Carlos Sainz survived the first endurance test after his appendix operation well and will be able to drive – Ferrari delighted with strong day with best time from Leclerc
Carlos Sainz will be able to drive in Australia this weekend. That is the most important insight for the Spaniard after Friday’s practice session in Melbourne. After his appendicitis in Saudi Arabia, it was not clear whether the Spaniard would be fit enough, but the Ferrari driver completed 48 laps over both sessions and has given the all-clear.
“I feel okay, but also a bit tired after training,” he says. “I’m still not at 100 percent physically, but I still think I had a good day,” said Sainz after his third place on Friday.
“If I had been told a week ago that I would be able to complete the whole training session without any problems, I would have been very happy. Of course I need a good night’s sleep now and have to recover for tomorrow,” he says.
For Team Principal Frederic Vasseur, the most important news is that Sainz is able to drive again. “He was a bit behind at the beginning, but bit by bit he came back well,” praises the Frenchman. “I think he is optimistic for the rest of the weekend.”
According to Vasseur, Sainz was not in any pain: “Not so far, no. If he had been in pain, that would have been a big problem. But so far everything is under control. “
Leclerc with best time
Ferrari can also be satisfied with today’s Friday in sporting terms. In addition to Sainz’s third place, there was Charles Leclerc’s best time and good long runs to celebrate. “It feels good so far,” said Leclerc happily. “We had a positive day from start to finish.”
However, like many other drivers, the Monegasque also had his problems on the track and was sometimes off track. But he can get over that: “We are fast, so we are enjoying it. But we’ll have to wait and see if we’re also fast tomorrow. “
Because so far, Ferrari have had nothing to gain against Red Bull. Max Verstappen has taken all the pole positions and race wins so far and is naturally also the big favorite in Australia. However, Ferrari at least looked strong on Friday and, according to Leclerc, are in a better position than in the first two races
Best chance of the season?
He also felt that the race pace was “very strong”, although there was no comparison with Verstappen, who had not really put in a long run. In general, Red Bull had not yet shown everything on Friday, “so we’ll have to wait and see what their potential looks like,” said Leclerc. “I think they are still ahead, but it could at least be our best chance this weekend.”
Team-mate Sainz believes that there will be more to come from him too, because he has not yet driven at the limit again. “But with more laps and more confidence, I will be faster tomorrow,” he announced. “Hopefully I can fight for pole position with him against the rest. “
Friday’s practice session at least gave cause for hope, even if that doesn’t always mean that much. “But if it looks good on Friday, that’s better than the other way around,” says Leclerc. “It’s a good start, but we still have to push a bit and see what’s possible. “
