Carlos Sainz Jr. sidelined with appendicitis, Oliver Bearman to make F1 debut for Ferrari at Saudi GP

In an unexpected turn of events, Carlos Sainz Jr. has been sidelined from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to appendicitis, prompting Ferrari to call up 18-year-old Oliver Bearman for his Formula 1 debut just hours before the qualifying session.

Ferrari announced, Sainz "has been diagnosed with appendicitis and will require surgery," leading to the immediate elevation of Bearman, Ferrari's British reserve driver and a regular in the Formula 2 circuit, to participate in the weekend's race starting with the third practice session on Friday.

This debut marks Bearman as potentially the third youngest driver to ever start in an F1 race, trailing only behind Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll, who entered the sport at 17 and 18 years of age respectively. Should Bearman compete in Saturday's Grand Prix, he will etch his name in history as Ferrari's youngest racer, surpassing the record set by Ricardo Rodríguez in 1961, who raced in the Italian Grand Prix at 19.

Previously, Bearman had participated in two practice sessions in Mexico and Abu Dhabi the previous year as a test driver for Haas. Despite qualifying on pole position for the Formula 2 race this weekend, he will now focus solely on his unexpected F1 opportunity.

Carlos Sainz, who is set to be succeeded by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari next season, participated in Thursday's practice sessions in Saudi Arabia, securing the sixth and seventh-fastest times. Despite his efforts, Sainz admitted to feeling under the weather, which impacted his performance on the track.

"Obviously a very difficult day after feeling sick, the last 24 hours have been tough and difficult for me," Sainz conveyed on Thursday. He continued, highlighting his struggle, "Today was all about trying to get myself on track and learn as much as possible from the car without pushing too much the limits as I was still a bit on the not-ideal side."

Looking ahead, Sainz will eye his return to the F1 circuit at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, slated for March 24.

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