Jeremy Clarkson discloses big F1 fear after Carlos Sainz’s comeback win

Oliver Harden
Jeremy Clarkson on the Bahrain F1 grid with Carlos Sainz in a small circle

Jeremy Clarkson reckons Carlos Sainz's victory in Melbourne was not a glowing endorsement of modern F1 cars

Celebrity F1 fan Jeremy Clarkson fears modern grand prix cars are too easy to drive after Carlos Sainz recovered from appendix surgery to win in Australia.

Ferrari driver Sainz claimed his third career victory at Albert Park last month, just two weeks after being ruled out of the previous race in Saudi Arabia with appendicitis.

Jeremy Clarkson doubts Carlos Sainz’s Australia F1 heroics

Sainz opened up about the extent of his physical discomfort during the race weekend in Melbourne, admitting after qualifying that he had spent “a tough couple of weeks” in bed trying to prepare for his comeback.

The 29-year-old admitted that he was driving with “a lot of discomfort and weird feelings but no pain”, allowing him to push flat out.

With Sainz praised for his heroic feat, former Top Gear host Clarkson has suggested the Ferrari driver’s victory adds to the evidence that F1 cars are now too easy to drive.

PlanetF1.com recommends

Follow PlanetF1.com’s WhatsApp channel for all the F1 breaking news!

YOUR VERDICT: Liberty Media’s €4.2 billion deal to buy MotoGP

Writing in his column for The Sun, Clarkson said: “Just a few days after having his appendix out, Ferrari Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz flew to Australia, climbed into his car and won the race.

“Naturally, many people saw this as a heroic display of stiff-upper-lip determination and spunk.

“I wonder, though. We keep being told that these F1 cars are road-going fighter jets.

“That they are a volcanic orgy of noise and G-forces. And that you need to be superhuman to control one.

“Really? I only ask because Carlos, pictured in hospital, was plainly in some discomfort before the race but he seemed to manage for nearly two hours in the car.

“Which leads me to believe that walking up to a Formula 1 car is actually harder these days than driving it.”

Sainz was the second driver in the last 18 months to suffer appendicitis, with Williams driver Alex Albon forced to miss the 2022 Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Albon, who suffered respiratory failure after his appendix removal procedure, made his return to the cockpit at the very next race in Singapore three weeks later.

Speaking in Melbourne, Sainz revealed Albon had warned him what to expect as he made his return to racing with Ferrari.

He said: “I feel like it’s exactly what Alex told me before jumping in the car.

“He said when he got his appendix removed, just with the G-force, everything on the inside just feels like it’s moving more than normal.

“You need some confidence to brace the core and the body as you used to do before, but you get used to it.

“There is no pain, there is nothing to worry about. It’s just a weird feeling that you have to get used to while driving.

“Especially the circuits where we’re pulling five or six G in some of the braking zones and corners. Obviously, everything is moving but without pain and I can deal with it and I can adapt to it also.”

Clarkson’s latest F1 comments come after he waved the chequered flag at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix last month, where reigning World Champion Max Verstappen got his title defence off to a perfect start by winning from pole.

Clarkson revealed that a mix-up as he waited for Verstappen to cross the line meant he accidentally waved the chequered flag for Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll instead.

Read next: Ranked: All 20 F1 2024 drivers in order of ability from the elite to the questionable