Daniel Ricciardo will miss his fifth grand prix in a row this weekend in Qatar with Liam Lawson again filling in for AlphaTauri.
Ricciardo, who only returned to the F1 grid in July after replacing the axed Nyck de Vries, broke a bone in his hand during second practice at the Dutch Grand Prix in August.
Red Bull junior driver Lawson has since stepped in and impressed, recording the team’s best score of the season with a ninth-place finish in Singapore.
Nonetheless, in the meantime, both Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda have been confirmed as AlphaTauri drivers for 2024.
Yet this weekend’s sprint weekend in Qatar will once again come soon for 34-year-old Ricciardo, who will now target a return at the United States Grand Prix in Austin on October 20-22.
Ricciardo has only competed in two races for AlphaTauri – in Hungary and Belgium prior to the summer break – while Lawson has featured in four.
New Zealand driver Lawson, despite his eye-catching performances, has not found a seat for 2024 – though has been linked with the only unconfirmed spot on the grid at Williams amid Logan Sargeant’s struggles.
Ricciardo, meanwhile, will race with Red Bull’s sister team next year in the hope it puts him in a position to take Sergio Perez’s seat for 2025.
Perez’s team-mate Max Verstappen can secure his third straight world title during the sprint race this Saturday in Qatar. The Dutchman only needs to finish sixth or higher in the 100km dash around the Lusail International Circuit.
Read MoreMick Schumacher holds talks with Alpine over 2024 drive
Christian Horner admits ‘keeping an eye’ on Lando Norris amid Red Bull link
Mercedes chief details ‘very ambitious targets’ for 2024 car
