Carlos Sainz is aiming for a successful weekend at the Australian GP following his recent appendicitis surgery. The 29-year-old had to skip the previous race due to the surgery, which affected his position in the standings and disrupted his momentum from a solid season opener. However, Sainz has now shared details about his first outing after the surgery.
Sainz discussed his post-surgery condition and how he felt leading up to the race. Despite not being fully recovered, he had a productive day of practice, finishing eighth and third in the two free practice sessions on Friday. The Spaniard expressed his happiness with these results after a challenging few weeks due to the surgery.
Looking ahead to the Qualifying session on Saturday, Sainz emphasized the importance of getting a good night’s sleep. After the two practice sessions, he is hopeful of achieving strong results in the Australian GP. Sainz had already secured a podium finish in the season opener in Bahrain, so he is optimistic about his performance in the 2024 season.
Although Sainz performed well in the practice sessions, he acknowledged that he still had room to improve in terms of his driving and the performance of his car. If he pushes himself further, he may even surpass his recent performances. The Spaniard could potentially challenge for the pole position against his competitors.
However, Sainz acknowledged that the qualifying session would be highly competitive. He compared it to the first practice session at the Australian GP, suggesting that there would be intense racing action in the third race of the 24-race season.
While Red Bull has been dominant so far in the 2024 season, with Max Verstappen winning both of the first two races, Sainz’s strong performance could position him to compete for the runner-up spot in the drivers’ championship.