ZANDVOORT, Netherlands — Daniel Ricciardo stand-in Liam Lawson will start the Dutch Grand Prix from last position.
The New Zealander, Red Bull’s reserve driver, was drafted in after Ricciardo broke a bone in his hand after crashing during a practice session on Friday.
Lawson, 21, made his debut with the number 40 on his car.
Lawson took part in Friday practice for AlphaTauri in Belgium and Mexico last year and at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for Red Bull but has never taken part in an F1 race.
On qualifying, Lawson was quite a way off the pace and finished 20th, but only had a disrupted and wet final practice session to get acquainted with the Zandvoort circuit.
“Hectic, massively hectic,” Lawson said of the day. “Obviously it’s not something you want and I feel for Daniel — I wish him a speedy recovery and I hope everything is fine – but for myself an opportunity like this comes once maybe in your life, so you have to take it in both hands.
“It’s been a challenging day, but I’m excited for tomorrow. I know it’s going to be pretty tough but I’m excited.”
Ricciardo’s crash occurred when he had to react late to avoid Oscar Piastri’s crashed McLaren at the banked Turn 3 corner.
Ricciardo did avoid the McLaren but injured his hand during the impact with the wall.
The timeline for Ricciardo’s return is unclear.
Lawson, who was in the frame for a drive at AlphaTauri next season, now has a golden opportunity to prove his credentials.
Given Ricciardo broke a bone, it seems unlikely he will be back in time to race at the Italian Grand Prix on Sep. 3.
F1 then has a double header in Singapore on Sep. 17 and Japan on Sep.24.
Source: www.espn.com