Carlos Sainz Sr.: I am proud of my son!

Carlos Sainz’s victory in Australia was a surprise amid the dominance of Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing. But the three-time world champion retired early in the race and Ferrari took full advantage of the rare opportunity and took things to a winning double.

But it should be noted that Carlos already overtook the Dutchman beautifully on the second lap, i.e. before the problem with the RB20’s brakes became fully apparent. And given that Sainz had undergone surgery to remove his appendix two weeks earlier, forcing him to miss the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, his confident performance was almost seen as a minor miracle.

The events of recent weeks and his son’s performance yesterday were commented on by Carlos Sainz Sr., two-time world champion and three-time winner of the Dakar Rally.

“When I got off the plane for the race in Jeddah, I received a message from Carlos that he was not feeling well,” the Ferrari driver’s father told ServusTV. “As this had been going on for the third day, it was clear there was a serious problem with his health. It was around five in the morning and when I got to the hotel we talked and decided to go to the hospital.

A diagnosis was immediately made there and the son was immediately operated on, but the doctors immediately allowed him to walk. After which he said he would go on the track to support the team and Oliver Berman. It was important for Carlos to return to work as soon as possible.

I myself was in a similar situation in 1985, when I signed my first contract with a factory team, it was Renault, and it was extremely important for me to have a good first race behind the wheel of their car. But the operation was performed two days before the start of the rally and at that time I had to recover for almost a whole month!

But after the victory in Melbourne I am even more proud of my son! First of all, because of the perseverance, selfless attitude to the work that he demonstrated in these two weeks. Never give up! Congratulations, Carlos!”