Carlos Sainz has been confirmed as the replacement driver for Sebastian Vettel at Formula One team Ferrari.

The 25-year-old's two year signing completes their youngest ever pairing as he joins the Italian team alongside 22-year-old Charles LeClerc following the departure of Vettel on Tuesday.

A statement from the Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said: "Carlos has proved to be very talented and has shown that he has the technical ability and the right attributes to make him an ideal fit with our family.

"We believe that a driver pairing with the talent and personality of Charles and Carlos, the youngest in the past 50 years of the [team], will be the best possible combination to help us reach the goals we have set ourselves.”

Sainz reported that he is ‘excited about my future with the team’ but added 'I still have an important year ahead with McLaren Racing and I’m really looking forward to going racing again with them this season.”

In a well-choreographed sequence of events, Sainz's seat at McLaren will be taken up by Australia's Daniel Ricciardo from 2021.

Ricciardo's addition is hoped to help turn the fortunes of a team who have suffered a turbulent few years and only started picking up again in 2019 when they managed a fourth place finish in the driver's championship.

McLaren Racing chief executive officer Zak Brown said: “Daniel is another step in our long-term plan and will bring an exciting new dimension.”

He was also complimentary of the service Sainz had paid to the side adding: "I also want to pay tribute to Carlos for the excellent job he has been doing for McLaren in helping our performance recovery plan. 

“He is a real team player and we wish him well for his future beyond McLaren," he added.