The Spanish driver is guest of the podcast nude project, spoke openly about the surgery he faced in the middle of the second weekend of the season, in Saudi Arabia. After feeling ill during free practice on Friday in Jeddah, Carlos Sainz rushed to hospital to undergo surgery for appendicitis, giving way to Oliver Bearman, returning to the paddock the day after the operation, even though still sore. In the podcast Sainz revealed new details about that weekend, including that he even thought about running despite the pain, a hypothesis however shelved after speaking with the doctors about the potential risks.
Sainz and appendicitis in Jeddah: doctors banned him from running
On the eve of his home weekend in Spain, Carlos Sainz looked back on one of the most difficult weekends in his career, the one in Saudi Arabia. On Friday, after taking to the track for free practice, the Spaniard realized he wasn't feeling well. However, thinking he was dealing with a normal flu, Sainz preferred to continue and finish the day's program. However, the following morning, after worsening, Sainz had to go to the hospital in Jeddah where the confirmation arrived that it was appendicitis.
“They were the two most difficult sessions of my career (Friday's practice), on a super physical circuit with very fast corners, I wasn't eating, I had no energy, I was sweating more than usual... I suffered a lot. I thought it was the flu but on Saturday morning I realized it wasn't a virus.", Sainz told the podcast nude project.
Despite the seriousness of the matter, Carlos' first thought was that he didn't want to give up the race weekend, especially given the search for a seat for next season. For this reason, as he says in the podcast, the Ferrari driver would have asked the doctors to be able to delay the operation with an injection. The response of the doctors was obviously negative, since the risk of running with appendicitis it really would have been too high. Only then did the Spaniard agree to undergo the operation and give up racing.
"I asked to have an injection to operate after the race. But they told me no, that there was a risk that something very serious would happen to me and that I could even die if it had exploded."
The next step for the future and advice from dad Sainz
Carlos Sainz always had to fight to prove that motorsport was his path. He had to prove it to his father, an established champion who immediately recognized his son's talent, encouraging him to chase the dream of Formula 1 even when his hopes seemed distant, especially in his debut. The situation now, with a rather lively driver market and the exclusion of Ferrari, seems to have catapulted Sainz back into those years.
"Having in your head that you are 'son of', having that extra pressure... once you're alone in the car and it's you against the world, it's not so easy. I have had many mini-complexes because you think everyone is looking at you because you are a 'son of' and you are always more attentive. If I had been a 'package' my father would have taken me to play tennis or golf. At ten years old everyone beat me up because beating Sainz's son was prestigious. That's when my father told me that in this environment you either bite or get bitten. In F1 we all think we are the best, if you don't have this mentality you won't be able to beat the other 19".
Source statements: FormulaPassion
