MARCH 9, 2024

Doctor says Sainz could be fit for Melbourne

Carlos Sainz could be in good enough shape to return to his Ferrari cockpit in Melbourne in a fortnight.

The Spaniard struggled through Thursday practice with what he thought was food poisoning - but a day later, was diagnosed with appendicitis and replaced by 18-year-old Ferrari reserve Oliver Bearman.

Bearman, a rookie, was disappointed to be half a second off Charles Leclerc's pace in qualifying and miss out on Q3, but he earned the high praise of drivers up and down the pitlane - including Max Verstappen.

By lap two, lap three I was like 'Okay, that's a strong start', said the triple world champion, recalling watching Bearman on the monitors in FP3.

It's also good news for Toto Wolff, as Bearman's Formula 2 teammate and fellow teenager Kimi Antonelli is a contender to replace Lewis Hamilton next year.

Now you see that you can take a boy like that out of a F2 car and put him in a Ferrari and he is immediately competitive. It's promising for the next generation, said the Mercedes boss.

It's possible, however, that Saudi Arabia will be a one-off for now for Bearman. Sainz had his appendix removed in a local hospital on Friday and said it went smooth.

It is not an easy situation but his condition is normal, said Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur. I hope Carlos will return to action soon.

Dr Riccardo Ceccarelli, founder of the F1 medical authority Formula Medicine, thinks 29-year-old Sainz's chances of a recovery by Melbourne are good.

If there are no complications, a driver will be able to race after 10 days, he told the Spanish broadcaster DAZN. It would be different for a footballer, because they have more pressure in the abdomen, but the drivers are sitting and do not have so much pressure in that area.

Ceccarelli said an appendectomy is also a very quick operation these days, only requiring the creation of a couple of small holes and a couple of days in hospital.

I think the doctor at Ferrari found the problem quickly and everything was managed properly, he added.

(GMM)