F1 News: Carlos Sainz's Saudi Arabian Media Absence Clarified By Ferrari

The Ferrari driver was unable to perform his media duties.

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz was absent on the opening day of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend on Wednesday due to illness. As a result, he was unable to perform his media duties ahead of the GP, scheduled for Saturday, 9 March, at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

Key Takeaways:

• Ferrari's Carlos Sainz missed Saudi Arabian Grand Prix media duties due to illness, amid speculation about his future as his contract expires after 2024.
• Sainz's absence comes after a strong performance in Bahrain, where he finished third behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
• McLaren anticipates a competitive showing at the Saudi Arabian GP, focusing on high-speed circuit strengths.

As Formula 1 gears up for its next event in Saudi Arabia, Sainz had to step away from his media obligations as reports indicated he was returning to his hotel. Here's what the team stated:

“Carlos is not feeling well and has gone back to the hotel."

Before the 2024 season began, Sainz had revealed that he would treat the year as a stage to prove himself, as his contract with the Maranello outfit expires after the conclusion of the 2024 season.

Red Bull Press Image

His seat will be going to Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who entered the final season with the Brackley outfit after an association of 11 years. Rumors of Sainz talking to Red Bull, Mercedes, and Audi (after it takes over Sauber in 2026) for the subsequent seasons have been doing the rounds. 

Speaking of the Saudi Arabian GP, Sainz expressed a few days ago about the high chances of McLaren finishing the race with flying colors, given that the Papaya team performed excellently on high-speed circuits last year. He said:

“Let’s see the differences first.

“We go with this new 2024 car so it will be a bit of a surprise for everyone to see where we are.

“I expect the cars like the McLaren, last year they were very good in high speed circuits, to be competitive there but you know our car has also improved in the high speed so hopefully we can be also stronger.”

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