Carlos Sainz Out With Appendicitis, Ollie Bearman In For Saudi Arabia GP; Becomes Youngest Ferrari Driver Ever

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz got his final campaign at the Scuderia off to a good start with a podium in Bahrain, but he has hit a snag at the second race of the season: appendicitis.

Sainz became the second driver in the last two seasons to miss a race due to appendicitis (Williams' Alex Albon missed the Italian Grand Prix in 2022 paving the way for a Nyck de Vries F1 debut), but he gutted it out on Friday by completing both free practice sessions with his appendix putting him through some serious agony.

Tough as nails, that Carlos Sainz. Might have to make him an honorary Hockey Guy.

So, with Sainz sidelined for FP3, qualifying, and the Grand Prix, Ferrari needed someone to step in for the Spaniard and they went with British F2 driver and Ferrari reserve driver Ollie Bearman.

Bearman is only 18 years old, which makes him the youngest driver to ever compete for Ferrari, and his 2005 birth year makes him the first driver to debut in Formula 1 after Michael Schumacher won his seventh championship.

Ollie Bearman impressed in both FP3 and qualifying, deputizing for Ferrari's Carlos Sainz on very short notice. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / POOL / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Bearman Offered An Impressive Performance On Friday

This isn't Bearman's first time in an F1 car, however. He appeared in free practice sessions for Haas and really impressed. He'll hop in the car for a few more sessions this season.

Still, learning you're driving a Ferrari on such short notice comes with immense pressure. Imagine a rookie QB starting for the Dallas Cowboys on short notice. There's a lot of weight there.

However, Bearman looked pretty solid, especially when you consider he had to deal with the tricky, high-speed Jeddah Corniche Circuit. With 27 corners that come thick and fast, one little mistake compromises the next few corners, and that's what we saw a little with Bearman in practice, which is to be expected. Seasoned drivers were running into the same thing.

However, he looked more than prepared for qualifying — especially after just one hour in this year's Ferrari — and managed to ease into Q2 where he was ultimately eliminated, and that was really only because of a small mistake on what could have been his final flying lap that meant he had to try again on worn tires. 

Still, it was a solid run that saw him miss out on Q3 by just a few hundredths of a second. He'll start in P11 for the Grand Prix so points in his debut race are very much on the table.

That's impressive when you consider he was driving F2 cars the day before, which go about 12 seconds slower per lap.

That's a lot.

There are a lot of available spots on the grid in 2025 — including at Haas who seem to be high on him — so this is a massive opportunity for Bearman to show what he's made of and possibly grab a seat for next season.

As for Sainz, let's all wish him a speedy recovery. The Australian Grand Prix isn't for another two weeks after Saudi Arabia so that should hopefully give enough time to get back to action.