Lying in bed just nine days ago with the wound from his appendectomy still tender, Carlos Sainz had held no expectation of even competing in the Australian Grand Prix. Yet there was the Spaniard in Melbourne on Sunday afternoon, roared on by an appreciative crowd when he climbed from his car after a victory as unlikely as it was valiant.
An achievement with doubtless special resonance for Sainz, the driver who had comeback from surgery and helped return Ferrari’s first one-two since 2022 as world champion Max Verstappen’s dominant run of victories came to an explosive end, but who, as yet, does not have a Formula One drive for next season.
