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Ferrari announced Tuesday that four-time world champion Vettel would leave them at the end of the season.
Sainz of McLaren and Ricciardo of Renault, considered the top contenders for one of the most coveted seats in the sport, were teammates at the 22-year-old Dutch Verstappen at Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) and Red Bull respectively.
“There was some speculation, will he continue with Ferrari or not? Well, he’s out today. He isn’t,” Verstappen said in an Instagram question-and-answer session with former running back David Coulthard for team sponsor Puma.
“I guess very soon we will find out who will be the replacement. It is definitely not me, I can tell you. I am at Red Bull,” added Verstappen, whose contract runs until the end of 2023.
When asked if he thought Vettel’s replacement would be the Italian or Spanish name, Verstappen replied: “I think it won’t be the Italian name … it’s just a guess, we’ll have to wait and see.”
Both Ricciardo and Sainz, who are already in their third team at the age of 25 after a stint at Renault before McLaren, are out of contract at the end of the season.
