Minardi: Vettel and Raikkonen under threat from rising stars

Former Formula 1 team manager Giancarlo Minardi is predicting that Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen could both come under pressure from their new respective team mates in 2019.

Vettel remains at Ferrari in 2019 but will now be joined by Charles Leclerc, while Raikkonen returns to Alfa Romeo (formerly Sauber) where he will drive alongside Antonio Giovinazzi.

Minardi said that he expects both former world champions to be under surprising pressure from two of the sport's rising stars.

"I'm expecting a fascinating and interesting season," he told the Minardi.it website this week. "Having a young driver such as Leclerc rather than a proven driver like Raikonnen will be an important incentive for Vettel [at Ferrari].

• Button sees 'big year' ahead for Vettel, and perhaps a tough decision

"Each young driver that enters into Formula 1 or in a top team brings the will to emerge and to make things difficult for his team mate," Minardi continued. "I consider Leclerc predestined with fantastic natural talent.

"[Vettel] must show that he has left behind negativity of last season in which some mental gaps emerged," he continued. "[He will have to] come back to being the four-time world champion at the start of the season.

"I hope that, even if in the short winter, that Ferrari managed to take the final step that was missing in 2018 to overtake Mercedes."

Looking at Raikkonen's new team mate, Minardi - who sill lives in Faenza where he founded his race team, which has since become Toro Rosso - said he expected Giovinazzi to rapidly establish himself against the oldest driver on the 2019 grid.

"The Finn will really have to watch over his shoulder for Giovinazzi because I am sure he will be able to put him in trouble," Minardi predicted.

©Sauber

Italian drivers dominated the early days of Formula 1, but there were none on the grid in 2018. Among the most recent Italians in the sport have been Vitantonio Liuzzi and Jarno Trulli, but both left F1 after 2011.

Giovinazzi made two Grand Prix appearances with Sauber in 2017 as a late-notice replacement for an injured Pascal Wehrlein. Since then he's put in almost 4,000 miles of on-track testing as a development driver with Ferrari, Sauber and Haas.

Minardi sees the 25-year-old's forthcoming first full season in the sport as an significant landmark.

"The arrival of Antonio in F1 is a very important signal for the whole Italian motorsport," he said. "For the young drivers and also for the future of the Italian Grand Prix, as well as for the Federation.

"I have always argued that in Italy it is not the drivers who are missing, but the resources.

"I am pleased that Antonio has managed to break down this barrier only with the help of his speeding qualities," he added. "I hope this return is a good omen also to bring the interest of companies towards our motorsport up again."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter