The McLaren Team will be in 2021, with Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris at the Start. Rumours that Sebastian Vettel could trade his Ferrari Cockpit simply with Carlos Sainz, turned out in retrospect to be wrong. However, many in the industry wondering why McLaren so early – already before the first race of the season 2020 – 2021 has set, although Vettel would have been on the market.
For team boss Andreas Seidl, at the time when clear was that Sainz would switch to Ferrari, “we don’t want to fall behind, and that is why we have had active discussions with Daniel”. With the Renault driver had then also a very early “a handshake agreement,” says Seidl.
“as soon As the first stones fell, we had to make choices. And we are very, very happy,” he says. “It is expected for all parties very, very well. We look forward to Daniel, a seven-time race winner. It is a reference, we don’t currently have in the Team, even if, of course, Carlos and Lando make a top Job.”
Only One Grand Prix victory has neither Sainz nor Norris, and so it will help McLaren in the location determination to 2021, at last, a driver in the Team, you know that he could take Red Bull with Max Verstappen. “We are happy that we have starting next year, this reference,” nods Seidl.
With Vettel, he had “of course, an exchange,” confirms the German though. “I appreciate him very much, as a driver and as a person.” “But It never went completely to a Cockpit at McLaren. Of course I hope for the German Fans, that Sebastian, as a four-time world champion will also be in the next year, at the Start. Because it’s for the formula 1 in Germany is very, very important.”
Ricciardo was, in fact, from the beginning, on Pole Position, because you had to negotiate with him as early as 2018. “At the time, it didn’t work out,” says Seidl. “We have, in the last year, conversations, and for us the direction was, therefore, very clear that we go with Daniel to the Start, we should not go with Carlos in the next season.”
This article by Christian nimmervoll, Co-author: Ruben Zimmermann
*The post “Ricciardo instead of Vettel: McLaren, Why so early has set” was written and published by Motorsport-Total.com. Contact with the executives here.
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