Carlos Sainz Gives Health Update: ‘Won’t Be 100% Fit’ For Australian GP

Amidst all the excitement created by Oliver Bearman, we forgot to check up on Carlos Sainz. While everyone was basking in the glory of the incredible performance by his replacement, Sainz was in bed feeling the after-effects of his appendicitis surgery. Despite showing up at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the event, the Spaniard was in recovery for the past two weeks, away from the training. However, despite all the rest and recovery, with the Australian GP right around the corner, the Ferrari man is still not 100% up and healthy.

However, that won’t stop him. The Spaniard revealed he’s not 100% fit, but he’s heading to Melbourne with the mindset to race. “I feel ready, I’ve done as much as I can to recover. You can’t imagine the effort and the logistics I’ve done to be fit for this race. Progress, I’m very happy with the progress I’ve made and I’m ready to jump in the car,” Carlos Sainz told the media. “I won’t be 100% for it as I’ve been ten days in bed not ten days training and in the simulator but if I’m fit to race and I don’t have any pain or bad symptoms, I can still put together a good weekend and the target will be to challenge the Red Bull.”

It will surely be interesting to see how his body reacts to racing action after 10 days of inactivity. Although Carlos Sainz is looking forward to the challenge, he also joked, “I’ll let you know tomorrow when I get back in the car and the G-forces throw me around a bit.”

However, if he doesn’t feel right, will we see Oliver Bearman again? Something anyone would’ve been wishing if they were in Bearman’s shoes, but not the young Brit.

What did Oliver Bearman say about another GP opportunity?

Anyone in Bearman’s shoes would’ve been wishing for one thing in the last two weeks, another chance to drive in F1, and everyone would understand. However, after the golden opportunity in Jeddah, Bearman did not wish to extend his F1 lifeline in Australia because he respected the fact that it’s Sainz’s car.

Bearman credited Sainz for his race in Jeddah and revealed Sainz was extremely helpful when he made his way down to the paddock. He helped the young Brit with tips for the race and helped him get accustomed to his car and steering wheel. However, when asked if he’d like to race in Australia as well, Bearman made a comment showcasing his respect for Sainz.

“Honestly, I’m not sure. I hope not. That’s not to say I don’t want to be in the car, but I wish Carlos the very best and I hope he feels better. It’s his car, and I feel like I shouldn’t be in his car, I should give it back to him so he can have another turn,” he said.

It is incredible to see such maturity from an 18-year-old. It’s also about respect, and Bearman is full of it toward Sainz, so let’s hope the young Brit’s wishes come true and Sainz can get back to racing from this weekend onwards, despite his doubts.