‘Life is crazy,’ says Ferrari’s Sainz after comeback win in Australia

Hard work pays off and life is sometimes crazy, said Carlos Sainz yesterday after the Ferrari driver won the Australian Grand Prix just two weeks after having appendix surgery.

Sainz, who missed the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix while recovering from the medical issue, returned at Albert Park to post his third Formula One career race win in a one-two with team mate Charles Leclerc.

Sainz spent much of the two weeks after his operation resting in bed but still managed to put his car second on the grid next to Max Verstappen in qualifying on Saturday.

With world champion Verstappen struggling due to a brake problem that forced him to retire, Sainz overtook the Red Bull driver on the third lap.

He then held off Leclerc until a last-lap George Russell crash brought out the virtual safety car which sealed victory for the Spaniard.

It was a sweet feeling for Sainz, who was informed before the start of the season that he would lose his race seat to seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton in 2025.

“What happened at the beginning of the year, then the podium in Bahrain, then the appendix, the comeback, the win. It’s a rollercoaster, but I loved it. I’m extremely happy,” Sainz told reporters.

“Very proud of the team, happy to be in a onetwo with Charles here. It shows that the hard work pays off. Life, sometimes it’s crazy.”

With his F1 future up in the air, Sainz said the win would certainly not hurt his chances of picking up another drive.

Major League Baseball launched a probe into Shohei Ohtani, one of the biggest names in baseball, and his long-time interpreter Ippei Mizuhara on Friday.

“For sure it does no harm, that is 100% (sure),” he added.

“I am still without a job for next year.