'Sainz to Ferrari, Ricciardo to McLaren, Seb or Alonso to Renault'

The 2021 predictions are coming in thick and fast after it was confirmed that Sebastian Vettel will not be renewing his contract with Ferrari.

Vettel will be leaving the Scuderia at the end of the year after failing to reach an agreement with the team over a contract extension.

The news is set to cause a huge ripple effect across the current Formula 1 grid, with Vettel reportedly in talks with at least one other team.

There is also the small matter of which new driver will partner up with Charles Leclerc from next season. It has not taken long for the predictions to come in from the pundits and the press.

“I’ll take a punt on this,” Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle said on Twitter.

“Sainz to Ferrari. Ricciardo to McLaren. Vettel or Alonso to Renault. I’ll miss Seb if he retires, quality guy, quality driver. A champion and an adult.”

He also offered his take on what caused the negotiations to break down between Vettel and Ferrari.

“Seb definitely talking with at least one other team so this can’t be just about retirement,” he said.

“The release makes it clear it’s not about money. It obviously can’t be about this season’s performance. So must be about status and controls generated from the bruising incidents of 2019.”

One of Italy’s leading newspaper publications, Gazzetta dello Sport, also believe Carlos Sainz is in ‘pole position’ to replace Vettel, referencing the fact that he would be a cheaper option compared to Ricciardo and also suggesting that John Elkann, Louis Camilleri and Mattia Binotto are all fans of him.

And we simply cannot forget Eddie Jordan’s prediction, which certainly does not sound as silly now, when he recently tipped Vettel and Lewis Hamilton to swap seats.

Tuesday, May 12 is the official start of Formula 1’s silly season…

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