Verstappen, Gasly and Russell dominate in 2021, tension mounts at Ferrari

After the Austrian Grand Prix it is time to take stock again. Which drivers within their team are showing that they are the best, and which drivers have been a bit disappointing so far? Based on the data collected by GPblog, here is a brief analysis of the internal team duels in 2021.

Most important duel in F1

In Formula 1, your teammate is your main rival. It is the only driver with exactly the same material, and therefore your only real comparison. You can draw that comparison during the race on Sunday, but also on Saturday. On Saturday it's all about who can get the best out of the car, and how consistently someone can do that.

For the team duels, a number of statistics are taken into account. First of all, the scored points, but also the duel between the drivers during the race. Who finished more often in front of the other during the race when both crossed the finish line. For the qualifying this comparison is also made and next to that we look at the average difference.

This average difference is made up of data from all the qualifying sessions this season. For each qualifying, GPblog looks at which driver within the team was faster, and with what difference. For the difference, the fastest time is taken from the last session in which both drivers were active. So if one driver reaches Q3 and the other only Q2, the time of Q2 is compared.

Mercedes

Hamilton - Bottas

Points: 150-92

Race duel: 5-2

Qualifying duel: 6-3

Average difference per qualifying: 0.196s in favour of Hamilton

Red Bull Racing

Verstappen - Perez

Points: 182-104

Race duel: 8-0

Qualifying duel: 8-1

Average difference per qualifying: 0.418s in favour of Verstappen

McLaren

Ricciardo - Norris

Points: 40-101

Race duel: 1-8

Qualifying duel: 3-6

Average difference per qualifying: 0.323s in favour of Norris

Aston Martin

Vettel - Stroll

Points: 30-14

Race duel: 4-2

Qualifying duel: 5-4

Average difference per qualifying: 0.069s in favour of Stroll

Alpine

Alonso - Ocon

Points: 20-12

Race duel: 2-4

Qualifying duel: 5-4

Average difference per qualifying: 0.075s in favour of Ocon

Ferrari

Leclerc - Sainz

Points: 62-60

Race duel: 5-3

Qualifying duel: 6-3

Average difference per qualifying: 0.129s in favour of Leclerc

AlphaTauri

Gasly - Tsunoda

Points: 30-9

Race duel: 6-0

Qualifying duel: 9-0

Average difference per qualifying: 0.478s in favour of Gasly

Alfa Romeo

Giovinazzi - Raikkonen

Points: 1-1

Race duel: 3-5

Qualifying duel: 7-2

Average difference per qualifying: 0.372s in favour of Giovinazzi

Haas

Schumacher - Mazepin

Points: 0-0

Race duel: 7-1

Qualifying duel: 8-1

Average difference per qualifying: 0.491s in favour of Schumacher

Williams

Russell - Latifi

Points: 0-0

Race duel: 6-0

Qualifying duel: 9-0

Average difference per qualifying: 0.378s in favour of Russell