BREAKING: Leclerc to replace Raikkonen at Ferrari!

Charles Leclerc will replace Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari next season, it has been confirmed, as the Monegasque rookie will make the step up from Sauber after storming on the F1-scene in his rookie season. Meanwhile, Kimi Raikkonen will make the move in the other direction!

Charles Leclerc to drive for Scuderia Ferrari in 2019. https://t.co/Mu4rn1BwLe

— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) September 11, 2018

The 20-year-old will drive the rest of the season at Sauber before making the switch, and has signed a multiple-year contract to keep him at Ferrari from 2019 onwards, partnering Sebastian Vettel

Leclerc is a Ferrari junior driver who was stalled at Sauber, a partner of Ferrari, this season after winning the Formula 2 title in 2017.

After struggling in the first three races of the season, Leclerc has been nothing short of sensational this season, out-qualifying his teammate Marcus Ericsson every single time, as well as blatantly outperforming the Swede. Leclerc has accumulated more than triple the points this season by himself than Sauber did as a team in 2017, and the 20-year-old has made it into Q3 on three separate occasions as well, qualifying in P8 on his best day.

It will be interesting to see how Leclerc, who has all the talent in the world but is still very inexperienced, will handle such a massive step. 

As for Kimi Raikkonen, he will return to Sauber for 2019 and 2020.