Daniel Ricciardo is set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on his broken left wrist.
The 34-year-old Australian sustained the injury in practice for this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix – which was due to be his third comeback race.
Ricciardo is highly likely to be absent for the following round in Italy next weekend and faces missing further races in the second half of the season.
“Had surgery this morning and got my first bit of metal work so that’s pretty cool,” said Ricciardo via his social media channels.
“Big thanks to everyone who reached out and kept my spirits up. This ain’t a setback, just all part of the comeback.”
Eight-time winner Ricciardo was in obvious pain when he emerged from his AlphaTauri cockpit following his practice shunt.
He was immediately taken to the medical centre before he was transported to a nearby hospital with his left arm in a sling.
A subsequent X-ray confirmed Ricciardo had sustained a break to the metacarpal on his left hand.
New Zealand rookie Liam Lawson deputised for Ricciardo, finishing 13th of the 17 classified runners in Sunday’s rain-hit race.
