Daniel Ricciardo will be an unlikely choice of Ferrari, according to Max Verstappen.
He expect Carlo Sainz Jr. to replace four times world champion, Sebastian Vettel, at Scuderia Ferrari for 2021.
The news of negotiation failing between Ferrari and Vettel, sparked the driver market.
Ferrari is one of most favorite teams of all times and every junior driver would love to drive it on F1 tracks. However, despite the market available only two names popped for the seat.
Verstappen, who remained team-mate to Daniel Ricciardo, was asked about his take on the matter. He responded to question asked by David Coulthard, ex F1 driver, on Instagram Q&A session.
“The speculation was going on a bit, is he going to continue with Ferrari or not – well today it’s out, he’s not,” Verstappen said.
“I guess also very soon we’ll find out who the replacement is going to be.
“It’s definitely not me, I can tell you. I’m at Red Bull. I saw some questions coming along if I was going to Ferrari, but I’m not.
“It is what it is. Somebody else gets an opportunity to drive now for Ferrari, and of course it’s a great team, and I’m sure they will make the right decision about the next driver.
“Let’s see what’s going to happen there.”
McLaren driver Sainz and Renault’s Ricciardo are top contenders for Ferrari seat so far.
Both drivers have remained team mate to Verstappen. He and Sainz drove for Toro Rosso for two seasons. Later, he joined Red Bull with Ricciardo. Last year, Ricciardo jumped off to Renault for a better opportunity.
Coulthard asked if he had the to fill the seat “with an Italian sounding name or someone with a Spanish sounding name”, who would he chose.
“I think it’s not going to be the Italian sounding name,” Verstappen said.
“Let’s see. At the end of the day, it’s just a guess. We’ll have to wait and see.”
Reports by Autosport suggest that Carlo Sainz Jr. has already been engaged by Ferrari for a possible replacement alongside Leclerc for 2021.
