you can’t do that with a broken hand.

“It’s Liam’s opportunity to shine. Unfortunately, Daniel will have to watch it unfold from a hospital bed and a rehab area.” 

Sky F1’s pitlane reporter Ted Kravitz added: “Ricciardo has been in contact with Lawson to wish him well and to give him some tips on how to drive this car.

“Lawson was dropped in the deep end at Zandvoort. He did very well and beat Tsunoda in the race.

“He’s highly-rated, Liam. He’s only 21, worked his way through F3, DTM, two seasons of F2."