Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz says he will assess his health after Friday’s pair of practice sessions as he prepares to return to action at Formula 1’s Australian Grand Prix.
Sainz was ruled out of competition in Saudi Arabia after being diagnosed with appendicitis on the morning of qualifying.
Ferrari reserve driver Ollie Bearman, 18, stepped in to replace Sainz and finished the race in seventh place.
Sainz has travelled to Australia after focusing fully on his recovery, forgoing his usual training and simulator sessions, while Ferrari has Bearman – present at the venue in order to compete in Formula 2 – on standby once more.
“I’m confident I can jump in the car tomorrow and do well,” said Sainz. “Obviously I put together a very strong recovery plan since I landed back home to be ready for this race, I will jump in the car tomorrow, see how I feel, but I’m feeling positive about it.
“Will I be at 100 per cent? For sure not. It’s not a lie, 100 per cent would mean spend 10 days training, doing simulator, I haven’t done that over the last 10 days, I’ve just been focused on recovering.
“But will I be fit to race? The feeling right now is yes and see how I feel tomorrow, and that’s tomorrow.”
Sainz says he will not need any external influence to determine whether or not he can compete the entirety of the weekend’s activities.
“First of all, just by seeing me move and the exercises that I’m doing in the gym or anything, this tells me I’m fit to jump into the car tomorrow and try,” he said.
“But obviously, I’m not stupid, and if I don’t feel good tomorrow, I will be the first one to raise my hand and say that I need another two weeks to the next race. This, together with the FIA, is also the plan that we have in place.
“I have another check with the FIA tomorrow. They are monitoring my progress. I’m the first one that doesn’t want to be in pain or to suffer, to make it any worse. I’m not stupid, and I will be very clear with how I’m feeling and everything.”
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