Carlos Sainz emerged triumphant at the Australian Grand Prix, a mere fortnight following a surgical procedure for appendicitis.
Ferrari’s team principal, Frederic Vasseur, lauded Carlos Sainz’s unwavering determination following his remarkable victory at the Australian Grand Prix. Sainz clinched his third Formula 1 triumph shortly after undergoing an emergency appendectomy during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend.
This unforeseen medical emergency sidelined him from participating in qualifying and the subsequent race, opening the door for 18-year-old Oliver Bearman to impress on his debut.
Approaching the weekend’s events at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, doubts lingered regarding Sainz’s fitness to compete. Even the 29-year-old driver himself harbored uncertainties regarding his ability to partake in the race, particularly evident ahead of the initial practice session.
However, Sainz defied the odds, exhibiting a flawless performance that propelled him to victory and marked Ferrari’s first one-two finish since the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2022.
Vasseur stated: “I was not expecting any less than you [the media], but overall this winter we agreed together to push until the last lap of the season.
“He did a fantastic job in Bahrain pushing the team, for sure, Jeddah was a tough weekend – a tough weekend for Carlos, tough weekend for the team. The recovery is mega, you have to keep in mind that two weeks ago he was in the hospital.
“I think even Friday he was not 100 percent sure he’d be able to drive. After a couple of laps, he was on the pace, this was part of the success too.
“You can’t give up one lap into free practice if you want to perform. For sure, it’s amazing, and looking where he’s coming from nobody expected a result like this.”
Sainz surged into the lead during the second lap, overtaking Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who encountered a right-rear brake problem leading to his retirement shortly after entering the pit box.
Throughout the race, the Spaniard demonstrated remarkable control with his SF24, showcasing significant improvements in tire management, an area that posed challenges for Ferrari in the previous season.
Despite Ferrari’s commendable progress, closing the gap to Red Bull to just four points in the constructors’ championship, Vasseur remains resolute in his stance, emphasizing that he is “not focused at all on the performance” of Ferrari’s primary Formula 1 adversary, Red Bull.
He further stated: “I’m focused on the performance of our car. We made a huge step forward. Perhaps on the pace of one lap, we were nowhere last year.
“Where we made a huge step is more the consistency between the two compounds, or between the one stint and the other one. The car is much easier to drive, much, much easier to read also for the drivers, and much easier to develop.”
