LONDON (Reuters) - Australian Daniel Ricciardo will leave the Renault Formula One team and race for McLaren in 2021, McLaren said in a statement on Thursday (May 14).

The 30-year-old, winner of seven races for Red Bull, will partner British driver Lando Norris and replaces Spaniard Carlos Sainz who is set to join Ferrari as Sebastian Vettel's replacement.

"Signing Daniel is another step forward in our long-term plan and will bring an exciting new dimension to the team, alongside Lando. This is good news for our team, partners and of course our fans," said McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown.

Team principal Andreas Seidl added that Ricciardo was key to returning McLaren to its glory days, haveing won eight constructors titles previously, the most behind Ferrari with 16 and Williams with nine, although its last win was in 1998.

McLaren last won the world championship with Lewis Hamilton in 2008.

Former world champion Fernando Alonso is expected to be offered Ricciardo's seat at Renault while Vettel could be a possibility, though the German is said to be looking to move to Mercedes or he could retire.