McLaren driver Lando Norris revealed that he shocked by Ferrari announcing the exit of Sebastian Vettel. Furthermore, the Briton admitted that he wasn’t surprised by teammate Carlos Sainz’s switch to the Scuderia in 2021. However, Norris maintained that he was happy for the Spaniard.

Norris on Sebastian Vettel

Ferrari’s announcement truly caught the F1 world by surprise. Before the Italian team dropped its bombshell announcement, everyone expected Sebastian Vettel to stay on with the Scuderia. At the team’s 2020 car launch and during winter testing, team principal Mattia Binotto constantly hinted at Vettel and Ferrari reaching common ground fairly soon.

Sadly, that never came to pass. In the buildup to Ferrari’s announcement, many reports suggested the Maranello outfit offered Vettel a contract the German didn’t appreciate. However, Binotto recently clarified that Vettel’s exit had nothing to do with the duration or type of contract offered to Seb.

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Seeing Vettel in a red suit, driving for one of the most renowned teams in F1 history just feels right. Unfortunately, car #5 has only one more season to bring glory back to Maranello. The 4 times World Champion’s next move is still unknown at this stage but all signs point to a sabbatical or retirement.

Norris opened up on the sequence of driver transfers that transpired after Vettel’s announcement. Speaking to Motorsport.com, Lando said:

“It wasn’t so much of a surprise of Daniel coming to McLaren, but I think the bigger surprise was Carlos leaving McLaren for Ferrari and Vettel leaving Ferrari,”

“I guess it was a bit of a shock, especially because no one really expected Seb to do what he did and not to sign with Ferrari again.

“I think as soon as Seb didn’t sign, then you knew something was going to happen. Everyone seemed quite firmly in place with their teams because no one was really expecting it.

“I guess something of a surprise was going to happen, and obviously Carlos went for it and got the seat. Fair play to him, I’m happy for him.

Sainz heads to yet another F1 team but it’s not like any other team. Driving for Ferrari entails prestige and pressure like no other. Only time will tell if the Spaniard copes well.