Sainz and Ricciardo make their
moves for 2021
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[May 14, 2020]
By Alan Baldwin
LONDON (Reuters) - Spaniard Carlos
Sainz will make a dream move to Ferrari next year, with Australian
Daniel Ricciardo replacing him at McLaren, as Formula One's driver
carousel took another big twirl on Thursday with the 2020 season yet
to start.
Ferrari said 25-year-old Sainz, who replaces four times world
champion Sebastian Vettel alongside young Monegasque Charles Leclerc
at the sport's most glamorous team, had signed for 2021 and 2022.
Vettel's departure at the end of a season so far stalled by the
COVID-19 pandemic was announced on Tuesday, with the German's next
move uncertain.
"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," said
Ferrari principal Mattia Binotto.
The move also ends speculation about Lewis Hamilton's future, with
the 35-year-old Briton now sure to stay at Mercedes as he chases a
seventh title to equal Michael Schumacher's record.
Ricciardo will depart Renault after opting for McLaren, the former
world champions he rejected in 2018 when leaving Red Bull.
"Signing Daniel is another step forward in our long-term plan and
will bring an exciting new dimension to the team, alongside Lando,"
said McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, announcing a multi-year
arrangement.
The Australian, a seven times race winner with Red Bull, will be the
experienced man alongside 20-year-old Briton Lando Norris, with
McLaren also switching from Renault to Mercedes engines in 2021.
"Adios amigo! It's only been a year, but it's been a pleasure,"
Norris told Sainz in a Twitter post. "We've had some good laughs and
made a few memories. Give it your all mate and let's give this year
the send off it deserves."
ALONSO'S FOOTSTEPS
Ferrari will be Sainz's fourth employers after a 2015 debut with
Italy-based Toro Rosso, followed by stints at Renault and McLaren.
Remarkably, he was not the first choice for any of his first three
teams until landing one of the most coveted seats on the grid.
He will now follow in the footsteps of boyhood hero, friend,
compatriot and double world champion Fernando Alonso, who also went
from Minardi (Toro Rosso's predecessors), to Renault, McLaren and
Ferrari.
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McLaren’s Carlos Sainz arriving to the Circuit REUTERS/Loren
Elliott/File Photo
The 38-year-old Spaniard, who left Formula One at the end of 2018,
is now being linked in media speculation to a return to Renault.
Renault said they were in no hurry to name a replacement after
issuing a terse statement confirming Ricciardo's departure, with
team principal Cyril Abiteboul indicating his displeasure.
"In our sport, and particularly within the current extraordinary
situation, reciprocated confidence, unity and commitment are, more
than ever, critical values for a works team," he said.
"I am confident that the 2020 season will allow us to accomplish
even more together."
Leclerc won two races in his Ferrari debut season last year, and
will play a leading role, but the pairing will be the youngest in
half a century for the sport's oldest and most successful team.
Sainz has just one career podium finish, a third place in Brazil
last season that was McLaren's first since 2014 and helped them
finish the year fourth overall.
"We’ve embarked on a new cycle with the aim of getting back to the
top in Formula One," said Binotto, whose team will be subject to a
budget cap in 2021.
"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 50 years of the
Scuderia, will be the best possible combination to help us reach the
goals we have set ourselves."
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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