F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix: Carlos Sainz OUT due to illness - who is his Ferrari replacement Oliver Bearman?

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz will not race in Saudi Arabia this weekend after coming down with an illness.

The Spanish driver has been unwell since the opening race of the season in Bahrain, and it has now been confirmed that he will not take part in the upcoming grand prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Sainz, 29, has been diagnosed with appendicitis and requires immediate treatment.

In his absence, Ferrari reserve driver and Formula 2 prospect Oliver Bearman will take his seat.

A Ferrari statement said: "Carlos Sainz has been diagnosed with appendicitis and will require surgery. As from FP3 and for the rest of this weekend, he will be replaced by reserve driver Oliver Bearman. Oliver will therefore take no further part in this round of the F2 championship.

"The Ferrari family wishes Carlos a speedy recovery."

Bearman, who races for Italian team Prema in the junior category, had qualified on pole for the F2 feature race before being called up. The Brit, who is just 18 years old, made an almost immediate impression in the final F1 practice session, finishing 10th in the running order.

His heroics in F2 have made the Chelmsford teenager a fan favourite, tipped to challenge for the title this year and eventually ascend to F1 permanently. His standout moments last season included qualifying on pole with wonky steering in Baku, before going on to win both the sprint and feature races that weekend.