23 mrt 2024 om 08:10 Update: 19 minuten geleden
Carlos Sainz impressed on Saturday in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. His second time in the Ferrari may have been a bit disappointing for the team, but the Spaniard is still recovering from appendicitis.
“It feels okay, but I don’t feel 100 percent yet,” Sainz admitted after qualifying. At the previous race in Saudi Arabia, it turned out on Friday that the Ferrari driver had to undergo surgery. He therefore missed the race. It was also uncertain for a long time whether he could be there in Melbourne.
“I spent ten days in bed recovering. Everything feels strange in the car, but fortunately I have no pain. It’s just not really comfortable.”
Sainz was told by Alexander Albon what to expect. The Williams driver missed a race in 2022 after an appendectomy. “It’s exactly what Alex told me. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but the g-forces in the corners make it feel like everything is moving inside. You really need confidence to brace yourself, and that feels strange .It takes a bit of getting used to.”
The Ferrari driver had to adjust some things to his seat and belts to sit better, but can now go full throttle. That certainly became apparent during qualifying. “I was still very busy with it in the free practice, but now I was full of adrenaline and I could go for it.”
‘Left something behind’
Ferrari has the speed this weekend in Melbourne and was perhaps secretly counting on pole. That was for Max Verstappen after all. Charles Leclerc disappointed with a fifth fastest time, but Sainz could live with his second place.
“If you had told me this two weeks ago, I would have signed for it blindly. Although we did miss something, because I was the fastest in Q1 and Q2. But it is not that strange. I have a qualified and missed a race, so I still have to get to know the car a little better. I was surprised in some corners. It was certainly not my best lap.”
Sainz goes for the win
According to Sainz, every driver must function at 100 percent to beat Verstappen. “And I wasn’t today. I have to be tomorrow. In any case, I’m going to give it my all. It’s been a while since my last victory in Singapore.”
Ferrari looked strong in the race simulations on Friday, but Sainz also has some question marks. “For example, we haven’t touched the hard tires yet, hardly anyone has. So we still have to see how they will work. In any case, our race pace was good enough to think that I can go for it. If we have the speed somewhere, it here, so we definitely have a chance.”
