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epa07435662 Australian Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo (L) of Renault and German Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel (R) of Scuderia Ferrari chat before the start of a press conference ahead of the 2019 Formula One Grand Prix of Australia at the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne, Australia, 14 March 2019. The 2019 Formula One Grand Prix of Australia will take place on 17 March 2019. EPA/DIEGO AZUBEL
Imago
epa07435662 Australian Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo (L) of Renault and German Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel (R) of Scuderia Ferrari chat before the start of a press conference ahead of the 2019 Formula One Grand Prix of Australia at the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit in Melbourne, Australia, 14 March 2019. The 2019 Formula One Grand Prix of Australia will take place on 17 March 2019. EPA/DIEGO AZUBEL
Until McLaren’s official announcement, many expected the team to sign Sebastian Vettel. With Sainz heading towards Ferrari, several reports suggested McLaren would swap Sainz for Vettel. Unfortunately, that never came to pass and the team ended up announcing Daniel Ricciardo. So why didn’t McLaren consider Vettel? McLaren CEO Zak Brown reveals the reason.
Why McLaren chose Ricciardo
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Brown disclosed that talks between McLaren and Sainz started very early. Turns out, Brown was keen on signing Ricciardo in the event that Carlos chose to leave. It’s worth noting that Brown tried to sign Ricciardo back in 2018 before he joined Renault.
Speaking to Sky F1, Brown opened up on the early talks with Carlos and Daniel.
“We had a sense, we started talking to Carlos in the off-season about his future with us and whether he wanted to drive for McLaren or Ferrari”
“We’ve got a very strong, open relationship with Carlos, his management, and his father. This didn’t come as a surprise given how quickly we announced Daniel, and how quickly Carlos announced what he was doing. We were very joined up through this entire process.”
Brown asserted that the ongoing global pandemic didn’t affect contract talks. Some believe Coronavirus will play a role in the 2021 driver market, given the lack of running and subsequent financial crunch.
Until recently, many expected Vettel to continue with Ferrari. Clearly talks broke down in the past few weeks. However, Ferrari and Seb probably haven’t been on the best of terms since late last year.
“Obviously Seb’s an awesome driver and a four-time champion,”
“But I think we were pretty far down the path in the off-season and knew we would either land with Daniel or Carlos.
“We never really entertained anyone beyond that, and especially with Seb’s late-breaking news – we were pretty far down the path at that point.”
What’s next for Sebastian Vettel?
With McLaren opting for Ricciardo, Vettel’s options are few and far between. His best chance at a competitive seat is with Mercedes, which is unlikely to go through. With all the top teams out of reach, Seb’s only option would be to walk away from F1.
A sabbatical isn’t the ideal option but it could be Vettel’s only choice left. It’s either that or retirement for the 4 times World Champion.
