One of the teams on the current Formula 1 grid will have a brand new driver lineup next season, and the two stars will bring with them a ridiculous statistic.
Following the announcement that Carlos Sainz finally made his team switch decision this week, fans and the Spaniard himself were quick to point out online that he and future team-mate Alex Albon share a quirky trait.
Williams will field the first-ever F1 driver lineup consisting of two racers without an appendix.
From 2025, former Red Bull drivers Sainz and Albon will join forces at Williams, creating an unusual but intriguing statistical anomaly that has caught the attention of the F1 community.
Alex Albon had his appendix removed in 2022, causing him to miss the Monza Grand Prix, while Carlos Sainz underwent the same surgery in March 2024 after suffering from appendicitis, which sidelined him for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Remarkably, both drivers returned to racing in the very next events, showcasing their dedication and resilience, with Sainz in particular showing impressive skills when he took home the win at the Australian Grand Prix, just 16 days after his operation.
This shared experience of overcoming medical challenges further bonds the new team-mates.
This quirky fact was highlighted by ESPN on social media, humorously noting that Sainz and Albon will become the first duo in F1 history to share this uncommon characteristic.
Fans quickly flooded the comment section with jokes, dubbing the pair the “Appendicitis brothers”, remarking that Williams had gone to "extreme measures" of weight reduction to improve their chances in the sport.
The newly signed Williams driver then went on to acknowledge the joke himself, spreading the news via his own social media.
Sainz and Albon become the first appendix-less driver line-up in F1 history 🤝 pic.twitter.com/8N3QPLNnUt