Ricciardo on shunt that broke hand: ‘It was either hit Piastri or the wall’

The AlphaTauri driver was hospitalised with a broken metacarpal on his left hand after a heavy hit with the barriers during second practice on Friday at Zandvoort. 

Ricciardo crashed at the banked Turn 3 moments after Piastri had lost control of his McLaren and hit the wall. 

The Australian, who will be replaced by Liam Lawson for the rest of the weekend, said he had to make a split-second decision to hit the barriers, rather than the stranded Piastri. 

“I was very excited to be back after the break. The day was going pretty well,” Ricciardo said. 

“We made some changes for FP2 and the few laps I did on the hard tyre before the crash felt good; we were building up and improving. At that time, we were pretty competitive, and I was feeling positive.

“I remember coming into Turn 3. I had already gotten into the corner and then saw Piastri, so it was either hit him or the wall.

“When I hit the wall, I didn’t have enough time to take my hands off the steering wheel, so the wheel came and hit my hand. It’s really unfortunate and frustrating, but I’ll try to recover as quickly as I can.”

Ricciardo, who himself had only returned to F1 two races ago having replaced the underperforming Nyck de Vries, is determined to make a speedy recovery. 

“I’d love to get back soon, but I also want to ensure we do things the right way, so I come back strong and competitive," he added.

“I wish the team well, and I’m sorry for the change in plans again. It’s a chance for Liam to have a go, and I wish him and the team a strong weekend.”