Official: Räikkönen at Sauber, Leclerc at Ferrari in 2019

The wait was long before knowing the future of Kimi Räikkönen and Charles Leclerc, who seemed indeed linked.

It is now official, the Finn will leave Scuderia Ferrari at the end of the season to make way for the young Monegasque, as the rumor had predicted for weeks. Kimi Räikkönen, meanwhile, has signed a two-season contract with Sauber, the team of his Formula 1 debut and still strongly linked to Ferrari through Alfa Romeo.

For Frédéric Vasseur, Sporting Director of the Swiss team, the signing of the 2007 world champion represents excellent news: Kimi Räikkönen’s signing as a driver is an important pillar of our project and brings us closer to our goal, which is to achieve significant team progress in the near future. Kimi’s undeniable talent and vast experience in Formula 1 will not only contribute to the development of our car but will also accelerate the growth and development of our team as a whole. Together, we will start the 2019 season on solid foundations, driven by the determination to fight for meaningful results.

On the Ferrari side, the arrival of Charles Leclerc, nurtured for a long time by the Scuderia, isn’t really a surprise, except perhaps for the person most involved: « Dreams do come true… I will drive for Ferrari in the Formula 1 World Championship in 2019. I will be eternally grateful to Ferrari for the opportunity given. »

The summer saga in the transfer market thus comes to an end, even though a few seats remain, including one at Sauber where Marcus Ericsson might face competition from Stoffel Vandoorne, and two at Toro Rosso where rumors of a duo consisting of Daniil Kvyat and Sebastien Buemi are gaining momentum.

I will work harder than ever to not disappoint you. But first, there is a season to finish with an amazing team that gave me the opportunity to fight and show my potential. Let’s go @SauberF1Team ❤️

— Charles Leclerc (@Charles_Leclerc) 11 septembre 2018