DOHA: Spanish driver Carlos Sainz will replace four-time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari next season, the Formula One team said in a statement on Thursday.
The 25-year-old will leave McLaren following the 2020 season to partner 22-year-old Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, forming the team’s youngest pairing in the past 50 years.
“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,” Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto said in a statement.
“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,” he added, referring to the additional challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic.
Four times world champion Vettel will ultimately walk away from the sport entirely at the end of a COVID-19 hit 2020 season without adding to his championship tally.
“The team and I have realised that there is no longer a common desire to stay together beyond the end of this season,” said a Ferrari statement on Tuesday.
