“If it’s not one, it could be the other”– Andretti picks F1 drivers which are set to shine in 2022

Mario Andretti feels that the listed drivers would be having an impact next year with the reducing gap between the Formula 1 teams.

Formula 1, for a long time, has been anticipating the rise of its young generation, which has joined the top-tier in the last three years. Most of them are now representing the top teams in the grid.

With the rising competition among the teams due to the new regulations, Mario Andretti feels these drivers will be influential in the upcoming season.

“I think Carlos Sainz has really shown some promise,” Mario Andretti said to RacingNews365. “He’s shown to really be coming into his own, in his own comfortable position there, with Ferrari. I think he has pushed Charles Leclerc a little bit and made him a bit nervous at times – you could see [it].

“Daniel Ricciardo has [also] shown tremendous ability to be up at the top with a top team. Overall, the top teams are really well armed with talent,” he commented. “If it’s not one, it could be the other.”

Also read: Alpine CEO feels that Formula 1 drivers welcome the addition of new races to the sport’s calendar

Andretti feels the lower tier is also competitive

Andretti further feels that there is also competition further down in the grid. He mentions that Alpine has exciting prospects, and even Williams are rising above.

“In terms of how the teams will manage the temperature, that is difficult to predict, because this year, we have more space between the rim and the brake,” he explained.

“So, in the past, we know that the teams were using the heat transfer from the brake to the rim to manage the temperature inside the tyre, and so to manage also the pressure.”

“It will be different in 2022. I believe that is still in part a performance differentiator, so the teams will try to use this in 2022. If they are able to do that, we will see in the future.”

Also read: “New supercharging system”- Report suggests Mercedes have found a way to boost their turbocharger

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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