The F1 drivers walking an awkward tightrope in 2020
Three drivers began this season already knowing they would be moving elsewhere for next year. So what's it like to be Carlos Sainz Jr, Daniel Ricciardo or Sebastian Vettel, racing for a team you'll be leaving - and not necessarily in the most amicable way? STUART CODLING investigates
One of the many joys Formula 1 fans have been forced to forego in 2020 is the 'silly season', that annual frenzy of speculation over which out-of-contract driver will end up where. This year the biggest, most significant moves were tied up long before the season began. And while it's not unprecedented for a driver to telegraph their departure more than a season in advance - Fernando Alonso announced his move from Renault to McLaren at the tail end of 2005 - it's rare indeed for three big names to be serving out their notice period thus.
Carlos Sainz Jr set the dominoes toppling by signing a 2021 contract with Ferrari, which subsequently announced that it hadn't even bothered to open renewal negotiations with Sebastian Vettel.
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