29-year-old Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz will be sidelined for the duration of the Jeddah race weekend, with his place being taken by Oliver Bearman, the team’s 18-year-old British reserve driver.
Sainz, who had been feeling ill for the past couple of days, described Thursday’s practice session as “one of my most challenging days in Formula 1,” initially believing he was suffering from a stomach bug. However, an appendicitis diagnosis was made, requiring surgery.
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Bearman was already in Jeddah to compete in the Formula 2 championship, having secured pole position for the feature race during Thursday’s qualifying. This race will be his first full Formula 1 race, although he previously participated in first practice sessions with Haas at last year’s Mexican and 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Ferrari has yet to announce when Sainz is expected to resume racing.
In a related case from 2022, Williams‘ Alex Albon was sidelined for the Italian Grand Prix due to appendicitis but came back at the following race in Singapore.
The next race following the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is set to be the 2024 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, scheduled for March 20-22.
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