F1 driver set to make STUNNING return to the grid

The return date to the Formula 1 grid for Carlos Sainz has all but been confirmed, following a recent absence from the sport.

F1 heads to Melbourne this weekend for the Australian Grand Prix, with Red Bull and Max Verstappen looking to extend their 100 per cent start to the season.

READ MORE: Verstappen tipped for Red Bull EXIT in shocking claim

One driver that will be hoping to put an end to Verstappen's winning streak is Carlos Sainz, whose opening race podium suggests he and team-mate Charles Leclerc could once again be Red Bull's closest challengers at the Albert Park Circuit.

Sainz missed the Saudi Arabian GP due to needing appendicitis surgery, after the Spaniard felt unwell in the car during FP1 and FP2 on the Thursday.

In his place, up stepped 18-year-old Ollie Bearman, who put in a phenomenal display to finish seventh and claim his first points in his first race in the sport.

READ MORE: Bearman reveals PAIN after first F1 experience

Sainz return confirmed by Ferrari

It appears that Sainz will be ready to jump back in the car for the Australian GP weekend, with Bearman's role already being confirmed earlier in the week by team principal Fred Vasseur.

Sainz was spotted getting off the plane at Melbourne airport recently, and it was suggested that all he needed to do was pass a fitness test to be deemed ready to go.

Ferrari have now suggested that Sainz will make his return, with the Spaniard desperate to use 2024 as a chance to impress potential employers, having been displaced by Lewis Hamilton's stunning switch to Ferrari for the 2025 season.

“Carlos Sainz is expected to be back in the car, having had to miss Jeddah with appendicitis,” the team wrote in a pre-race statement.

“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.”

READ MORE: Red Bull key figures hold 'talks' amid Horner saga

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