Mid-season review: Team duels

In Formula 1, the number 1 objective has always been to do better than one’s teammate, who is the first rival to compete against. With 12 race weekends now completed, an evaluation of the performances between each teammate is necessary to analyze which drivers are in danger or, on the contrary, are having a good first half of the season.

A necessary comparison to evaluate performances

This assessment is essential for the teams to determine whether their two drivers have adapted well to the car’s configuration and any improvements made on the track. It also determines the profile of certain drivers, much more comfortable in qualifying than in the race. All of these parameters are taken into account in each team, allowing for an assessment of the duels in qualifying and in the race between teammates.

Red Bull: Verstappen almost alone in the world

In Like in 2023, the comparison is difficult for Sergio Perez. In 12 Grand Prix and 3 sprint races, the Mexican has only managed to outperform his Dutch teammate once, when the latter retired at the Australian Grand Prix earlier this year. While Verstappen has already won 7 races on Sundays and the 3 sprint races already completed, the Mexican driver has still not managed to open his victory account and is on a streak of 6 consecutive weekends without a podium.

In qualifying, the statistics are hardly more flattering for Perez since he still hasn’t managed to beat his teammate in qualifying. Worse, if we look in detail at the performances, the differences are sometimes huge, as in Canada where Verstappen beats Perez by nearly a second. A lack of performance that is pushing the Mexican towards the exit.

Qualifications: 12 – 0

Course: 11 – 1

Abandoned: 1 – 2

Points: 255 – 118

Ferrari: Charles Leclerc against Carlos Sainz

In contrast to Red Bull, the duel between the two Ferraris appears more tight. While the Monegasque has the advantage in qualifying (7-4), in the race the two drivers are even (5-5), with the Spanish driver even beating Leclerc in qualifying and in the race in the last two weekends, while Leclerc is struggling in a car that no longer suits him (he has only scored 12 points in the last three weekends). The improvements made by the Italian team are no longer effective, as they have been struggling in Grand Prix races since their victory in Monaco. Currently, only 4 points separate the two drivers before arriving in Hungary.

Qualifications: 7-4 (Bearman replaced Sainz in Jeddah)

Race: 5 – 5 (Sainz did not take part in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to appendicitis)

Abandons: 1 – 1

Points: 150 – 146

McLaren: Lando Norris against Oscar Piastri

The Woking team is rediscovering its glorious past. The second team to defeat Red Bull with Norris’ first F1 victory in Miami (following Sainz in Australia), it is now regularly in a position to compete for the win. This advantageous context is made possible thanks to the excellent season of its two drivers. While the British driver is generally ahead of his Australian teammate (10-2 in qualifying; 9-3 in races), both drivers are consistent and bring in a lot of points for the team (nine podium finishes, seven for Norris and two for Piastri), allowing them to catch up with Ferrari in the constructors’ championship.

Qualifications: 10-2

Course: 9 – 3

Abandons: 1-0

Points: 171-124

Mercedes: a 100% British battle

It is undoubtedly the most in-form team in recent weeks. The German team has just won the last two Grand Prix races (Russell in Austria, Hamilton in Silverstone) and is back at the top, much to the delight of its two drivers. In qualifying, the duel is largely in favor of Russell, the former Williams driver only being behind his teammate twice (in Japan and Spain) during qualifying sessions. In the races, the battle is more balanced (8-4), highlighting Hamilton’s good form on Sundays, as he has stepped on the podium twice in the last three races.

Qualifications: 10-2

Course: 8 – 4

Abandons: 2 – 1

Points: 111-110

Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll

It’s a team that can’t seem to progress anymore. After a very successful 2023 season (8 podiums in total), the Silverstone team has fallen back this year and struggles to achieve results. The positive point is undoubtedly the performance of Lance Stroll, who manages to keep up with his double world champion teammate. While the Spaniard shines in the race against the Canadian (8-4), the duel is very balanced in qualifying (7-5). Nevertheless, these performances are insufficient for a team hoping to return to the front of the grid very soon, especially this weekend in Hungary, where they will bring many improvements.

Qualifications: 7-5

Course: 8 – 4

Abandons: 0-1

Points: 45-23

Racing Bulls: Yuki Tsunoda against Daniel Ricciardo

It is a first part of the season that could leave marks at Racing Bulls. If the team’s performances are quite fluctuating from one weekend to another, the Japanese nevertheless dominates his experienced Australian teammate. In qualifying, Tsunoda leads 9-3, with a lead of almost 7 tenths (680 milliseconds) during the Silverstone weekend qualifying sessions. In the race, the Australian resists a bit more but is still behind 7-4 in the confrontation. A situation that could push him to have to leave the team at the end of the season.

Qualifications: 9-3

Course: 7 – 4

Abandons: 1 – 2

Points: 20-11

Haas: Nico Hülkenberg against Kevin Magnussen

The American team is currently experiencing happy days. After a mediocre start to the season, the team has just had two very good weekends thanks to the performance of its German driver who is overall dominating his Danish teammate, who has just announced that he will not stay in the team next season. Hülkenberg is leading the way in qualifying, only being beaten by Magnussen in Jeddah, Melbourne, and Canada. In the race, the statistics are even more blatant with a 10-1 advantage for the German, who has only finished behind his teammate in the opening race in Bahrain. With 27 points scored, the team is already performing much better than in 2023 when they had only scored 12 points.

Qualifications: 9-3

Course: 10 – 1

Abandonments: 1-1

Points: 22-5

Alpine: Esteban Ocon against Pierre Gasly

After a disappointing 2023 season, the 2024 season is following the same trend. Only 8 points scored so far, the French team sees Haas and Racing Bulls pulling away ahead and now has to watch behind them with Williams catching up. A challenging season so far, marked by issues both on and off the track, especially due to the collision between the two teammates.

Members of the stable, the dark spot of a failed first part of the season. In terms of performance, it is the former protege of Mercedes who has the upper hand, whether in qualifications (8-4) or in the race (7-5) even if the former Red Bull driver has been improving lately, with four points finishes in the last five Grand Prix.

Qualifications: 8-4

Course: 7 – 5

Abandons: 1-2

Points: 3-6

Williams: Alexander Albon against Logan Sargeant

This is one of the most one-sided duels of the season. Like in 2023, the Thai driver is outrageously dominating his young American teammate, even though Williams has only scored 4 points so far with Albon’s 9th place finishes in Monaco and Silverstone, far from the 28 points he had gathered last year. Like Verstappen at Red Bull, the Thai driver has not yet been beaten in qualifying by Sargeant. On Sundays, Sargeant puts up a bit more resistance but has mainly benefited from his teammate’s retirements to finish ahead of him. Having not scored any points yet this year, the American driver is on thin ice and must perform better to keep his seat.

Qualifications: 11-0

Course: 8 – 2

Abandons: 3-3

Points: 4-0

Clean: Valtteri Bottas against Guanyu Zhou

The Swiss team is the only team that has not yet scored any points this year, and is currently stuck at the bottom of the standings. The team is facing numerous internal problems and a major overhaul in preparation for the arrival of the German manufacturer Audi next year, a transition that may occur without CEO Andreas Seidl, who is at odds with Oliver Hoffman on Audi’s strategy. The tense situation is evident on the track with a car that is struggling to perform well. Despite this, the former Mercedes driver still outperforms his Chinese teammate, especially in qualifying (11-1), although the competition is much more balanced in races (7-5), highlighting the difficulties faced by the Finn on Sundays. He is currently in talks to join the Indycar championship and leave Formula 1.

Qualifications: 11-1

Course: 7 – 5

Abandons: 1-1

Points: 0-0