Walkinshaw Andretti United director Zak Brown says his Supercars team will go into 2022 with winning the major championships in mind.
Off the back of rapturous scenes in the 2021 Bathurst 1000, the McLaren CEO has declared his pairing of Chaz Mostert and Nick Percat the best in pit lane.
Mostert goes into the new year off the back of a dominant Great Race win alongside Lee Holdsworth, which was done so despite suffering a tyre failure.
Percat, meanwhile, returns to the team that gave him his start in Supercars a decade on.
Asked whether there were parallels to be drawn between his teams in Formula 1 and the IndyCar Series, Brown said that all the hallmarks are there.
“Like Formula 1 and IndyCar, it's all about building momentum,” Brown told Speedcafe.com.
“You've got to get your wins before you go for the championship. I think now, where we finished, our future driver line-up, I don't see any reason why we shouldn't be a championship contender next year. It doesn't mean we'll win it, but I think we're going into it with that being the goal.
“I couldn't be more excited,” he added.
“We had a strong year and won the biggest race of the year, and the way we did it was awesome.
“The team, as you can imagine, and our sponsors, and our employees,have gotten such a boost going into the off-season.
“They get to carry the trophy around. You're only as good as your last race.”
With his Bathurst 1000 win, Mostert moved his way into third in the drivers' championship, marking his best finish in Supercars to date.
Percat arrives off the back of five straight seasons with Brad Jones Racing, the most recent two in which he finished seventh.
For Brown, having two drivers equally capable of challenging for the championship bodes well for intra team development.
“I'd like to think both drivers are going to be fighting for it, which is also going to make the team stronger, which is exciting having two drivers that I think are capable of really racing and competing for the championship,” said Brown.
“It should hopefully mean they drive each other forward.
“I can't really think of a better driver line-up in Supercars,” he added.
“They're being given the cars to be able to do their job in an unbelievably competitive series. From what I can tell, it's as good a driver line-up if not the best driver line-up in Supercars.”
Walkinshaw Andretti United will move up the pit lane in 2022 courtesy of their fourth place finish in the teams' championship.
The opening round of the Repco Supercars Championship, the Repco Newcastle 500, takes place across March 4-6.