Carlos Sainz feels “ready” to return to action with Ferrari in Melbourne, though admits how he feels when hitting the track will determine his status after a comeback effort that you “cannot imagine”.

Sainz is planning to return to Ferrari duties for the Australian Grand Prix, after his plans to go racing in Saudi Arabia sadly turned into a hospital visit due to appendicitis, that requiring surgery which was fortunately successful for the Spaniard.

Carlos Sainz needs to experience the G-forces to decide

Sainz was already back in the F1 paddock on race day in Saudi Arabia, watching on and guiding his 18-year-old replacement Oliver Bearman through an extremely impressive F1 debut, though Sainz is hoping to be behind the wheel for Ferrari at Albert Park, despite fitness concerns emerging ahead of the race weekend.

F1 photographer Kym Illman had claimed that Sainz was “not moving freely” after returning to the paddock from a bicycle ride around the track, and after a chat with the Ferrari driver, was left unconvinced that he is in a position to return to action. Sainz assured that he feels “ready”, though what he experiences on the track will determine that for sure.

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Speaking to media ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, Sainz was quizzed on the challenge ahead of getting back into the SF-24, to which he said: “I’ll let you know tomorrow when I get back in the car and the G-forces throw me around a bit.

“But I feel ready. I’ve done as much as possible to recover and you cannot imagine the effort and logistics that I have done to be fit for this race. Progress, I’m very happy with the progress I’ve made and now, as I said, it’s time to jump in the car and see how I feel.

“It’s not like I’ll be 100 per cent for it because obviously I’ve been 10 days in bed – not 10 days training and going to the simulator and preparing for a normal weekend. But, if I’m fit to race and I don’t have any pain or any bad symptoms, I can still put together a strong weekend and the target will be to challenge the Red Bull.”

Ferrari has come the closest to doing that so far in F1 2024, Sainz joining Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez on the podium in Bahrain, while Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc secured P3 in Saudi Arabia, but both races produced comfortable Red Bull 1-2 finishes.

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