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Carlos Sainz at the award ceremony
Photo:
Mark Peterson / REUTERS
“Life is sometimes a roller coaster” – Carlos Sainz Jr. would have done better than with this sentence on the radio right after crossing the finish line. I guess I can't describe it. He won the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne - after having to miss the race in Saudi Arabia because his inflamed appendix had to be removed. Before the start in Albert Park, the Spaniard was still unsure "whether I could really get through the whole race well and push," but then he made perfect use of his chance: top favorite Max Verstappen had to go for the first time since Australia in 2022, after 43 races points in a row, had to give up very early on due to a brake problem.
This paved the way to victory for Sainz, who had already put his Ferrari on the front row of the grid in qualifying and clearly left his teammate Charles Leclerc, who was often more highly rated, behind him. With the poorer starting position, the Monegasque never really had a chance of anything more than second place in the race.
Sainz was the only driver in the 2023 season who was able to break Red Bull's winning streak at the time with his success in Singapore. Now he celebrated the third victory of his career - but he still doesn't have a contract for next year. That's probably what he meant when he referred to the rollercoaster of life: Before the start of the season, in January, Ferrari informed him that they would no longer be extending his contract, which expires at the end of 2024. Sainz has to make room for Lewis Hamilton, who together with Leclerc should lead Ferrari to great heights again.
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In Italy, questions are now arising as to whether this decision was really the right one: Although Leclerc is probably the slightly faster driver in terms of basic speed, he has been making one or two mistakes for years, as he did now in qualifying too much and thus deprives yourself of many opportunities. And the seven-time world champion Hamilton isn't necessarily looking the best at Mercedes at the moment and is hardly getting a chance against his young teammate George Russell.
Sainz kept hearing that it wasn't easy to deal with this quasi-expulsion. »I still had to manage to prepare perfectly for the season, then came to Bahrain and was able to achieve a good result there with third place behind the Red Bulls. And then there was another bitter setback in Jeddah.”
Back on track the day after the operation
He had felt very unwell there for a few days and initially thought it was food poisoning, before he went to the hospital on Friday. Diagnosis: appendicitis, immediate operation by laparoscopy. He showed up again in the paddock for the race on Saturday - against the doctors' advice. Probably to show presence - and to make it clear to his replacement, Ferrari junior Ollie Bearman: "I'll be back in Australia."
Although it wasn't as easy as he now admitted. For the next seven days in Spain he will complete a sophisticated rehabilitation program including lots of bed rest and physiotherapy in order to get fit again as quickly as possible. “Something like this is actually only possible as a top athlete if you can’t concentrate on anything else 24 hours a day and you have the appropriate team of specialists around you,” he said.
Nevertheless, Sainz visibly reached his physical limits in the race in Melbourne, had to keep leaning his head against the side of the cockpit wall, especially in the last laps, and then moved a bit unnaturally after the race: "Yes, I'm totally stiff," he said to, “I didn’t feel at 100 percent in the car. But as the leader, I was able to pace myself." From the second lap, when he passed Verstappen, who was already struggling with the stuck brake on the Red Bull, he "had an idea that I could do it today."
Leclerc also complimented his teammate: “A great team result. Carlos has had some really crazy days, with the operation and now with the win. I had trouble with the tires in the first part of the Grand Prix, but things went a little better at the end. Carlos did a better job than me all weekend and deserved to win.«
Father Carlos Sainz, a two-time rally world champion, had tears in his eyes: “It was a tough two weeks for us. We weren't sure whether Carlos would be able to drive the race. When there were still 30 laps to go, he asked over the radio how much longer he had left and that he was starting to feel tired. I was already worried about that. But it did it!”
Colleagues are sure that he will find a new team
Leclerc and the third from Melbourne, Lando Norris, once the Spaniard's teammate at McLaren before he moved to Ferrari, were asked whether Sainz was generally a little underestimated in Formula 1. And whether he is currently without a contract for the coming season. “Of those who matter, the other team bosses, certainly not,” they both pretty much agreed.
And also in the fact that Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro Cenamor Rincón Rebollo Virto Moreno de Aranda Don Per Urrielagoiria Pérez del Pulgar, his full name, hardly has to worry much about his future. The 29-year-old is certainly at the top of some top teams' lists for 2025. Mercedes would certainly be a possibility as Hamilton's successor. Or even Red Bull, where Sainz has already driven once - if Sergio Pérez delivers even more average performances like the one in Melbourne with fifth place.
But before that he would definitely like to experience a few more successes and fewer roller coaster-like weeks. And in doing so, at least indirectly, Ferrari proves that they might be putting the wrong driver out the door.
He also had a tip for his fellow drivers: “Have your appendix taken out, then you’ll be able to win!”