Who was the Ferrari driver before Carlos Sainz?
Sainz joined Scuderia Ferrari on a two-year contract from the 2021 season partnering Charles Leclerc and replacing Sebastian Vettel. From the moment he joined, it was clear Ferrari saw Charles Leclerc as their “project boy. Sainz, though talented and humble, was often forced to step aside — literally. He couldn’t pressurize his team like how Max Verstappen or Oscar Piastri or many others would do.
Who left Ferrari in 2020?
Partnered by Charles Leclerc for 2019, Vettel took the final win of his career at the Singapore Grand Prix before leaving Ferrari at the end of the 2020 season. Vettel joined the recently established Aston Martin in 2021, where he scored his final podium finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Leclerc moved to Ferrari in 2019, his second season in Formula One. Leclerc signed for Ferrari in 2019, swapping seats with Kimi Räikkönen to partner four-time World Drivers’ Champion Sebastian Vettel.Two days after it was announced Sebastian Vettel would be leaving Ferrari at the end of 2020, the Italian team have confirmed Carlos Sainz as Charles Leclerc’s new team mate from 2021 onwards.
Why did Carlos Sainz leave Ferrari?
Carlos Sainz’s exit from Ferrari is primarily the result of a non-renewed contract combined with Ferrari’s strategic decision to onboard Lewis Hamilton. Former Haas team chief Guenther Steiner believes that some of the Ferrari team regret replacing Carlos Sainz with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. The Spaniard found himself on the hunt for a new team after being replaced by the Briton after a four-year stint with Ferrari.