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MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz says he found “no problems” after returning to the cockpit of his Formula One car for the first time since undergoing surgery to remove his appendix two weeks ago.
Sainz completed 48 laps of the Albert Park circuit in the first two single sessions of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix and set the 3rd fastest time.
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The 29-year-old missed the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix two weeks ago after being diagnosed with appendicitis on the morning of qualifying day. It looks like he’ll make a full comeback at this weekend’s race in Australia.
“I feel good, obviously a bit tired after training and physically I’m not 100 percent,” he said after the second training session.
“But I felt like I had a smart day and I controlled to do the whole program. If you had told me a week ago that I would have been able to do all the tests without any problems, I would have been very happy.
“I’m very satisfied with it. Obviously, I want to sleep through the night and recover for tomorrow. I felt really good. “
At the time of two free practice sessions, Sainz is 0. 430 off the best time of the day set by teammate Charles Leclerc, but is confident he will be closer in qualifying.
“I think Charles looked very fast today,” he added. “From my side, obviously, I did it step by step and set the pace, to the limit of the car and at the same time to the limit of myself.
“But I think with more laps and with a little bit more confidence in how I feel inside. I think I’ll be quicker and hopefully fight for pole position with him in front of everyone else because I think he’s going to be close. “
“We saw it in FP1, in FP2, I think we made a step forward. I think tomorrow’s qualifying will be more like FP1. “
Leclerc said he believes Ferrari has its chance this year to beat Max Verstappen on pole position after the Red Bull driver took pole and victory in the first two grands prix of 2024.
“I would say we are in a better position than in the first two races,” Leclerc said. “However, Red Bull hasn’t driven yet, so we have to wait and see where their prospects lie. “
“I think we still have a small lead, but we may have our most productive opportunity this weekend from the start of the weekend. “