- Crashed with compatriot Oscar Piastri in 2023
- Lost five races while recovering from injuries
- Had a hilarious reaction when he returned to the scene of the crime
Daniel Ricciardo made a memorable comeback at the Dutch Grand Prix, where he boldly acknowledged the corner that led to his hand injury last year.
Back at Zandvoort, Ricciardo took Turn 3 with a cheeky salute, which was a funny moment on his return.
Last season, an accident involving Australian debutant Oscar Piastri occurred here, leaving him with a fracture and Ricciardo sidelined for five races.
Despite the setback, Ricciardo said he was determined not to shy away from the challenge, saying he would ‘greet Turn 3, give him a little compliment and go for it.’
During Friday’s practice he put his plan into action in true Ricciardo style, wagging his finger at the infamous corner.
Looking back on last year’s incident, Ricciardo admitted the crash turned his year upside down.
“Last year was obviously the year that turned my year upside down, but until the accident with Oscar I was really enjoying the circuit. The car was great,” he said.
During this year’s practice sessions, Ricciardo struggled more than expected, finishing 13th, behind team-mate Yuki Tsunoda and George Russell.
Ricciardo raises his finger in salute to the corner where he crashed last year and broke his hand
It was a challenging training day for the Australian under difficult conditions in the Netherlands
The training day at Zandvoort was a challenging day: initially the conditions were wet and there was a strong wind all the time.
Ricciardo experimented with all three tyre types – rain tyres, intermediates and slicks – to find the right approach for the tricky Dutch circuit.
“It was a bit of everything,” Ricciardo said of the day.
“There’s still something to find. We just kind of dug our heads into the data and tried to understand…
‘We had a bit more difficulty than expected, especially on the medium versus the hard track.
‘We kind of split ties with Yuki and I. He was faster on the hard than I was on the medium.
‘And on the soft track I managed to put in a slightly better lap, but it wasn’t quite right yet.
“Hopefully we can find some things tonight and then prepare for tomorrow.”
British driver George Russell set the fastest lap of the day with a time of 1:10.702 to lead the field. Local favourite Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion, finished fifth, 0.284 seconds behind Russell.
Piastri, who was also involved in last year’s incident with Ricciardo, continued his good form by finishing just behind Russell.
McLaren’s Lando Norris also impressed, taking second place in the first practice session.