Carlos Sainz expected to drive the Ferrari SF-24 in Melbourne
“The most important thing is to recover well and not rush the recovery, which so far has been incredible. The fact that he managed to return to the track to be with the team is a positive sign and has given us great support. He will fly home with me and have a complete week of rest. Then we will decide whether to bring him to Melbourne or not.” This is how Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur explained Carlos Sainz’s recovery timeline after undergoing appendicitis surgery on Friday ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah circuit.
In the very early days of next week, the Maranello team will have to make a decision, and there couldn’t have been a worse trip for Carlos Sainz after an appendicitis operation. The flight to Australia is one of the longest on the calendar, and it is customary to anticipate the trip to adjust to the time zone. The precedent of Alexander Albon, absent in Monza for the same reason and then back in the car in Singapore, is not applicable because there were two full weekends off before racing in Marina Bay, which means that the recovery times are not comparable as the Williams driver had an extra week to recover at that moment.
In the event of Carlos Sainz’s absence, it is not even certain that Oliver Bearman will be chosen again to complete the line-up alongside Charles Leclerc for the Australian Grand Prix, the third round of the 2024 Formula 1 championship. In this case, reserves Antonio Giovinazzi and Robert Shwartzman could be informed well in advance, and furthermore, it should not be underestimated that the Formula 2 series will be back on track in Melbourne as it already happened in Saudi Arabia. Oliver Bearman has no points to his name due to the negative weekend in Bahrain, and the top of the standings occupied by Zane Maloney is already 47 points ahead. Not racing in Australia could compromise the title chances for the Ferrari Driver Academy driver even more.
Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection! Click here to enter the F1 online Store and shop securely! And also get your F1 tickets for every race with VIP hospitality and unparalleled insider access. Click here for the best offers to support Charles and Carlos from the track!
