Sainz couldn’t race in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix two weeks ago because he had appendicitis. But he recovered just in time from the surgery to come to Australia for the Melbourne event.
In the qualifying rounds, he performed well, coming in second place right behind Max Verstappen who had the pole position. Sainz was surprised by this because he had just gone through surgery and still felt uncomfortable while driving.
“It’s been tough these past few weeks, spending a lot of time in bed, hoping I could make it to this weekend,” said Sainz, who finished just 0.270s behind Verstappen.
“I almost couldn’t believe I made it to the front row after leading in the qualifying rounds, especially after such a tough time.
“I’m happy to be challenging the Red Bulls this weekend. I struggled a bit at the start yesterday, but then I got into it and finally found my pace and felt comfortable with the car.
“I have to admit, I’m not feeling my best when I’m out there driving, but I can still do it.
“It’s uncomfortable and feels strange, but it doesn’t hurt, so I can still push as hard as I need to.”
Sainz said that fellow driver Alex Albon, who also had appendicitis during the 2022 Italian Grand Prix, warned him about the discomfort he would feel due to the high forces in the cockpit.
“It’s exactly what Alex told me before I got in the car after his appendix surgery,” Sainz explained.
“With all the g-forces, it feels like everything inside is moving more than usual, and you need to be confident in bracing your core and body like you’re used to, but you get used to it.
“There’s no pain, nothing to worry about. It just feels strange, and you have to get used to it while driving, especially on this track where we experience five to six Gs in some corners and braking zones.”
Sainz felt that missing out on the qualifying and race in Jeddah hurt him more because he was still catching up on learning about his 2024 car, especially on the softest tire compound.
“I’m still getting used to this new car. Missing out on the qualifying rounds and the full race in Jeddah meant there were things I could have learned during qualifying that would have helped me today,” he said.
“The car surprised me in a couple of corners once we adjusted the wing. It wasn’t the cleanest lap, but if you had told me even five days ago that I could come here, still recovering, and be in P2 on the grid and fighting for pole, I would have taken it.”
Also read: Carlos Sainz’s Recovery Journey: Will He Race at the Australian Grand Prix?