- Carlos Sainz timidly got out of his car on Sunday
- The Spaniard won the Australian Grand Prix a week after his operation
- He said he had a hard time getting out of bed last week.
Carlos Sainz’s victory at the Australian Grand Prix was made even more impressive after he recovered from appendix surgery to triumph in Melbourne.
But the aftermath of the operation became clear to all when the Spaniard tentatively exited his car after the race in parc ferme.
Unlike the conquering Max Veratappen, who jumps out of his Red Bull after every victory, Sainz painfully rose from his Ferrari SF-24, throwing a few weak punches.
But it was an extraordinary effort given that he was barely able to get out of bed before boarding his flight to Australia.
“Life is crazy sometimes,” he said.
Carlos Sainz still felt the after-effects of his operation
The Spaniard timidly got out of his Ferrari on Sunday
“What happened at the beginning of the year (not renewing at Ferrari), then the addendum, the comeback and the victory: a roller coaster, but I love it.”
Sainz revealed that he did everything he could to get fit to compete, including spending two hours a day in a hyperbaric chamber.
“When I was about to take my flight to Australia, I was still in bed and could barely use my abdominal muscles,” he said.
“I thought, ‘This is not going to happen.'” But I took the flight and suddenly, when I landed in Australia, the feeling was much better.’
Verstappen’s attempt to win a 10th consecutive race for the second time in less than 12 months ended after his brakes exploded and his car caught fire.
After winning the first two races of the season, Verstappen was a big favorite to win back-to-back after winning at Albert Park for the first time last year.
The three-time world champion started from pole, but Sainz, who qualified second, overtook him on the second lap.
Shortly after, smoke appeared at the rear of the 26-year-old’s car and he was forced to pit on lap three, with no hope of returning.
Sainz won the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon in Melbourne
“My right rear brake basically stuck when the lights went out,” Verstappen said.
“We had a lot of good races in a row, I knew the day would come when you would end up having a DNF and unfortunately that day was today.”
Verstappen, who was also forced to retire at Albert Park in 2022, had won nine consecutive races, dating back to the Japanese Grand Prix last September.
Sainz was the last driver, in Singapore last September, apart from Verstappen, to win an F1 race.
