Lawson set for F1 debut after Ricciardo fractures hand

Kiwi driver Liam Lawson is set to make his F1 debut after Daniel Ricciardo was ruled out of the Dutch Grand Prix with a fractured hand.

Both Ricciardo and fellow Australian Oscar Piastri crashed on the same turn.

AlphaTauri's Ricciardo, in just his third grand prix since earning a drive with the Red Bull-backed outfit, fractured his left hand when he drove into a tyre wall at Zandvoort in an attempt to avoid running headlong into Piastri's stricken McLaren after the rookie had just crashed moments earlier.

The incident left Piastri reflecting that Ricciardo's actions may have prevented an even more serious incident.

"If you're coming into that corner, it's blind, so maybe he saw me too late and turned to the wall instead of into me. So if he did, thank you," said the Melbourne rookie.

The two Aussies were thankfully able to clamber out of their cars after their accidents but the 34-year-old Ricciardo had difficulty extricating himself because his hand had still been on the steering wheel as he hit the wall.

It marks a big opportunity for New Zealander Lawson, a 21-year-old from Hastings who will be making his Formula One debut.

It comes after Lawson said he got "the shock of my life" last month after being snubbed for the Formula 1 seat for Alpha Tauri.

"I landed in Tokyo and flicked on my phone and got the shock of my life," he told 1News.

"I wasn't aware of the decision being made. It was definitely a surprise."

After talking to the Red Bull bosses, Lawson said he now understood why they chose Ricciardo's experience over talent.

"Alpha Tauri have been struggling in the last couple of years and this year especially so having Daniel can really help benefit the team," he said. "For me, it would have been super difficult.

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"I wouldn't want to jump in mid-year anyway – it would have been tough."

That's set to change now, with a big opportunity on the way for the young driver.