Daniel Ricciardo ‘less likely than likely’ to race in Qatar Grand Prix

Ricciardo may be waiting until the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, before getting back in a Formula 1 car after his injury.

Scuderia AlphaTauri driver [autotag]Daniel Ricciardo[/autotag] may have to wait a little bit longer to get back in the cockpit of the AT04.

Ricciardo raced for AlphaTauri in two races alongside teammate Yuki Tsunoda in the Hungarian Grand Prix and the Belgian Grand Prix, but he broke he broke his wrist during practice at the Dutch Grand Prix and has since been replaced by New Zealand Driver Liam Lawson.

While some have wondered if Ricciardo could return for the upcoming Qatar Grand Prix, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner isn’t getting his hopes up. Horner recently spoke to Sky Sports and revealed that Lawson is likely to take the wheel once again in Qatar, letting Ricciardo continue to recover.

“I’d say probably less likely than likely at the moment,” Horner told Sky Sports. “His recuperation is going well, but he’s fixed in the seat next year — does he need to rush?”

Horner said that while Ricciardo is focused on a return at the Qatar Grand Prix, it might be more beneficial to let him rest for a few weeks and make his debut at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas — a track and location Ricciardo is publically a fan of.

“Might be better to use that time in preparation for Austin,” Horner said. “I know he has his sights fixed on Qatar, but he’ll drive the simulator next week and we’ll make some decisions based on that.”

AlphaTauri isn’t in dire straights without Ricciardo, as Lawson has been extremely impressive for a rookie. He’s placed higher than 15th in every race with the car so far, with two 11th place finishes and a points finish in 9th in Singapore.

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