Sainz sidelined from Saudi Arabian GP. Find out why

Carlos Sainz, a leading driver for Ferrari, will not participate in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to a recent diagnosis of appendicitis that necessitates surgery. Ferrari has called up Oliver Bearman, their reserve driver, to fill in for Sainz alongside Charles Leclerc for the weekend’s events.

Ferrari stated, “Oliver Bearman will step in from FP3 onwards for the duration of this weekend, withdrawing from his F2 Championship round commitments to do so.”

The team has expressed its wishes for Sainz’s swift recovery. Sainz had previously missed the media engagements leading up to the weekend at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit but had participated in the first and second Free Practice sessions on Thursday.

This incident mirrors Williams’ Alex Albon’s situation in 2022 when he also missed the Italian Grand Prix due to appendicitis, with Nyck de Vries replacing him post-surgery.

Sainz’s absence is particularly poignant as he had secured a podium finish in the season opener in Bahrain, challenging Red Bull’s Sergio Perez closely.

Sainz’s aim was to leverage his early-season performance as a statement against Ferrari’s decision to replace him with Lewis Hamilton for the upcoming season. The news of Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, announced during the pre-season testing, had caught many by surprise.

Introducing Oliver Bearman
Bearman, only 18, debuted in Ferrari colors last year and participated in Free Practice sessions for Haas in both the Mexican and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix.

Since then, Bearman has been involved in additional F1 test sessions for Ferrari and is currently competing in F2 with the Prema racing team. He had a notable performance in the series last year, winning four races and finishing sixth overall.

Despite a challenging start to the 2024 season in Bahrain for Prema, Bearman made a significant impact in Saudi Arabia by securing the pole position.