Sainz optimistic about his participation but EL1 will act as justice of the peace

Will Oliver Bearman have the right to a second Grand Prix with Ferrari ? This shouldn't be the case, but the possibility is not zero. After brilliantly replacing Carlos Sainz in Jeddah by winning the points for 7th place, the Briton will regain his Formula 2 Friday for free practice and qualifying for the Australian F2 meeting. The 18-year-old young man will still keep an eye and an ear on what happens in F1, and in particular on the physical condition of Carlos Sainz.

Operated on for an appendicitis attack ten days ago in Saudi Arabia, the Spaniard did everything possible to give himself every chance of being at the start of the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday. The Madrilenian will be in his SF-24 on Friday for Free Practice 1, and will assess himself physically before definitively validating his participation in the race weekend. “I'll let you know what it is tomorrow, when I get back in the car and the G's are pushing me from one side of the road to the other. car», he joked.

An express convalescence for Carlos Sainz

“But I feel ready. I did everything I could to recover and you can't imagine the effort and logistics I put in to be ready for this race. I'm very happy with the progress I've made and now, like I said, it's time to jump in the car and see how I feel. I feel better than yesterday, worse than tomorrow, and on Sunday everything will be even better.” 

The one who will be forced to leave Ferrari at the end of the season to make way for Lewis Hamilton does not, however, expect to be in peak form. Without surprise. “It’s not like I was 100% for this race because I spent 10 days in bed – not 10 days training, going to the simulator and getting ready for a weekend. end normal. But if I'm fit to run and don't have any pain or symptoms, I can have a good weekend and the goal will be to challenge Red Bull. " 

While speaking for the first time since his medical woes in Jeddah, the former pilot McLaren returned to the funny day of free practice on Friday in Saudi Arabia, where he took the wheel to cover FP1 and FP2 while unknowingly suffering from an attack of appendicitis. “At first, it wasn't easy to understand that it was appendicitis because I didn't have the traditional symptoms, I didn't have huge pain in that area. Then the next day, after taking the exams, we understood that it could be it. "I obviously wouldn't have been able to take part in FP1 and 2 like I did if we had known that was what it was." 

SAINZ 2️⃣ – 0️⃣ APPENDICITIS

Thanks everyone for your messages these past 24h. I really feel your support.❤️ pic.twitter.com/y88CYxI7n6

- Carlos Sainz (@ Carlossainz55) March 9, 2024

As a keen competitor that he is and while he is looking for a new base for 2025, the Madrilenian especially regrets having let points slip away in the championship because of his medical setbacks. “It's not a nice feeling (to have to leave the steering wheel to someone else). Losing the 15 or 12 points that it was possible to get is a huge loss for my championship. And at the same time, what Ollie did is very good, it shows the excellent work of the Ferrari Driver Academy in recent years. 

On Friday, Carlos Sainz will take the wheel during EL1 at 2:30 a.m. French time, and will try to carry out the run plan planned by Maranello. “First of all, just seeing myself moving and the exercises I'm doing in the gym and everything else tells me that I'm fit to get in the car tomorrow and give it a try. But obviously I'm not stupid and if I don't feel well tomorrow I'll be the first to say I need two more weeks before the next race." The Spaniard will therefore measure himself, and in the event that he cannot hold his place, a certain Oliver Bearman will only ask to change paddocks and take advantage of a new opportunity to show himself...

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