Carlos Sainz To Reportedly Replace Sebastian Vettel At Ferrari

Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari did F1 fans a favour by giving them something other than the coronavirus pandemic to talk about. Following the news that the former four-time F1 champion will quit Ferrari at the end of the 2020 season, speculation over his replacement has run amok. It is now being reported that McLaren F1 driver Carlos Sainz Jr. has already agreed to a deal to replace Vettel at the Italian team. 

Renault F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo was the other candidate to take Vettel’s seat at Ferrari, but now the Australian is one of two apparent candidates to take Sainz’s vacant McLaren seat. The other, according to Austrian publication Motorprofis, is none other than Sebastian Vettel!

A straight swap between Ferrari and McLaren would be surprising considering the fact that Vettel mentioned needing to ‘take the time I need to reflect on what really matters when it comes to my future,’ in the statement issued by Ferrari following the news of his exit. 

In Carlos Sainz, Ferrari will gain one of the most in-demand drivers on the F1 grid. The Spaniard was the highest classified driver among the midfield runners (outside of the big three of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull) when he took sixth place in the drivers’ championship last season.

His 13 points scoring finishes, including four top five finishes (one of them a podium), helped McLaren secure fourth place in the constructors’ championship. It was McLaren’s highest finish in the constructors’ championship since the team took third place in the 2012 season. 

Vettel’s move to McLaren would be surprising, but it could work in the German’s favour as the team will benefit from a budget cap of 145 million dollars being implemented from 2021. McLaren will also get what is likely to be a technical upgrade as it ends its power unit deal with Renault and switches to Mercedes.