March 9 (UPI) — Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz underwent surgery on his appendix and will miss the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, his Scuderia Ferrari racing team announced Friday.
“Carlos is out of surgery,” Scuderia Ferrari wrote on social media. “Everything went well and he is now resting at the hospital. We’re sending him our full support for a quick recovery.”
Scuderia Ferrari announced earlier Friday that Sainz was diagnosed with appendicitis and needed surgery. The veteran driver will be replaced by Oliver Bearman, who will make his debut in the second race of the season Saturday in Jeddah.
Sainz finished third, behind defending world champion Max Verstappen and second-place Sergio Perez in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix last Saturday in Bahrain.
He skipped media availability this week, but participated in two practice runs Thursday in Saudi Arabia. He wrote on Instagram that he was “feeling far from OK” and said he had a stomach bug, according to the Formula 1 website.
Sainz, 29, finished seventh in the 2023 driver standings and fifth in 2022 and 2021. He placed sixth in 2020 and 2019. He made his debut in 2015 and went on to win twice — first at the 2022 British Grand Prix and in September at the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix.
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will air at noon EST Saturday on ESPN2/ESPN+. The season will continue with the Australian Grand Prix on March 24 in Melbourne. The first U.S.-based race of the season will be the Miami Grand Prix on May 5 in Miami Gardens, Fla.
