Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz is set to return at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne after recovering from surgery for appendicitis.

The Spaniard missed the Saudi Arabian GP this month, where 18-year-old Briton Oliver Bearman was a late replacement.

Bearman finished seventh on debut in Jeddah but is likely to return to Formula 2 with Sainz fit again.

“Carlos Sainz is expected to be back in the car,” Ferrari said.

First practice begins at 01:30 GMT on Friday and the race starts at 04:00 on Sunday.

Sainz was third behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez at the season-opening Bahrain GP last month.

Red Bull also achieved a one-two finish in Saudi Arabia, where Sainz’s team-mate Charles Leclerc was third.

“We expect to be frontrunners on this track, which could produce a similar pecking order to the one seen in Jeddah,” said Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur.

“We intend adopting an aggressive approach with the aim of putting pressure on the team that’s won the first two races.”