08/03/2024
NEWS STORY
Diagnosed with appendicitis, Carlos Sainz will play no further part in this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and will be replaced by Oliver Bearman.
The Briton will therefore take no further part in this round of the F2 Championship.
The Spaniard had looked ill ever since arriving in Jeddah, finishing 6th in the opening session and 7th in the second.
"I've had a very rough last 24 hours if I'm honest," he said on Thursday evening. "I'm happy to manage to do this Thursday and complete the run plan, but it's for sure been one of my toughest days in a Formula 1 car in such a demanding high G-force circuit. I need some rest now."
Bearman, who grabbed pole for the F2 race, will make his F1 race debut having driver the Haas in the opening sessions in Mexico and Abu Dhabi last year, having first driven an F1 car (a Ferrari) at Fiorano in October.
A reserve for both Ferrari and Haas, asked in Bahrain about the prospect of needing to step up to a race seat he said: "I know I'd be ready to go, I know I have what it takes.
"Of course, preparation will be important," he added. "First of all, I have to do a good enough job to make that step one. But I have no doubt that if I get a call-up, I'm ready to go."
The Essex-born teenager, winner of the German and Italian F4 championships in 2021, and third in F3 in 2022, had a difficult start to his 2024 F2 campaign, finishing 16th in the Sprint and 15th in the Feature race in Bahrain, before bouncing with pole position yesterday.
Bearman will use the race number 38.
Check out our Friday gallery from Jeddah here.