The 34-year-old Australian has missed the last five races after breaking his left hand during practice for the Dutch Grand Prix on August 25.
Ricciardo, who participated in a Red Bull demonstration run in Nashville last weekend, will return to his AlphaTauri cockpit for practice at Austin’s Circuit of The Americas on Friday.
New Zealander Liam Lawson, who has impressed as Ricciardo’s stand-in, will be replaced.
Speaking about the injury, Ricciardo stated it was “frustrating,” but his fitness is fine and he is “excited” to drive an improved AlphaTauri.
“It’s good to be back!” exclaimed the eight-time Grand Prix winner.
“My hand is much better, and the simulator was a useful way of assessing it.”I tried it out the week before Qatar, but I didn’t think it lived up to its full potential, so I spent the remainder of that week in the UK, spending more time in the sim, and finally felt ready to go.
“My general fitness is fine since I continued to exercise as much as possible, despite the fact that I couldn’t do much with my left hand or arm for a period.
