Carlos Sainz issues update after Ferrari F1 driver’s surgery with message to Oliver Bearman

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Carlos Sainz has now issued an update following the Ferrari F1 driver’s emergency surgery for appendicitis with a message of praise for reserve star, Oliver Bearman.

The Scuderia were forced into a late change of driver line-up for the Saudi Arabian GP, with 18-year-old Bearman making his debut in Formula 1. Sainz was diagnosed with appendicitis on Friday, having felt unwell since Wednesday. But he still drove in first and second practice.

Sainz attempted to try to continue competing at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit but emergency surgery forced Ferrari to promote Bearman. The Briton was in Saudi Arabia to compete in F2 with Prema. He had even taken pole position for the Feature race but will now step up to F1.

Oliver Bearman qualified P11 on his F1 debut at the Saudi Arabian GP

Ferrari only informed Bearman that he would be racing in F1 rather than F2 this weekend at 13:30 local time (10:30 GMT) on Friday. Yet the teenager produced a stellar job to qualify in 11th place. Bearman missed out on a place in Q3 by only 0.036 seconds to Lewis Hamilton.

Bearman posted a personal best lap time of 1:28.642 in Q2 compared to the 1:28.606 of the Mercedes driver. While fellow Ferrari racer Charles Leclerc registered a 1:28.112 Q2 lap time and a 1:27.791 Q3 time. The Monegasque will start the Saudi Arabian GP from second place.

Carlos Sainz issues an update after the Ferrari star’s appendicitis surgery

Sainz, who Ferrari will axe after the 2024 season to make room for Hamilton to join, admired what Bearman produced during his first qualifying session in Formula 1. The F2 front-runner only had an hour of practice to prepare for the shootout session and produced instant pace.

“Underwent a smooth operation today and I’m feeling much better!” Sainz has posted on X. “Thank you for all your kind messages and to everyone that has looked after me these days here in Saudi, especially at the King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital. THANK YOU.

“Great quali from Ollie Bearman on his hasty debut (not easy at all) and from Lord Perceval (a.k.a. Charles Leclerc). Good luck for tomorrow, Scuderia Ferrari!”

Sainz could return to the Ferrari cockpit at the Australian GP on March 24, depending on his rate of recovery. Bearman will head to Melbourne regardless of his continued presence as a stand-in for the Scuderia. The Ferrari Driver Academy prospect will return to F2 in Australia.