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Aussie F1 star Daniel Ricciardo has spoken forward of his return to the observe, racing for AlphaTauri within the upcoming United States Grand Prix in Texas.
The 34-year-old has been sidelined for 5 races as a consequence of a damaged hand, injuring a metacarpal in his left hand after crashing right into a barrier throughout a follow session on the Dutch Grand Prix in August.
The damage required surgical procedure, however now Ricciardo is able to return, having labored his manner again to full health within the Purple Bull simulator.
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Ricciardo started the F1 season as a reserve driver for Purple Bull however quickly changed Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri, driving for the workforce through the Hungarian Grand Prix in July.
“It’s good to be again. My hand is a lot better, and the simulator was a helpful manner of assessing it. I attempted it out within the week earlier than Qatar, however I didn’t really feel it was at full potential,” Ricciardo stated.
“So, I spent the remainder of that week within the UK, spending extra time within the sim, and acquired to some extent the place I felt able to go.
“My total health is okay as I saved coaching as a lot as I may, though I clearly couldn’t do a lot with my left hand or arm for some time.
“It was undoubtedly irritating watching the previous few races, particularly as I’d gotten myself to a spot the place I used to be so able to go once more and race, after which I did two occasions and needed to hit ‘Pause’ once more, however really, the time with out racing went fairly shortly.”
AlphaTauri launched a variety of upgrades to the AT04 in Ricciardo’s absence.
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Nonetheless, he was in a position to take a look at them out within the simulator and is assured he’ll be capable to deal with their “full impact”.
“The present automobile has moved on a bit since I final drove it, however the sim was helpful to get an thought of what the modifications and updates have delivered,” Ricciardo stated.
“I felt somewhat little bit of their impact, however it’s a type of issues I believe, as soon as I get on observe, I’ll really feel them to their full impact.
“So, I’m excited to see what it’s like first-hand. As for this weekend, I’ve all the time loved Austin.
“It’s very distinctive for a modern-day circuit, and the undulations and bumps imply it’s bodily. It does beat you up, however I believe I like that.
“I just like the problem. A variety of the apexes are fairly extensive as nicely, so there are some peculiar corners which make the observe distinctive and stand out.”
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