Carlos Sainz Jr. saw his 2024 Formula 1 season get off to a great start, with an impressive podium finish in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz Jr. to miss F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
The Ferrari driver will be replaced by reserve Ollie Bearman
Photo by Kym Illman/Getty Images
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
His second race week, however, has been a little different.
Ferrari announced on Friday, just ahead of the third practice session and qualifying at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, that Sainz has been diagnosed with appendicitis and will require surgery, sidelining him for the rest of the week. Sainz missed the media sessions on Wednesday due to “illness,” and participated in an abbreviated FP1 ahead of a full FP2. However, Sainz noted in the team’s post-practice report that he was still not feeling well.
Now we know exactly why.
Sainz will be replaced by reserve driver Oliver “Ollie” Bearman. Bearman was set to participate in the F2 races at Jeddah this weekend — and captured pole position in qualifying on Thursday for the feature race — but will now shift his focus to FP3, and his first F1 qualifying session.
Bearman is just 18, making him the youngest driver on the current F1 grid. He will also be the first British driver for Ferrari since Eddie Irvine back in 1999.
With, of course, Lewis Hamilton set to be the next British driver for Ferrari starting next season.
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