Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing’s and AlphaTauri’s reserve driver, will fill in for Daniel Ricciardo after Ricciardo crashed in turn 3 in the opening stages of FP2 for the Dutch Grand Prix, AlphaTauri announced Friday (Aug. 25).
Fellow Aussie and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri wrecked in the same corner in front of Ricciardo. After impacting the barrier, Riccardo was sent to the hospital for further evaluations.
Ricciardo suffered a broken metacarpal on his left hand, taking him out of this weekend’s action at Zandvoort.
Lawson, 21-years-old, has been competing in Japan’s Super Formula championship this year.
Hailing from New Zealand, Lawson would become the 10th driver from the country to suit up for a Formula 1 grand prix the first since Brendon Hartley in 2018 who drove for Torro Rosso (now AlphaTauri).
Lawson made his F1 debut during FP1 with AlphaTauri during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend as well as a test in Mexico with the team. He also has participated with Red Bull in Abu Dhabi.
The Dutch Grand Prix will go lights out on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 9 a.m. ET. Coverage in the United States will be provided by ESPN.
Wyatt Watson has followed motorsports closely since 2007. He joined Frontstretch as a journalist in February 2023 after serving in the United States Navy for five years as an Electronic Technician Navigation working on submarines. Wyatt is one of Frontstretch's primary IndyCar correspondents, providing exclusive video content on site. He hosts Frontstretch's Through the Gears podcast and occasionally The Pit Straight.You can find Wyatt's written work in columns such as Friday Faceoff and 2-Headed Monsteras well as exclusive IndyCar features. Wyatt also contributes to Frontstretch's social media team, posting unique and engaging content for Frontstretch.
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