Sainz unstoppable: second in qualifying only 2 weeks after surgery
© Scuderia Ferrari Media Centre
Just 15 days after undergoing emergency surgery, Carlos Sainz put in a heroic performance in qualifying in Australia, finishing behind Max Verstappen.
What Carlos Sainz gave us today during qualifying in Australia was heroic, exceptional. Fifteen days ago, emergency surgery for appendicitis forced him to abandon his single-seater during the weekend in Saudi Arabia, handing over the drive to Oliver Bearman, who did a brilliant job by finishing seventh in the race. Despite the uncertainties for this weekend, the Spaniard took to his SF24 today and from the first few laps he seemed to have forgotten the difficulties of the last two weeks, during which he was practically in bed and lost 2kg.
"It was a difficult two weeks, I spent seven or ten days in bed waiting for this moment to see if I could be here today and then, of course, qualifying on the front row was an incredible surprise. After the difficulties I faced, I almost couldn't believe it, but I am extremely happy."
Only 0.2 tenths of a second separated him from pole position, which was again taken by Max Verstappen with a time of 1'15″915, surprising even for the Dutch champion. However, his excellent qualifying performance was by no means accidental. Carlos had already given signs of his commitment, placing third at the end of FP3 (despite having run on medium tyres) and just 77 thousandths of a second behind Leclerc who finished first.
A weekend above expectations
Although he was initially not 100% sure he would be able to return to the track, the Spaniard's weekend was one of continuous growth, exceeding his own expectations. "I still feel a bit of discomfort," the driver confessed already during free practice, when his father was concerned about his driving condition, but the good feeling with his SF24 led him to exceptional times even in Q2 and Q1, where he dominated without even having to go out on track to finish top of the timesheet with a 1'16"731.
And all this just 15 days after surgery. It is important to stress this because, although Sainz looked like a superhero in qualifying, at the end of the session we saw a more real image of a man still recovering, who had difficulty getting out of the single-seater and asked to be taken to the interview area in a golf car, due to the discomfort caused by the incision and to minimise the effort.
Ready to challenge Verstappen
After these positive first days, now comes the biggest challenge: completing the 58 laps on the Albert Park circuit to the end of the race.
"Tomorrow's race? I don't feel at my best when driving, I won't lie. But I think I can do it and as long as I can drive without too much pain, it's OK. It's obviously difficult and uncomfortable, but it's not unbearable, so I'll give everything. To beat Max you have to be 100 per cent: I'm not, but I will give everything."
Despite Sainz reiterating these words in his statements, after this first month of a championship that has been anything but smooth, we know for sure that he will do everything he can to make the most of this second place and challenge a Red Bull that seems to be struggling for pace. At this point Carlos has shown that he is playing in a league of his own, in which anything is possible.
