Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz will be sidelined for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to appendicitis diagnosed after Thursday’s practice sessions.
Replacing him is 18-year-old Ferrari reserve driver Oliver Bearman, who was originally slated to compete in Formula 2 this weekend in Saudi Arabia.
Sainz’s absence was prompted by his feeling unwell before Wednesday’s media day in Jeddah. Despite participating in limited practice on Thursday, he was diagnosed with appendicitis before the final practice session on Friday, necessitating surgery and ruling him out of the weekend event.
Bearman, making his Formula 1 debut in Sainz’s stead, was appointed as Ferrari’s reserve driver in January this year. Having joined Ferrari’s driver academy in 2021, he previously took part in F1 practice sessions with the Haas F1 team in Mexico and Abu Dhabi last year. He participated in a Ferrari test with a two-year-old car in Spain on Jan. 31 this year.
Though Bearman secured pole position for the F2 feature race this weekend, he will forego the remainder of the F2 weekend to concentrate fully on F1. He became the first driver to debut in Formula 1 with Ferrari since Arturo Merzario did so at the 1972 British Grand Prix.
In his Friday practice debut, Bearman sported the number 38 on his car, a significant choice as it has appeared 12 times in the past on a Ferrari, including by Britain’s first champion Mike Hawthorn, who clinched his title with Ferrari in 1958.
Ferrari provided an update on Sainz’s condition, stating, “Carlos is out of surgery. Everything went well and he is now resting at the hospital. We send him our full support for a quick recovery.”
