BREAKING: Sainz switches to McLaren from 2019!

Carlos Sainz has announced he will be racing with McLaren for the 2019 season. The Spaniard had been linked with the seat throughout F1's silly season and after compatriot Fernando Alonso announced on Tuesday he would be leaving the team next year, there will still be a Spaniard at the team.

Sainz had been replaced at Renault by Daniel Ricciardo in a move that surprised the Formula One world, the Australian moving away from a race-winning Red Bull team.

The vacant seat at the Milton-Keynes based team had been a two horse race between Sainz and Pierre Gasly, who now seems nailed on to take the place of Ricciardo alongside Max Verstappen for 2019.

In a post on Twitter, Sainz said he was he was excited by the prospect of joining such an iconic team.

"Extremely happy and proud to announce that I will be joining the @McLarenF1 family next year. Dream come true to drive for such a legendary team!"

He expanded on his future move saying that he had been a fan of the team since he was very young and couldn't wait to get started at the team.

“I’ve been a McLaren fan for as long as I can remember. It’s a great name in the sport with an incredible heritage, and the list of drivers that have raced for McLaren over the years are among the heroes of Formula 1. 

“Fernando is of course one of them, so it’s particularly special that I’ll be taking his seat as part of the next generation of Spanish racing drivers behind the wheel of a McLaren.

“Finally, I’d like to thank everyone at McLaren for giving me this opportunity to fulfil a childhood dream. The team has a long-term plan for the future and I’m very much looking forward to playing a key role in its journey back to success.”

His future boss Zak Brown said he was excited by the talented Sainz and admitted that the team had been assessing him for some time. The McLaren CEO said he was optimistic about the future with the Renault man joining the team and was looking forward to working with him from 2019 onwards.

“We’re incredibly excited to have Carlos join us as a McLaren driver. We’ve been assessing him for some time now and rate him very highly among the next generation of young talent emerging through the ranks in Formula 1.

“Carlos brings with him the perfect blend of youth and experience. Although he’s just 23, he’ll be starting his fifth season in the sport with us and will bring with him a huge amount of racing experience, both in Formula 1 and with our partner Renault.

“It’s no secret that Carlos is a huge admirer of Fernando’s, and it’s fitting that he will be stepping into his seat as a Spaniard with a legendary name in motorsport. We think he’ll be a great fit for McLaren and we’re really excited to have him join us from next season and beyond.”