At the F1 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz shared the entire account of his near-death experience with his appendix after medical professionals informed him that surgery might not have saved his life.
After discovering over the winter that seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton will take his position at Ferrari at the end of Formula One 2024, Sainz got off to a strong start to the new season in March, placing third in the opening race in Bahrain.
Carlos Sainz discusses the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix appendicitis worry in detail Extra information provided by Pablo Hidalgo Only a few days later, the Spaniard had to withdraw from the second round in Saudi Arabia due to appendicitis; Oliver Bearman, a youngster, filled in for Sainz at the Jeddah street circuit.
After missing his scheduled media appearances in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday due to an undisclosed illness, Sainz took part in both practice sessions on Thursday and finished sixth in FP1 and seventh in FP2, respectively.
Due to Sainz’s deteriorating health, Ferrari declared just before the end of practice on Friday that he would not be competing for the remainder of the weekend. Bearman, who had taken pole position in the F2 support race the night before, will replace Sainz alongside Charles Leclerc.
Sainz was at the circuit for the race on Saturday, following surgery to remove his problematic appendix. He saw Leclerc finish third, marking Ferrari’s second podium finish of the F1 2024, and Bearman finish ahead of fellow Brits Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton to take seventh on his F1 debut.
Two weeks later, Sainz would be back in the driver’s seat for his third career win at the Australian Grand Prix, despite the fact that he was still experiencing some difficulty.
In an interview with the Nude Project podcast, Sainz described how his health deteriorated until he decided to visit a hospital, where medical professionals informed him he was “crazy” for wanting to compete in Jeddah. “I don’t have very good memories of it,” he remarked.