“Tougher than I thought, but I'm a wuss” - Ricciardo’s insight into his recovery

Ricciardo is set to make his long-awaited return from injury at this weekend’s United States Grand Prix.

He was forced to miss five races after suffering a broken metacarpal during a practice crash at Zandvoort in August.

The Australian broke his wrist and underwent surgery in Barcelona shortly after that.

Since then, he’s been forced to sit on the sidelines, while Liam Lawson has impressed for AlphaTauri.

Ricciardo’s short-term future is secure as AlphaTauri announced him alongside Yuki Tsunoda for 2024 last month.

Speaking in Austin on Thursday, Ricciardo gave some insight into his recovery.

“I’m well, happy to be back,” he said. “The hand is good. I want to get back to it. Tougher than I thought, but I’m a wuss.

“When the accident happened and we were aware of what bone broke, they seemed okay, like it was an easy fix, but when we got the surgery done it was more difficult.”

During Ricciardo’s absence, AlphaTauri have heavily upgraded their car as they look to close the gap to Alfa Romeo and Haas in the championship standings.

“I went to Singapore where they had big updates,” he added. “The drivers were saying they felt good differences. I’m expecting a car a little different to where I left it. It’s my third race, I’m still very green, everything feels news to me.