Daniel Ricciardo is joining McLaren Racing Limited beginning with the 2021 Formula 1 season, the team announced Thursday (May 14).
Ricciardo is replacing Carlos Sainz, who will race for Ferrari next year.
This comes after the news that Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel would part ways at the end of 2020.
Ricciardo joins Lando Norris in the McLaren lineup.
“Signing Daniel is another step forward in our long-term plan and will bring an exciting new dimension to the team, alongside Lando,” Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, said. “This is good news for our team, partners and of course our fans.
“I also want to pay tribute to Carlos for the excellent job he has been doing for McLaren in helping our performance recovery plan. He is a real team player and we wish him well for his future beyond McLaren.”
In eight full F1 seasons Ricciardo has seven wins and 29 podiums. His most recent win came in 2018 for Red Bull Racing at the Grand Prix of Monaco.
“Daniel is a proven race-winner and his experience, commitment and energy will be a valuable addition to McLaren and our mission to return to the front of the field,” Andreas Seidl, team principal of McLaren F1, said. “With Daniel and Lando as teammates, I believe we have two racers who will continue to excite our fans and help the team grow.
“Carlos is a true professional, a pleasure to work with and we will continue to enjoy going racing with him this year. We all wish him good luck for the next stage in his career when he leaves McLaren.”
About the author
Joy joined Frontstretch in 2019 as a NASCAR DraftKings writer, expanding to news and iRacing coverage in 2020. She's currently an assistant editor and involved with photos, social media and news editing. A California native, Joy was raised watching motorsports and started watching NASCAR extensively in 2001. She earned her B.A. degree in Liberal Studies at California State University Bakersfield in 2010.
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