Ferrari have confirmed Carlos Sainz will replace Sebastian Vettel in 2021 while McLaren announced Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo is to take over the seat vacated by Sainz. Sainz’s signing to partner Charles Leclerc at Ferrari ends speculation that Lewis Hamilton might join the Scuderia and means the world champion will almost certainly remain with Mercedes.
Ferrari announced Vettel’s departure on Tuesday and with both teams eager to have their driver lineups stabilised the new deals were concluded by on Thursday morning. The 25‑year‑old Sainz has been given a two-year contract, while McLaren’s deal with Ricciardo is referred to as a multi-year agreement.
“I am very happy that I will be driving for Scuderia Ferrari in 2021 and I’m excited about my future with the team,” Sainz said. The Spanish driver enjoyed the best season of his career at McLaren last year. He finished sixth in the championship, including a podium in Brazil, helping McLaren to achieve their best result since 2012, fourth in the constructors’ championship.
With Leclerc only 22, the two drivers are the youngest pairing at Ferrari for 50 years. Sainz will be expected to play a support role to Leclerc, who Ferrari are now firmly backing as their No 1 driver, but both will have a role in what the team see as a long-term process. They have opted for adaptable young drivers in anticipation of how the sport will change with a budget cap to be imposed next year and new regulations in 2022.
Ferrari is exploring the possibility of entering the North American IndyCar series, its Formula One team principal Mattia Binotto said on Thursday.
Binotto said Formula One's new budget cap of £117m for teams from 2021 would lead to staff being made redundant and the Italian carmaker was looking at options to ensure its employees retain their jobs, albeit in a different field. The budget cap had been set initially at £141m but some teams had wanted a limit closer to £82m to ensure the sport survives the Covid-19 crisis.
"Ferrari feels a lot of social responsibility towards its employees and we want to be sure that for each of them there will be a workspace in the future," Binotto told Sky Sports Italia. "For this reason we have started to evaluate alternative programs and I confirm that we are looking at IndyCar, which is currently a very different category from ours." Reuters
“Carlos has proved to be very talented and has shown that he has the technical ability and the right attributes to make him an ideal fit with our family,” said the Ferrari team principal, Mattia Binotto.
“We’ve embarked on a new cycle with the aim of getting back to the top in Formula One. It will be a long journey, not without its difficulties, especially given the current financial and regulatory situation.”
McLaren were in negotiations with Sainz to extend his contract but the Spaniard was never going to turn down a chance to drive for Ferrari. He has forged a strong, friendly partnership with his current teammate, Lando Norris, a relationship Ferrari will doubtless want him to replicate with Leclerc.
McLaren also moved quickly to ensure Ricciardo’s place. The team are known to like and respect the 30-year-old Australian who had been in negotiation with them to join before he opted for Renault in 2019.
Ricciardo made his debut in 2011. In 2014, he was promoted to Red Bull and won seven grands prix with the team over five years but chose to leave when he felt marginalised by the arrival of Max Verstappen.
“I am so grateful for my time with Renault and the way I was accepted into the team,” Ricciardo tweeted. “But we aren’t done and I can’t wait to get back on the grid this year. My next chapter isn’t here yet, so let’s finish this one strong. Merci.”
As a works team, Renault’s ambition had been to join the fight at the front but last season Ricciardo was ninth in the championship and known to be frustrated. With McLaren taking Mercedes engines in 2021 he clearly believes they are more likely to bridge the gap to the leaders.
The team principal, Andreas Seidl, believes that Ricciardo’s age and experience would sit well beside the 20-year-old Norris. “Daniel is a proven race-winner and his experience, commitment and energy will be a valuable addition to McLaren and our mission to return to the front of the field,” he said.
Ricciardo’s departure is a blow for Renault. The team had placed great import on paying for a top driver but have failed to hang on to their star asset.
Renault now have an open seat alongside Esteban Ocon for next year. Fernando Alonso, who won both his world championships with the team, has already been linked with them, as has Vettel. Neither would come cheap, nor would they be forgiving of the team failing to make the moves up the grid they have targeted.
