Sainz Jokes About Removal Of His Appendix: 'There Might Be Tenth In It'

Sunday, 24 March 2024 at 13:10

Scuderia Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz joked about his appendix surgery after winning the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.

The 29-year-old Ferrari driver added a third Grand Prix victory to his collection after the third round of the 2024 season at Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne.

What's special about it is that he managed to win the race just two weeks after the appendix surgery. Even the Spaniard himself said ahead of the race that he wouldn't be 100% but would give it everything, and that he did.

The team principal of Ferrari, Fred Vasseur, reportedly jokingly told Sky Sports after the end of the race: "We should do surgery every week."

Read also

Alonso Given Massive 20-Second Penalty After Russell's Crash In Australia

Approached with the statement from his team principal, Sainz revealed he had already joked about the same thing with McLaren driver Lando Norris, who finished in P3.

"That's what I told Lando also. I said: 'Mate if you want to get your appendix removed, do it because there might be a tenth in it."

Norris then responded to Sainz's statement as he told the media: "Clearly, you do it, and you win the next race, so maybe next time you see me, and I'll be running like Carlos."

What also helped the Ferrari driver was that Max Verstappen struggled with brake-related issues from the start of the race and had to retire after less than five laps.

However, the Dutchman's teammate, Sergio Perez, apparently said that he believed Sainz would win even if the 26-year-old didn't have the issue and finished the race. The Ferrari driver responded to this statement:

"I think I had a really good pace, and on the first lap when Max tried to pull away from DRS and I could in dirty air stay close to him, I was like: 'This time you're not pulling away at least, and I'm gonna try and give you a run for your money.'"

"I'm very happy with the job there, whether we would have won or not, is impossible to know. I was very quick out there today and it would have been very difficult to beat us."