Formula 1: Carlos Sainz Jr. emerging as possible 2021 Ferrari driver?

Carlos Sainz Jr. has emerged as a possible candidate to drive for Ferrari in the 2021 Formula 1 season if Sebastian Vettel does not re-sign with the team.

The hottest seat on the driver market for the 2021 Formula 1 season has quickly become the Ferrari seat alongside Charles Leclerc, who is set to enter his second season driving for the team after signing a contract extension that last through the 2024 season back in December.

Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel has driven for Ferrari since the 2015 season, and his initial contract was extended by three years back in August of 2017. As a result, the 2020 season is slated to be a contract year for the 32-year-old German.

Vettel has committed several unforced errors in recent years. In fact, the points he lost by doing so in 2017 and 2018 and the points that eventual champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes gained as a result prevented Vettel from winning the titles in both years.

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Last season alone, he was nearly suspended for a race after his disastrous Italian Grand Prix, and contact with Leclerc that knocked both drivers out of the Brazilian Grand Prix was perhaps his lowest point.

Unsurprisingly, there have already been rumors about who Ferrari will tab to be their second driver in the 2021 season, and several drivers have emerged as possible candidates.

One who hasn’t been discussed much but would certainly be a quality selection is Carlos Sainz Jr., who finished in sixth place in the driver standings in the 2020 season with McLaren to become the highest finishing non-Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull Racing driver since 2015.

Here is what Sainz had to say about his future when asked about whether or not Vettel is the main catalyst in the driver market for the 2021 season, according to Formula 1.

"“I don’t know and at the moment I don’t really care if Sebastian’s going to be the catalyst or not. I think as you guys know, I’m very happy in McLaren, I feel very much part of this project, part of this medium to long-term project and probably I cannot start thinking about anything else, unless it’s wanting this year to be a step forward from last year and keep working in the same direction, with the same objectives, and we will see at the end of the year.”"

He added that he takes this potential association with the Scuderia as a compliment.

Based on Sainz’s claim, it looks like he is committed to McLaren, even though he does not have a deal lined up for the 2021 season at this time, and it makes sense. McLaren had a resurgent year in 2020 in what was Sainz’s first year with the team, and the camaraderie between Sainz and then-rookie Lando Norris was unmatched across the paddock.

Additionally, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has maintained that the team would like to move forward with both Leclerc and Vettel if they can, and if Vettel can right the ship in 2020, they would have no reason not to. Vettel is, after all, a four-time champion. Leclerc signed through 2024 back in December.

But another rumor emerged over the offseason that Vettel and McLaren had been in talks, and that would make even more sense if Sainz did opt to leave the Woking-based team for the Maranello-based organization.

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Will Carlos Sainz Jr. stay at McLaren, or will he make the move to Ferrari for the 2021 Formula 1 season? What does Sebastian Vettel’s future hold in Formula 1? As long as these two drivers remain without contracts lined up for next year, that speculation will only continue to heat up.

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