Will Carlos Sainz return in Ferrari’s SF24 for the F1 Australia Grand Prix?

Ferrari provided an update on Carlos Sainz's health hinting at his return to racing for the 2024 F1 Australian Grand Prix.

The Spanish driver missed the Saudi Arabian GP two weeks ago due to appendicitis surgery. For the weekend, he was replaced by F2 and Ferrari Academy Driver Oliver Bearman, who finished the race at an impressive P7. Sainz, although present at the race, looked rather weak and his return was questioned earlier.

Recently, the Scuderia shared a team statement that mentioned that Carlos Sainz might be able to return to racing in Melbourne. Along with that, it also mentioned that he could be fighting at the top with his teammate Charles Leclerc.

"Carlos Sainz is expected to be back in the car, having had to miss Jeddah with appendicitis and he and team-mate Charles Leclerc will most likely be fighting at the front of the field, as they have done in the first two rounds."

The first two rounds of the season have shown Ferrari to be the second-fastest team, chasing Red Bull at the top. Sainz finished on the podium at the season opener in Bahrain with a P3.

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Carlos Sainz's F1 future remains questionable

Lewis Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz at Ferrari in the 2025 F1 season. This is set to be the latter's final season with the team, with his future still under question.

Mercedes will have an empty slot since the team has not hinted about Hamilton's potential replacement, and there were further reports of "lengthy negotiations" between the team and Sainz's personnel.

It was mentioned that his father, Carlos Sainz Sr, and his manager Carlos Onoro had discussions with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff during the race weekend at Jeddah. However, nothing final has been revealed so far.

Sainz has proven to be a competitive driver in the past seasons with Ferrari, but his future remains undecided for now. Multiple drivers on the grid have their contracts expiring at the end of this season, including Sergio Perez of Red Bull. But more drivers have been speculated to be a choice for that particular seat.

Furthermore, Fernando Alonso's contract with Aston Martin is also set to expire at the end of 2024, and adding to the list are Alpine, Haas, Sauber, and Visa Cash App RB drivers. But it seems apparent with their current state of competitiveness that the Spaniard might not have those teams as his priority.

However, since the season has just started, there is still enough time for him to approach other teams and perhaps make an offer.