Ferrari has confirmed Carlos Sainz will leave McLaren and replace Sebastian Vettel at the team for the 2021 season.
Having announced his departure from the Maranello squad on Tuesday, Sainz was touted as the most likely replacement for the four-time world champion and to partner Charles Leclerc for next season.
Today, Ferrari issued a statement confirming the move which is reportedly set for two-years.
“I am very happy that I will be driving for Scuderia Ferrari in 2021 and I’m excited about my future with the team,” said Sainz.
“I still have an important year ahead with McLaren Racing and I’m really looking forward to going racing again with them this season.”
“I am pleased to announce that Carlos will join Scuderia Ferrari as from the 2021 championship,” said Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto.
“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.”
Earlier, McLaren confirmed Daniel Ricciardo will leave Renault to replace the Spaniard for next season.
It leaves the question over who gets available Renault drive shrouded in mystery.
McLaren had previously engaged talks with Sainz concerning contract renewal beyond 2020, but the negotiations did not advanced far enough to fend off interest from Ferrari.
Sainz debuted in the sport back in 2015 with Toro Rosso before joining Renault with four races left in the 2017 season.
McLaren then swooped up the services of the 25-year-old as the French marque had agreed to sign Ricciardo for 2019, leaving Sainz a free agent.
Sainz’s move to Ferrari marks the latest big step in his incredible F1 career.