F1's Ricciardo breaks hand, to miss Dutch GP

ZANDVOORT, Netherlands -- Daniel Ricciardo suffered a broken metacarpal in a crash during practice for the Dutch Grand Prix, meaning Red Bull junior Lawson will make his Formula One debut with AlphaTauri in his place.

Ricciardo injured his left hand after a heavy crash into the barriers during Friday's second practice session, shortly after McLaren's Oscar Piastri had crashed at the same corner.

It was immediately clear Ricciardo was in pain, as he was heard saying over the radio: "F---, my hand, f---."

Ricciardo was holding his left arm when he got out of the car and he was later seen leaving the circuit with it in a sling.

Hospital checkups later confirmed the break, which AlphaTauri confirmed on Friday evening a few hours after the crash.

Ricciardo only returned to AlphaTauri in July after replacing Nyck de Vries.

In a cruel twist of irony, the crash occurred almost 12 months on from when McLaren confirmed it would not continue with Ricciardo beyond 2022, which had left him without a race seat coming into this season.

Lawson will get a single practice session before qualifying on Saturday afternoon but has an immediate opportunity to underline his credentials for a full-time drive.

New Zealander Lawson finished third in last year's Formula 3 championship before Red Bull placed him into Japan's Super Formula championship this year.