Daniel Ricardo said he was "very frustrated" by the "pause" of his Formula 1 return trip with the Mavericks team ahead of his imminent return to the cockpit of the Austin circuit.
Ricciardo broke his wrist during practice at the Zandvoort Dutch Grand Prix in August, which caused him to interrupt his return to F1 after just two races.
Ricciardo missed five race weekends and was replaced by substitute driver Liam Lawson. But he will return to driving AlphaTauri's AT04 car at this weekend's U.S. Grand Prix, racing at the Speedway of the Americas.
"Watching the last few games really frustrates me," Ricardo said.
"Especially when I was ready to play again and then I only played two games and had to take a timeout again. But in reality, this period of time without competition passed quite quickly. ”
Ricardo revealed he was not yet in his "all-around form" when he tested his hands ahead of the Qatar mock but now feels fully ready to play again.
"My hands are already much better, and the simulator is a useful way to evaluate it," he explains.
"I tried it the week before Qatar but I didn't feel it was at its best, so I spent the rest of my time in the UK, training on simulators until I felt ready.
"My overall health is good because I train as much as I can, although obviously there was a time when I couldn't do much with my left hand or arm."
During the Ricardo's break, Lawson and Koichi Tsujino benefited from an upgraded version of AlphaTauri, which helped the former score two points in Singapore.
But the team remains bottom of the team standings, seven points behind ninth-placed Haas, who brought an all-new car change in Austin.
"The current car has improved a bit since I last drove it, but the simulator is useful to understand the effects of changes and updates," commented Ricciardo as he said of the changes to the car during his recovery.
"I do feel their effects, but I think once I'm on the field, I'll feel their effects to the fullest.
"I was in Singapore when they first tried it and it was interesting to hear their feedback and comments, mostly positive. So, I'm looking forward to experiencing the changes in racing for myself. ”