Sainz confirmed by Ferrari & Ricciardo by McLaren
Scuderia Ferrari announced that Carlos Sainz will drive for the team in the 2021 and 2022 seasons of the Formula 1 World Championship.
Mattia Binotto, Managing Director Gestione Sportiva and Team Principal
“I’m pleased to announce that Carlos will join Scuderia Ferrari as from the 2021 championship. With five seasons already behind him, 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.
We’ve embarked on a new cycle with the aim of getting back to the top in Formula 1. It will be a long journey, not without its difficulties, especially given the current financial and regulatory situation, which is undergoing a sudden change and will require this challenge to be tackled in a different way to the recent past."
We believe that a driver pairing with the talent and personality of Charles and Carlos, the youngest in the past fifty years of the Scuderia, will be the best possible combination to help us reach the goals we have set ourselves.”
Carlos Sainz #55
“I am very happy that I will be driving for Scuderia Ferrari in 2021 and I’m excited about my future with the team. I still have an important year ahead with McLaren Racing and I’m really looking forward to going racing again with them this season.”
Born in Madrid on 1st September 1994, Carlos already has plenty of Formula 1 experience, having taken part in 102 World Championship Grands Prix, over five seasons. In 2019, he finished sixth in the Drivers’ Championship, his best ever result, in a year when he also made it to a podium position for the first time, finishing third in Brazil.
Sainz seat at his current team will be filled with Daniel Riciardo. McLaren also confirmed today that it has signed Daniel Ricciardo to a multi-year agreement to race for the team in the Formula One World Championship from 2021.
Ricciardo, 30, from Perth, Australia, will join Britain’s Lando Norris, 20, who will start his third season at McLaren in 2021. Carlos Sainz will leave the team at the end of the 2020 season after two years with McLaren.
Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing:
“Signing Daniel is another step forward in our long-term plan and will bring an exciting new dimension to the team, alongside Lando. This is good news for our team, partners and of course our fans. I also want to pay tribute to Carlos for the excellent job he has been doing for McLaren in helping our performance recovery plan. He is a real team player and we wish him well for his future beyond McLaren.”
Andreas Seidl, Team Principal, McLaren F1
“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. With Daniel and Lando as teammates, I believe we have two racers who will continue to excite our fans and help the team grow. Carlos is a true professional, a pleasure to work with and we will continue to enjoy going racing with him this year. We all wish him good luck for the next stage in his career when he leaves McLaren.”
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SAI and RIC are among my favorites, but this is a mistake for both. SAI will be relegated to a Barrichello/Massa role at Ferrari, and RIC will now be denied a WDC. Hope that I'm wrong, but that's my opinion. What now, VET to Renault where he can drift into retirement? :-(
VETTEL to MERCEDES next season or the season after. ALONSO will take the RENAULT seat next season.
What about Hulkenburg- he should be on the grid.
Agreed, but where can he go? Another season on the sidelines sadly...
BTW, t just checked my sources. The rumour is that Zak promised RIC a ranch in Texas and that sealed the deal. Yippee for the good ol' USA.
The USA is a the Pariah of the world, please don't bring that crap into Formula 1, where excellence is paramount rather than 3rd world banana republic values!