After an impressive drive which got him third place on the podium in the opening round of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship in Bahrain last weekend, Carlos Sainz is forced to skip the Saudi Arabian GP this weekend.
Reason: appendicitis, for which an operation is needed. He would need up to 4 weeks of rest to recover after the operation which is a common surgery procedure. It will depend on his doctor’s guidance whether he will be able to race but at least the third round isn’t till March 22 in Australia.
Sainz will be replaced by Scuderia Ferrari’s reserve driver Oliver Bearman. The British teenager, a graduate of the Ferrari Driver Academy, is currently in the F2 Championship with the Prema team but will not race in view of this new development.
Bearman made his first appearances in a F1 car last October, first in a test at Fiorano driving an SF21 and then in the first free practice sessions at the Mexico City and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix, at the wheel of a Haas VF-23.
