2021 Driver Speculation

[Chrill]

https://www.gpfans.com/en/articles/52440/mercedes-boss-wolff-unable-to-ignore-asset-vettel/
However, Toto says that he cannot ignore a driver of Vettel's calibre.

https://www.essentiallysports.com/f1-news-ferrari-insider-reveals-daniel-ricciardo-has-already-signed-with-mclaren-for-2021-to-replace-carlos-sainz/
And, has Ricciardo already decided to move to McLaren for 2021, replacing Sainz who is headed to Ferrari?

[Chrill]

McLaren jumps Ferrari, and announces the departure of Sainz plus the confirmation of Norris+Ricciardo for 2021:
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ricciardo-leaves-renault-mclaren-2021/4792019/

We can definitely expect a Sainz to Ferrari announcement this week, maybe today.

[Chrill]

With McLaren confirming Ricciardo for next season, they line up with car numbers 3 and 4, a nod back to when McLaren failed to beat Ferrari in the early 2000s.

Here's the lineup so far. Added some speculations for the second Renault seat. I don't see Alonso returning, but the article mentioned him. I could see Vettel doing it, but I'd expect the Renault team to recruit a rookie or resign someone like the Hulk.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team:
5. Sebastian Vettel (link)
44. Lewis Hamilton
63. George Russell
77. Valtteri Bottas

Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow:
16. Charles Leclerc (link)
55. Carlos Sainz (link)
5. Sebastian Vettel (link)

Red Bull Racing:
33. Max Verstappen (link)
23. Alexander Albon

McLaren F1 Team:
3. Daniel Ricciardo (link)
4. Lando Norris (link)

Renault DP World F1 Team:
31. Esteban Ocon (link)
5. Sebastian Vettel (link)
14. Fernando Alonso (link)
?. Christian Lundgaard (link)
?. Guanyu Zhou (link)

Aston Martin F1 Team:
11. Sergio Perez (link)
18. Lance Stroll

Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda:
10. Pierre Gasly
26. Daniil Kvyat
?. Jüri Vips (link)
?. Yuki Tsunoda (link)

Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN:
7. Kimi Räikkönen
99. Antonio Giovinazzi

Haas F1 Team:
8. Romain Grosjean
20. Kevin Magnussen

ROKiT Williams Racing:
63. George Russell (link)
6. Nicolas Latifi

[Penfold]

A Hamilton/Vettel pairing at Mercedes, however improbable, would certainly be fun to see!  Mind you, would they even want to run two drivers nearing the end of their careers?

I shall wish Carly Sainz the best of luck at Ferrari, I get the feeling he's going to need it.

[Chrill]

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-sainz-confirmed-as-leclercs-ferrari-team-mate-for-2021.5dSxBMUOyivTKN67Qx28Tl.html
There we go. Did not take long for Sainz to be confirmed at Ferrari.

Is it just me, or are these movements happening very fast and also very early? I mean, these kinds of announcements usually happen post-summer break, not around Monaco.

Re Vettel at Mercedes, if the Mercs plan to leave F1 at the end of this spec (which was prolonged to 2021), then a final hurrah with Hamilton and Vettel could be the battle to end all battles. Why not let it all implode, leave everything on track, and just let them race their hearts out for a final season of Mercedes dominance?

[Penfold]

Fast and early movements - consequence of eating dodgy doner kebabs!

Re: Vettel to Merc - I suppose it all depends on whether Toto fancies the hassle of having those two under the same roof.

[Penfold]

I see the Alonso to Renault rumours are gaining momentum, with several sources telling Auto Hebdo that contact has been made.

[Penfold]

Toto has said that whilst there would be some marketing value in hiring Vettel, Mercedes is pursuing a long-term strategy with its driver line-up - half of which is presumably George Russell as soon as he's deemed ready to roll.

[Chrill]

Russell could stay at Williams for 2021 since they'll run the same damn car anyway. For 2022, assuming Mercedes is still around, they could go for Russell alongside Vettel or Hamilton depending on whether either of them intend to remain in the series.

some marketing value in hiring Vettel

some? SOME?

[Chrill]

Daimler wants Vettel? The article says Toto does not want Vettel, and that Hamilton is pushing for yet another one-year extension with Bottas alongside him. I guess he feels safe beating the Finn.
https://www.planetf1.com/news/daimler-pushing-hard-for-sebastian-vettel/

Vettel to Aston Martin, then? It's a works team, with the budget that goes with it too. This would require dumping your own son, Lawrence, or ripping up a recently penned long-term deal with Perez.
https://www.racefans.net/2020/05/20/is-aston-martin-a-realistic-option-for-vettel-in-2021/

[Penfold]

As the author of the second article suggests, Seb could well take a year off and come back renewed for '22, and perhaps by then Stroll senior will have accepted that his son is a liability to his F1 ambitions.

[Chrill]

Ah yes. A sabbatical like Hakkinen.

[Chrill]

Finnish and Swedish media have put Bottas at Renault for 2021, and now your language seems to have picked up on this:
https://www.gpfans.com/en/articles/52698/mercedes-driver-linked-with-renault-switch/

[Penfold]

Bottas to Renault is certainly an easy one to picture, but I'm still keeping all fingers crossed for a Fernando encore.

[Chrill]

This may be far-fetched, but with Red Bull suffering from a lack of reliable number 2 drivers to Verstappen, Bottas could be aiming for a seat for 2021:
https://svenska.yle.fi/artikel/2020/05/25/rykteskarusellen-snurrar-vidare-i-formel-1-valtteri-bottas-kopplas-ihop-med (Swedish-Finnish newspaper, article in Swedish)

If Albon fails to deliver in 2020 (and Gasly+Kvyat having failed in the past), bringing someone from the outside could be the unprecedented move Bottas needs to keep fighting for podiums and wins.