Why do drivers want to show their team that they are faster?
During the Canadian Grand Prix, Carlos Sainz, who was behind his teammate at the time, let it be known over the radio that he still had a lot of pace. It was a way of indicating to Ferrari that he wanted Charles Leclerc to let him pass. But why do drivers always want to show their team that they are faster than their teammate?
In Formula 1, your first enemy is often your teammate. It is necessary to beat them in order to establish yourself within the team and prove that you are the fastest. Some teams designate a driver as number 1 and another as number 2. This is the case for Red Bull, as we have seen in numerous situations between Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez.
But in other stables, the hierarchy is not clearly established. This is the case, for example, at Ferrari, Alpine, or even Mercedes, where George Russell often manages to challenge the experienced Lewis Hamilton. It is then up to the drivers to show that they are faster than their teammates.
Being the fastest means imposing oneself as the No.1
If one is faster than the other, it’s obvious, they will establish themselves as the number one driver. Being the lead driver in a team is far from being a mere option. With this status, it will be possible to put maximum pressure on the teammate. And potentially push them to make mistakes.
If one is faster than the other, the team will tell the latter to increase their pace, otherwise they will have to give way. So it is not trivial if the drivers request to overtake their teammate on the track.
It is even a great advantage since becoming N°1 in a team will allow you to benefit from the best treatment and often, the best strategy. The team will have confidence in the fastest driver, and the latter will gain confidence. Behind a simple radio message from a driver announcing that he is faster than his teammate, it is actually a much more important strategy, that of proving that he is the one to bet on.
Showing that we are faster is also trying to make a place for ourselves in the team
In addition to the purely competitive aspect where drivers try to establish themselves as the number one, showing that one is faster also helps to secure a place within the team. Even being a talented driver does not guarantee being on par with a more experienced teammate.
Although George Russell is a talented driver, being Lewis Hamilton’s teammate is far from an easy task. For Russell, stating that he is faster than Hamilton is asserting himself within the team, showing that his teammate is not the only one driving quickly. This is crucial for a young driver. However, even if the young British driver were to make a request to his team to overtake his teammate, Toto Wolff assures that it will not happen: We will not make any such appeal in favor of George, nor even in favor of Lewis.
At Red Bull, Pérez sometimes tries to raise his voice on the radio. For the Mexican, it’s also a way to assert himself within the team, where Max Verstappen is prioritized in many situations. In 2022, the radio messages at Red Bull sparked major controversies, as the Dutch driver seemed to be favored by the Austrian team.
But often misinformation on the radio
However, certain messages from drivers on the radio sound like misinformation. In Canada, when Carlos Sainz tells Ferrari that he has pace and indirectly suggests to Ferrari to swap positions with Charles Leclerc, it was simply an attempt to put pressure on his teammate. In reality, a few laps later, he had already lost nearly two seconds to the Monegasque.
Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion, declared last December that it was strange to hear all these conversations. Whatever the case, drivers will always try to prove that they are faster than their teammate. This is the first enemy to defeat in F1. Moreover, proving that you are the fastest on the track gives you the status of number one with all its advantages.
