"It's the young guns who are really cutting it now" - Former F1 driver says Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo are under pressure to make a difference

Former F1 driver Martin Brundle says Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo will need to perform this season if they want to retain their seats at Aston Martin and McLaren respectively.A continued lack of competitiveness from both Vettel and Ricciardo would be hard to justify, believes Brundle, especially, given how well some of the younger drivers have been performing recently.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 about Vettel’s prospects in 2022 ahead of the inaugural Miami GP, Brundle said:

“It's the young guns who are really cutting it now. That's where you're looking, your Lando's, your George's, drivers in their early 20s. They're the ones that are cutting it out on track and are easier to work with on the media and marketing side.

"I think [Sebastian Vettel] will be under pressure from some young guns, but if he wants to stay, I still think they shouldn't replace him."

Meanwhile, Brundle feels Daniel Ricciardo will need to deliver the kind of performances he was previously known for at Red Bull, which he has struggled to recreate at McLaren.

While the Aussie has a contract with McLaren until the end of 2023, Brundle believes the British team might look to replace him at the end of the current season if his performances don’t meet expectations, especially, given how well he is being paid. Brundle said:

"He needs to produce the Daniel we know, the speed and the race craft. Because at the moment he's an expensive item at McLaren, and if they think they have a golden number one going forward in Lando, then they might take a risk on a new kid."

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Brundle doesn’t expect Sebastian Vettel to move from Aston Martin to "a more competitive team"

Sebastian Vettel’s time with Aston Martin so far hasn’t worked out the way either of them had hoped it would. Following a disappointing start to the 2022 season, rumors started circulating that Vettel might be considering a move to his former team Red Bull Racing for the 2023 season.

However, F1 TV pundit Martin Brundle doesn’t expect Vettel to move to a more competitive team if he chooses to leave Aston Martin. The Briton believes the four-time world champion might end up retiring instead. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Brundle said:

"I don't see him going to another competitive team, so it depends what Aston Martin do. They probably like his leadership and when he's on form, he's driving well.

"It could be Seb's final year. Absolutely. Although I still do think of him as young - he's only approaching 35 despite being around for so long!”

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Despite their poor start, Aston Martin is hopeful that it will return to the front of the midfield as the season progresses.

The team is currently developing a radically different spec of its 2022 challenger based on early learnings from the season. The new car is expected to debut sometime later in the season and might provide the British squad with some much needed boost in performance.