Who will win the battle of the team mates in 2013?

2013 F1 season preview

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The Formula One field has had a shake-up during the off-season.

Eight drivers – one-third of those who entered the Melbourne season-opener 12 months ago – have gone. Five rookies have arrived to join five world champions and a dozen other drivers.

Red Bull and Ferrari have enjoyed several years of stability on the driver front. Elsewhere changes in the driver line-up will provide much interest in the coming months, such as Sergio Perez arriving at McLaren, and of course Lewis Hamilton joining Mercedes.

But whoever we’re talking about, the first objective of any F1 driver is to beat their team mate. It’s the closest benchmark, the only other driver who’s got the same chassis and engine.

Who will prevail in each of the teams this year? Compare the line-ups below and vote for who you think will come out on top.

Red Bull: Sebastian Vettel vs Mark Webber

Sebastian VettelMark Webber
2012281 points179 points
2011392258
2010256242
20098469.5

F1’s longest-running driver partnership at the moment begins its fifth season this year.

Although Vettel has never failed to end a season in front of Webber, it has been close at times. After 11 rounds last year Webber was still ahead of his team mate in the standings. But he lost a glut of points in the second half of the year due to a combination of unreliability, misfortune and driver error.

Which Red Bull driver will finish ahead in the championship?

  • Mark Webber (11%)
  • Sebastian Vettel (89%)

Total Voters: 515

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Ferrari: Fernando Alonso vs Felipe Massa

Fernando AlonsoFelipe Massa
2012278122
2011257118
2010252144

Alonso’s margin of superiority over Massa in their three years as team mates so far has been emphatic and has widened year-on-year.

Despite rallying at the end of 2013 Massa ended the year with the worst points haul relative to his team mate of any driver on the grid.

Which Ferrari driver will finish ahead in the championship?

  • Felipe Massa (6%)
  • Fernando Alonso (94%)

Total Voters: 516

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McLaren: Jenson Button vs Sergio Perez

After three years McLaren’s ‘dream team’ of British world champion drivers has been broken up.

Lewis Hamilton finished ahead of Jenson Button in two of their seasons together and scored more wins (ten to eight), though Button accumulated more points (672 to 657).

Sergio Perez faces a considerably tougher team mate than Kamui Kobayashi, against whom his progress has been measured so far. And on top of that he has the added pressure of joining a top team.

Which McLaren driver will finish ahead in the championship?

  • Sergio Perez (20%)
  • Jenson Button (80%)

Total Voters: 514

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Lotus: Kimi Raikkonen vs Romain Grosjean

Kimi RaikkonenRomain Grosjean
201220796

Romain Grosjean kept pace with his more experienced team mate in the opening races of 2012. But the gap between them widened considerably after Grosjean became mired in a string of incidents.

If he can stay out of trouble this year the gap should be a lot closer.

However he has his work cut out to get close to the level of consistency Raikkonen achieved last year. The 2007 world champion just kept racking up the points, leaving Grosjean over 100 adrift.

Which Lotus driver will finish ahead in the championship?

  • Romain Grosjean (9%)
  • Kimi Raikkonen (91%)

Total Voters: 515

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Mercedes: Nico Rosberg vs Lewis Hamilton

The karting team mates of 2000 and 2001 have been reunited as Hamilton takes Michael Schumacher’s place at Mercedes for the 2013 season.

Hamilton had the upper hand over Rosberg in karts and he will surely be keen to assert his authority in his new team as soon as the season begins.

This will be toughest benchmark against which Rosberg has been measured in F1 so far. Inevitably a lot of attention will be focused on this line-up.

Which Mercedes driver will finish ahead in the championship?

  • Lewis Hamilton (79%)
  • Nico Rosberg (21%)

Total Voters: 518

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Sauber: Nico Hulkenberg vs Esteban Gutierrez

Sauber are one of three teams to have selected an all-new driver pairing this year.

Nico Hulkenberg’s experience should give him an edge over Esteban Gutierrez, who was quick but error-prone in GP2 last year.

However Sauber has proved an environment where young drivers have thrived in the past.

Which Sauber driver will finish ahead in the championship?

  • Esteban Gutierrez (5%)
  • Nico Hulkenberg (95%)

Total Voters: 508

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Force India: Paul di Resta vs Adrian Sutil

Paul di RestaAdrian Sutil
20112742

Although Di Resta and Sutil may not be the most exciting driver line-up F1 has ever seen, the battle for supremacy between them looks like it will be close.

Sutil had the beating of Di Resta the first time around in 2011. But he’s been on the sidelines since then while Di Resta has been accumulating experience, which should make for a hard-fought second round.

Which Force India driver will finish ahead in the championship?

  • Adrian Sutil (51%)
  • Paul di Resta (49%)

Total Voters: 511

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Williams: Pastor Maldonado vs Valtteri Bottas

Pastor Maldonado heads into his third year as an F1 driver with his third different team mate.

Rookie Valtteri Bottas has been with the team for several years and is highly regarded by them. But race-rustiness has to be a concern as he was out of action last year except for tests and practice session appearances.

Maldonado is clearly quick and capable of winning races. But if he makes as many mistakes as he did last year that could leave the door open for Bottas to put him under pressure.

Which Williams driver will finish ahead in the championship?

  • Valtteri Bottas (50%)
  • Pastor Maldonado (50%)

Total Voters: 508

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Toro Rosso: Jean-Eric Vergne vs Daniel Ricciardo

Jean-Eric VergneDaniel Ricciardo
20121610

Nowhere is the competition between team mates more keenly fought than at Toro Rosso, where the occupants of the two seats are vying for promotion to Red Bull.

Vergne beat Ricciardo on points last year, though some ill-timed car trouble for Ricciardo in Italy and Korea helped tip the balance. With a better car at their disposal this year we should get a better idea of the balance of power – and if either of them deserves to drive an RB10.

Which Toro Rosso driver will finish ahead in the championship?

  • Daniel Ricciardo (65%)
  • Jean-Eric Vergne (35%)

Total Voters: 497

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Caterham: Charles Pic vs Giedo van der Garde

Caterham’s new driver pairing may not have raced for the team before but they have previously been team mates.

Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde drove for the Addax team in GP2 in 2011. Pic showed the same qualifying flair that was much in evidence at Marussia last year, taking three pole positions.

He won twice and ended the year on 52 points, three ahead of his win-less team mate.

Now their paths have crossed again Pic’s year of experience in F1 should stand him in good stead.

Which Caterham driver will finish ahead in the championship?

  • Giedo van der Garde (16%)
  • Charles Pic (84%)

Total Voters: 491

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Marussia: Jules Bianchi vs Max Chilton

Marussia’s all-new, all-rookie squad are also graduates of GP2. Max Chilton was fourth in the series last year after winning twice in the last eight races.

Jules Bianchi did not enjoy the success that was expected of him in the category, finishing third in 2010 and 2011, so he switched to Formula Renault 3.5 last year. He came very close to winning the championship, missing out after a controversial collision in the final race.

Bianchi has ample F1 testing experience thanks to Ferrari and Force India, and was expected to make his F1 debut with the latter. Without a more experienced driver in the team this pair are facing a steep learning curve.

Which Marussia driver will finish ahead in the championship?

  • Max Chilton (13%)
  • Jules Bianchi (87%)

Total Voters: 499

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2013 F1 season preview

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Images © Ferrari spa/Ercole Colombo, Lotus/LAT, Williams/LAT, McLaren/Hoch Zwei, Mercedes/Hoch Zwei, Daimler/Hoch Zwei, Red Bull/Getty, Force India, Sauber, Caterham/LAT, Marussia

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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109 comments on “Who will win the battle of the team mates in 2013?”

  1. The most interesting one will surely be between Rosberg and Hamilton. For years everybody were talking, that he is among the best. Will be interesting to find it out.

    1. The most interesting one should be Force India. Both drivers are evenly matched in the poll. For every other team there seems to be 1 driver that seems to be far ahead of his teammate, according to f1fanatic readers.

    2. I think the closest one will be Sutil vs Di Resta… and ofc, and as always, the STR fellows.

      1. I agree with how the standings lie. I think most of the team mate battles will be one sided (with the F1 fanatic readers predicting the correct driver.) Then I think it will be close between Di resta and Sutil – as I feel they’re evenly paced. Bottas and Maldonado, is an interesting one as both are unknowns. Then Ricciardo and Vergne will probably be close due to the fact they’ll only get a handful of points

    3. I think it’s notable that the most dominant driver so far is, actually Hulkenburg O.o

    4. Rosberg and hamilton already were in the same team once. They were very closely matched back then. I assume they will still be. People utterly underestimate Rosberg, but his dominance over Schumacher should at least have been some indication. All the lame excuses from the Shumi fans aside.

  2. I’m surprised the Williams vote is currently split down the middle. I expect Pastor to handle Bottas easily. That’s not to say Bottas will be bad. I just think Pastor is extremely quick, has added consistency and knows the team. If Bottas DOES outpoint Maldonado then that’s either the end of Pastor or else Bottas will have shown something very special.

    1. I voted Bottas despite believing that Maldo is just as fast as him simply because I can’t get past the belief that Maldos headcase antics will continue and he will end up sabotaging himself.

    2. @bealzbob In the same poll last year Senna was chosen ahead of Maldonado by 72 to 28:

      Who will win the battle of the team mates in 2012?

      Though I think that was before everyone found out Senna was going to miss 90 minutes of most race weekends.

      1. Come on! You think given those 90 minutes, Senna would have bettered Maldonado?

        Just look at Maldonado’s form after Grosjean got his race-ban. He made no contact with anyone, kept his nose clean, was running in the front till his tyres got ruined quicker than others and Senna was nowhere near him.

        1. Come on! You think given those 90 minutes, Senna would have bettered Maldonado?

          I didn’t say that.

          My point was that had people known that was going to be the situation at Williams last year they might have voted differently.

        2. Fernando Cruz
          13th March 2013, 20:41

          Senna was near him sometimes (mainly in the latter stages of the season) and even overtook him in India. Most of the time he was far only because he didn’t qualify well, but in race pace they were evenly matched almost all year.

      2. I never thought that Bruno was any good, he was outpaced in every stint of his F1 career, last year was just another chapter of that, of course on a very tricky season, with a lot less practice, but well the telemetry doesn’t lie.

        1. Fernando Cruz
          14th March 2013, 15:11

          It was his first proper season and I’m sure he would do a lot better in a second season with Williams. More experience, better conditions (the same track time in practice), tyres with a wider performance range for qualifying and stability to work with the same team for a second year.

          I wish Williams could have raced with 3 cars this year. I remember BRM racing with 3 cars in 1973, otherwise Lauda’s career in F1 would be over after just a season with March, scoring 0 points while Peterson got a podium and a 4th place…

    3. Agreed, to me Maldonado is one of the fastest drivers on the grid. He reminds me a bit of Montoya in a way, is quicker than just about anyone else on his day but way to agressive most of the time. If he manages to iron that aggressiveness out, he could be right up there if the Williams proves to be fast enough. Not sure why everyone rates Bottas so high, I bet most of you don’t even follow GP3 and just support him because he’s not a pay driver. The difference between GP3 and F1 is big enough as it is and he didn’t even race for an entire year in 2012. I’m not convinced he’s got what it takes from the get-go, but I’d like to be surprised. Still, I don’t expect Maldonado to be beaten easily this year, he’s got a clean slate to start with and I’m sure Williams is expecting more points from him this time around. We’ll see, but my money’s on Pastor!

    4. I think its because we saw how inconsistent Maldonado was last year. If Bottas is as good as Williams think they are, its well possible he can beat Maldonado over the year.

    5. dodge5847 (@)
      13th March 2013, 17:56

      I have always has a soft spot for Williams, this is fast line up with potientally a fast, reliable car. I have high hopes for Bottas, shame to have lost senna, it was exciting to see another senna in a williams drive past me last year, but I think even with a further 90 mins each weekend, he was no Aryton. Who knows, one day I might be equally excited to see another Hill in the car, ie Josh Hill, lets hope he progesses well and finds some rich people to back him.

      1. Fernando Cruz
        13th March 2013, 20:35

        …”but I think even with a further 90 mins each weekend, he was no Aryton.”

        There was no way he could have a performance simlar to Ayrton, mainly after 10 years out of racing and another 3 without a proper development. So, he would lose to Maldonado even with a further 90 mins, but the gap would not be so big.

        Damon Hill was far from being like Ayrton Senna and look at what he did. Bruno could do the same with the same conditions (entering F1 at the right time, with a great car and a lot of testing).

    6. I also think Maldonado will handle Bottas easily. He’ll surprise many this year, I think, with consistent and fast drives.

      At least I hope so. I don’t really like him, but the guy’s really fast ! And it’s Williams :) I’d love them to be up there again.

      1. Maldonado may now have the blessing of the Pope!

        1. @rocky why?? what do you mean?

  3. I am very interested to see how the battle of the William’s drivers will turn out: they both appear to be very quick and may be very evenly matched, which is reflecting currently in the polls. I think William’s actually have one of the stronger line-ups this season.

    1. I completely agree. Maldonado showed some great form towards the end of last season, and if a team like Williams are holding a rookie in this sort of high-regard, he could well be special!

    2. I agree as well. Although, this battle will be less exciting for me if the car turns out to not be competitive against the rest of the field.

  4. Oups, voted Rosberg as it was the first name and there was a trend going on. Well, never mind. Maybe Nico will have a great year and Lewis’ nerves will let him down, who knows.

    1. @tango
      I did exactly the same!

    2. I think Rosberg inherits the red camera mount from Schumacher making him the team’s first driver. So I’m not sure what kind of ‘trend’ you are aiming at. Hamilton is not their lead driver as of now.

      1. It’s just which name is listed first on this page

      2. @roald : I was just referring to the fact that for the top 4 teams I had ticked the first name and I got a bit carried away. I guess it’s what happened to @Mads. Don’t look for controversy or argument where there is none. I couldn’t care less who is listed as first driver.

    3. I think people are writing Nico off too easily. I have always been a big fan of Nico, back to when he ripped through GP2. I think he’s very quick, but has never had a clear chance to show it. He’s strong in quali and can battle wheel to wheel as well.

      I think he will be strong, in fact I think he could be as strong a teamate as Lewis has ever had. To top that, Nico is an intelligent guy, he is technically adept, given his keen interest in engineering. ..he will be formidable and I dont think its a foregone conclusion.

      As a fan, I would like to see him come out tops. Hopefully the car is good enough to make the podium regularly.

      1. @jeymenon10

        I think he could be as strong a teamate as Lewis has ever had

        Given Lewis’ team-mates have included Alonso and Button that’s a very bold statement!

    4. Most of us certainly expect Hamilton do beat Rosberg (me included) @tango, but Rosberg himself thinks he stands a good chance. And he gives pretty convincing reasons:

      “Karting is pure, but in formula one, my other strengths come into play much more,” said Rosberg.
      “I always get the most from the setup; I am very consistent,” he said, raising the idea that Hamilton is more of an instinctive driver.

      Sure enough, Hamilton is super talented and can drive a car fast even if its not that great. But it does take away from finding the perfect setup, because he does not need setup as much as others (Button, Alonso, Rosberg?). So then when Rosberg is able to do a better job in setup (and his experience with the team should be a bonus there), he can well be able to beat Hamilton more often than expected.

  5. Keith, there’s a slight error, Sutil beat Di Resta in 2011, not the other way around.

    The top 4 teams are pretty much no-brainers. Mercedes will be interesting but I think Hamilton will take that one. Sauber will clearly go to Hulkenberg, and Force India will be close between the two but I think Di Resta will get some good points in early while Sutil gets back up to scratch. I think/hope Bottas will beat Maldonado, and Riccardo will beat Vergne. The bottom two teams should be pretty boring unless there’s another Singapore/Brazil. Pic and Bianchi should win their inter-team battles on pace.

    1. @craig-o Corrected the typo in the table.

  6. Vettel; Alonso; Button; Raikkonen; Rosberg; Hulkenberg; Sutil; Maldonado; Ricciardo; Pic; Bianchi.

    1. close to mine, except I picked Bottas, Vergne, accordingly. I feel Bottas could be stronger, not so sure about Vergne but I am willing to give him a chance. not sure about the Toro Rosso lineup anyway.
      The rest seems to be pretty predictable and the results in this pole reflect that.

  7. About the Force India guys, I dunno whether they’re equally strong or equally weak.

    1. equally mediocre?

      1. That’s what I’d call them. I voted for Paul Di Resta, though, since I consider him to at least have some potential for growth.

      2. Haha! Brilliant summation. I get the feeling from both Di Resta and Sutil in the lineup that this is team Heidfeld. Solid, unspectacular, good enough on their very best day for a surprise podium but nothing at all special.

        1. Heidfeld was actually one of the most consistent drivers.

  8. I’m surprised how clear cut this seems to be.. I wonder who the big surprises will be…
    I’d love to see Webber beat Vettel!

    1. @mw – at the moment though it’s looking unlikely, but I wish him all the best! Of the current pairings though, I’m 99% sure Vettel and Alonso will come up trumps – they are the only ones I am so certain of (and possibly Hulkenberg).

  9. My picks: Vettel, Alonso, Button (I think his experience and accustomistaion with the team will serve him in good stead), Räikkönen (I doubt Grosjean has levelled his head and besides, Kimi is very fast), Hamilton (I think outright speed will prevail here), Hulkenberg (he looks a champion in the making), Maldonado (if he’s calmed down, his speed and experience will shine through I think), Ricciardo (he looks better in qualifying and about on equal terms in the races if he meets his promise of more aggression, so I think the former point will give him the edge), Charles Pic (experience and a subtly impressive first season lead me to believe he’ll get the better of van der Garde) and last but not least Bianchi (he looks to be quite the racing driver, and is very quick on one lap which should compilement Marussia’s KERS nicely).

    1. Vettel : even if it would be nice to see Webber having the upper hand, I don’t see it
      Alonso : Would like Massa to continue how he ended 2012 and let’s have a close fight between them
      Button : Still not sure of Perez potential, could even be a mistake, let’s hope he doesn’t have a flop
      Grosjean : He can outqualify Kimi and has pace, now certainly the vote where I tried to find which team mate will create the surprise. Not sure I really see it happening …
      Hamilton : He knows how to qualify and got pace, a new start will probably be good for him
      Hulkenberg : No doubt on this one, he should be the one at McLaren instead of Perez, but the season will tell
      Bottas : He showed great speed without having full allocated time which is quite promising.
      Vergne : I shouldn’t have vote for any of STR driver as it’s really 50/50 for me, went for Vergne purely on feeling
      Pic : Has more experience and show last year he was worth a drive against Glock
      Bianchi : No doubt he will be ahead of Chilton, one is very promising while the other still have to prove he has his place…

      1. Missed Di Resta : I’m not convinced by the return of Sutil, he looks like a known force without any real potential but point scorer.

      2. @jeanrien

        Hulkenberg : No doubt on this one, he should be the one at McLaren instead of Perez, but the season will tell

        No he shouldn’t. People really need to get off the Hulkenberg bandwagon.

        1. @kingshark – why? He seems genuinely quick, and I am almost entirely confident he will land a top seat sooner rather than later.

        2. @kingshark Since Perez was signed at McLaren, Perez didn’t impress at all and almost fall back to anonimous while Hulkenberg was getting stronger and stronger. Now we often say a driver is as good as his last race …

          1. @jeanrien
            @vettel1
            Perez is 3 years younger than Hulkenberg, and has already achieved more in his more tender career.

          2. @kingshark – that is meaningless by your own defintion: if you say that, then obviously Vettel is significantly better than Alonso.

        3. Hulkenberg proved FAR more consistent throughout the season, got involved in significantly less incidents and has a pole position next to his name. Perez got onto the podium 3 times last year and beat Hulkenberg by ONLY 3 points.. who was in the lesser car.

        4. Yes he should have. Perez is hugely overrated. much like Kobayashi. They had their occasions where they performed well, but mostly because in those exceptions they were on the better tyres at the time.

          Kobayashi and Perez would often put on a fresh pair of tyres at the end of the race and go on a rampage through the field because their tyres were 3 secs a lap faster than the people they were driving past.

          1. @vettel1
            Apart from the fact that Alonso, at the age of 25, in 2006, was at least as good as Vettel is today.

            All the people who are claiming Hulkenberg is more consistent, has the age difference ever occurred to you?
            Sergio Perez, at the age of 22 outshines and outscores his teammate Kobayashi.

            Hulkenberg, at the age of 22, was getting whooped by Barrichello, who scored twice as many points as him.

          2. @kingshark

            Apart from the fact that Alonso, at the age of 25, in 2006, was at least as good as Vettel is today.

            That’s an ambiguous claim at best.

            I am just highlighting the fact you have blatantly ignored that the Sauber was a faster car than the Force India and so naturally Perez will have achieved more. That is not to say he hasn’t done well for himself, but the context is most definitely needed.

            As for the consistency argument, Perez scored in 7 races last season, Hulkenberg did so 11 times. So yes, Hulkenberg is more consistent and showed in Brazil he is very fast also.

          3. @vettel1

            That’s an ambiguous claim at best.

            How so? In 2006, Fernando Alonso did not lose a single point due driving error; and beat Michael Schumacher on merit alone with an equal car, and equal luck.

            I am just highlighting the fact you have blatantly ignored that the Sauber was a faster car than the Force India and so naturally Perez will have achieved more. That is not to say he hasn’t done well for himself, but the context is most definitely needed.

            Hulkenberg threw an easy podium, if not a victory away in Brazil due his crash with Hamilton. If he hadn’t spun into the McLaren, he certainly would’ve won that race, given his pace in the wet. He choked when a golden opportunity was presented to him.

            Whenever Perez was given a chance for a podium, he took it with both hands. Malaysia, ran slightly wide but still finished second. In Montreal and Monza, he maturely brought his car to the finish.

            As for the consistency argument, Perez scored in 7 races last season, Hulkenberg did so 11 times. So yes, Hulkenberg is more consistent and showed in Brazil he is very fast also.

            Regarding your consistency argument, you are ignoring the age difference far more than I am ignoring the car difference.

            As for Brazil, see above.

          4. @kingshark – I’m just making it clear age is often of less value than experience. They had both raced in two season by the end of last year, and Hulkenberg trumped Perez in the consistency rankings.

            That’s an ambiguous claim at best.

            How so?

            There is no evidence to suggest Alonso was any faster or any more consistent in 2006 than Vettel was in 2011 for example. You simply can’t state that as fact – there is not a measurable factor in that statement. I could just simply say the opposite and it would be as just a claim as you are making…

    2. @jeanrien – Inetersting decision with regards to the Lotus line-up, so I guess we’ll see how that pans out. I think the fact you forgot the Force India line-up says it all – it’s a rather uninspiring and forgettable one!

      1. @vettel1 I don’t think Toro Rosso and Force India will be more entertaining than Caterham and Marussia this year, I even think we could have interesting battles between Pic and Bianchi (which of course won’t be aired)

        The surprising results so far are for Button and Hamilton, I was expecting the same sort of contrast we see with other lead drivers. While Hamilton is probably due to people clicking the first pick (Rosberg), it seems Perez is quite popular (or Button unpopular).

        1. @jeanrien – I could understand why somebody may have voted for Perez, but for the reasons I’ve discussed above I think it’s probably not going to materialise.

          STR’s and FI’s battles will be close no doubt, but it’s a bit like saying a race between a tortoise and a snail would be close – it is, but it’s not exactly enthralling. That said, I think Di Resta is due more credit than he gets from some but less that what Brundle dishes out.

          1. @vettel-1

            There is no evidence to suggest Alonso was any faster or any more consistent in 2006 than Vettel was in 2011 for example.

            I didn’t say that. I said ’06 Fernando was equally good to ’11 Sebastian.

          2. @kingshark – fair enough, but the point still stands: Vettel has achieved more at a younger age, which you are using to argue against Hulkenberg. I think that’s demanding a double standard.

      2. OK, I can see my own double standard now. However, let me revise my post so it makes more sense. Perez has became a better driver than Hulkenberg at a younger age.

        1. @vettel1 (I keep forgetting to utter the mention!)

        2. @kingshark – I’ll not argue against that for now as only time will tell!

  10. After 11 rounds last year Webber was still ahead of his team mate in the standings

    He was ahead of him after 18 rounds in 2010. But when you drill down into the results he was ahead in both cases for the same reason – Vettel suffering mechanical problems. And all the teammate battles for 2013 may also be influenced by car reliability. That being said –

    Vettel, Alonso, Button, Raikkonen, Hamilton, Hulkenberg, Sutil, Maldonado, Ricciardo, Pic, Bianchi.

    Hamilton-Rosberg and Button-Perez have the most potential for a past champion being upset. They should be the most interesting intra-team battles.

  11. I am surprised JEV is getting almost 31% votes! I think RIC will easily get the better of him in 2013. This is because the lack of 12th team affects Toro Rosso more than other teams. Earlier in Q1, only one of their drivers would be eliminated giving that driver an extra fresh set of tyres. This is how JEV got the better of RIC early on in the season, by virtue of a bad qualifying.

    But with just 11 teams, only 6 drivers will exit Q1. So that would leave JEV and RIC in the same boat (given that they would most likely be the last of the established teams). On an equal footing, raw speed of RIC should give him the upper hand.

    1. If there are 6 drivers dropping out, the best 16 in stead of the best 17 will go to the next round. So, that leaves another midfield driver at Q1.

      OT, I’d say Vettel, Alonso, Button and Raikkonen. Any other result would be a major surprise in my opinion. Hamilton will have the upper hand over Rosberg but only by a tiny margin. I’d rate Rosberg a bit like Button in that respect. Hülkenberg is also a certainty. Di Resta may beat Sutil, though both drivers will be unimpressive. Maldonado will win the battle versus Bottas, I think his experience will actually pay off this time in results. Bottas is still a rookie and needs time to adjust. Ricciardo and Vergne will probably be about some peak results. The car is usually not enough for points so an above average result is needed to score. Both won’t be impressive but I think Ricciardo has the edge over his team mate. In terms of championship standings the previous is especially true for Caterham and Marussia as was shown in Brazil. Still, I think Bianchi is better than Chilton and I voted Van der Garde just for the sake of it. I don’t expect him to underperform compared to Pic.

      1. Last year it was the 6 bottom cars (3 teams) + 1 car eliminated. This year its the bottom 4 cars (2 teams) + 2 cars eliminated.

        Although who knows, if one of the teams actually develops some good aero parts they might jump into the mix? My money is on marussia to pull it out the bag later on.

  12. I voted for Bianchi, but I’m surprised the vote at Marussia is so one-sided!

    1. dodge5847 (@)
      13th March 2013, 17:52

      As a Brit, I would have loved to have voted for Chilton, but I think Bianchi is hands down better, and deserving of a drive, I hope that Marussia can pull something out of the bag this year, they are far more interesting than Caterham this year and Toro Rosso.

    2. Since both Catreham and Marussia under normal circumstances won’t score points, its difficult to call the Team mates battle in that Team..
      Bianchi can consistently finish 15th-16th every race and still finished behind Chilton with 18 Dnf and 1 14th place somewhere

  13. Red Bull – Sebastian Vettel
    Ferrari – Fernando Alonso
    McLaren – Jenson Button
    Lotus – Kimi Raikkonen
    Mercedes – Lewis Hamilton
    Sauber – Nico Hulkenberg
    Force India – Paul Di Resta
    Williams – Valterri Bottas
    Torro Rosso – Daniel Ricciardo
    Caterham – Charles Pic
    Marussia – Jules Bianchi

  14. Seb, Alonso, Perez, Kimi, Lewis, Hulk, Bottas, Sutil, Ricciardio, Pic, Bianchi..

  15. Red Bull – Sebastian Vettel
    Ferrari – Fernando Alonso
    McLaren – Sergio Perez
    Lotus – Kimi Raikkonen
    Mercedes – Lewis Hamilton
    Sauber – Nico Hulkenberg
    Force India – Adrian Sutil
    Williams – Pastor Maldonado
    Torro Rosso – Jean-Eric Vergne
    Caterham – Charles Pic
    Marussia – Jules Bianchi

    1. petebaldwin (@)
      13th March 2013, 20:59

      Exactly the same as my predictions. I’m surprised to see so many go for Button over Perez! I’d put good money on Perez comfortably beating Button this year.

      1. petebaldwin (@)
        13th March 2013, 21:01

        Correction – no it isn’t. I reckon Ricciardo will beat Vergne!

      2. Comfortably? Perez has potential but he is a young driver at a new team (a team with high expectations) with quite a bit more to prove. Button, on the other hand, benefits from experience, familiarity with the team, a strong voice in the development process, and (let’s not forget) he is a world champion.

        I like Perez and the move to bring him to McLaren. However, I have a hard time envisioning Perez “comfortably” defeating his teammate. It’s possible – just not probable.

  16. its sad really that the Hamilton effect has eclipsed the Mercedes team, seems that just because he is at the team everybody has forgot about rosbergs talent. i just hope that the rivalry between the Mercedes team mates will mirror the senna/prost years, both team mates only happy if they beat the other

    1. I’m sure everyone in Mercedes is quite pleased if it doesn’t mirror Senna/Prost rivalry. You just have to take a look at Alonso/Hamilton to realize that there’s no way they’d want that. Although they might be wishing it somewhat subconsciously, while actually hoping that their paring is as strong as Senna/Prost or Alonso/Hamilton.

      I think they’d be perfectly happy if they had one driver who is able to extract maximum out of the car at every weekend.

    2. Were well aware of Rosbergs talent , he beat a old 40 plus legend no where near his prime.WOW

  17. Vettel; Alonso; Button; Grosjean; Rosberg; Hulkenberg; Sutil; Maldonado; Ricciardo; van der Garde; Bianchi (People might call me crazy for Grosjean, Rosberg and van der Garde).

  18. I’m surprised of the PER votes… I feel him and KOB were both relatively equal last year except PER seems to have better luck with his tires in last years’ car and therefore got two more podiums. I truly don’t feel that PER belongs at McLaren nor does KOB belong to not drive in F1.

    Meaning that BUT should handle him quite easily provided car reliability.

    1. Just for the sake of argument, How do you get lucky with tire management. Kamui got the short end of the stick with Sauber pit stop strategies in 2012 and I believe he deserves to be in F1; however, Perez managed those first long stints pretty well, not locking or sliding to much without loosing time, then would get the softs to be very fast towards the end of the races. strategy not luck, talent? possibly.
      Do you think that Hulk should have gotten Mclarens ride? everybody here seems to think so dunno why though. In Brazil he was brilliant but thats about it.

      1. David not Coulthard (@)
        14th March 2013, 9:31

        His 2-at-once overtake at Korea was also brilliant.

  19. Who voted Gutirrez ?????

    1. Me! If we get two or three races under the rain with these crazy weather ( global warming?) we are having across the globe, He will shine. In BMW USA , GP3 and GP2, everytime there was rain, he would pass drivers left and right. And then that Bahrain pass last year was magnificent.

  20. Vettel: I’d like to see Mark beat him, but Webber has problems stringing together a consistently strong season. 2010 was the best season of his career in that respect, and even with Vettel dropping a boatload of points due to reliability, it wasn’t enough.
    Alonso: Massa should have the raw pace to put up a challenge to Alonso, but I doubt he will have either the self belief or the support from the team to do it.
    Button: so far the result of the poll is quite one-sided in favour of Button, but I think this will be close in points. Last year may have taken some shine off his image, but when he’s not struggling with tyres and set-up, he’s a very strong operator.
    Grosjean: this is my first ‘hope’ vote. Currently 91% of the votes are on Kimi, but I think Romain can also do a strong season, especially if he keeps his nose clean the first couple of races. With Kimi, I’m never convinced he wants to win as badly as the other 21 blokes out there.
    Hamilton: although I hope and expect Hamilton to come out on top in this team mate battle, I think this could be close. So far, Rosberg has shown plenty of promise in his career, and there is nothing to suggest he couldn’t be a world champion one day.
    Hulkenberg: it’s quite possible Nico has been hyped up too much after his strong end to 2012, but he should still be able to get the better of his rookie team mate, who has struggled for consistency in his GP2 career.
    Sutil: there’s probably little to choose between Adrian and Paul, but I have a feeling Sutil will have a slight edge in the races.
    Ricciardo: JEV thinks he will qualify better on the 2013 tyres, but I still hope Daniel will get the better of him.
    Van der Garde: Pic came out on top when they were team mates in 2011, but it was by no means a one-sided affair. For much of that season, Van der Garde was the nearest challenger to Grosjean, though in the final two weekends everything went horribly wrong for Guido (partly his own fault).
    Bianchi: there’s quite a lot of hype surrounding Jules at the moment, though when I looked up his GP2 record recently I saw it was good but not great (some podiums and 1 win). Still, I also think he’s faster than Chilton.

    1. Im curious to know why you believe Mark has all the support he needs at Red bull…its Vettel (& Uncle Marko) vs Webber so I consider that a worthy disadvantage :)

      1. @me262 – That’s not even relevant. Webber has lost to Vettel in every year that Vettel has driven a full season in F1. Webber is still a good driver though.

        1. @david-a

          Webber is still a good driver though

          ‘not bad for a number 2 driver’ I voted for Vettel to beat him this year too :) ‘Vettel is fast…’

      2. @me262, I believe Webber gets the same material and treatment that Vettel does. If not, I think Webber would be the first to let us know. Marko is a troll and I don’t think Webber is losing any sleep over his comments. Unfortunately, Mark has proved his own worst enemy on too many occasions. He fluffs too many of his starts, and often gets stuck in traffic when Vettel does not (Spa 2012 springs to mind).

        Btw, I forgot Bottas: Maldonado may intend to keep his nose clean, but I think from time to time the red mist will still descend and on those days the cool Finn will collect the points. Or so I predict.

  21. Toro Rosso pair is the only one where I didn’t vote because, when it came to it, I realized I have no clue what to think of either of them. Even to roughly pick one driver. Only time they attracted my attention was when they were being flamed/praised for letting Vettel through.
    I guess it say a lot about both the team and the drivers, when you have no opinion, even though I didn’t miss a race and I’ve been reading F1 news each day.

  22. So,

    The obvious ones: Vettel, Alonso, Raikkonen, Hulkenberg, Pic, Bianchi. No chance in hell for something to happen differently here.

    The obvious ones that I hope will prove to be not so obvious: Button (but I hope Perez will give him a hard time), Hamilton (but again, here’s hoping Rosberg will rise up to the challenge, just for the fun of it)

    The VERY interesting ones: Maldonado / Bottas (chose Maldonado, but it should be VERY close), Sutil / Di Resta (chose Sutil, and I truly believe he will edge Di Resta out by some points and by the best classification in a race as well), Ricciardo / Vergne (chose Ricciardo simply because he’s a better qualifier than Vergne and at least in theory that should give him a slight advantage)

    So, basically, for me there are at least three and at most five teams worth keeping an eye on, from the team-mate-battle perspective. And I took the liberty of rating them according to my personal interest: Williams, McLaren, Mercedes, Force India, Torro Rosso.

  23. Red Bull: Vettel is defending 3x world champion and has beaten Webber in all 4 years together, no reason why that would change with the rules pretty much staying the same this year.
    Ferrari: Massa has never looked like beating Alonso on points in their 3 years together so far, I will be very surprised if this changes.
    McLaren: I reckon this will be a lot closer than most people think it will be and I tip Perez to just outscore Button in his first year at a top team.
    Lotus: I think Grosjean will be better this year but Raikkonen was very consistent last year so will probably be this year too.
    Mercedes: Like McLaren, this will be closer than expected but in the end Hamilton will score just a little bit more than Rosberg.
    Sauber: Hulkenberg should have little trouble in getting the upper hand over his new rookie teammate Gutierrez.
    Force India: Sutil has had a year of no racing whilst Di Resta has improved since they were last together in 2011, so it will probably be the Scot who prevails in the end.
    Williams: Bottas will do well in his first year in F1 but Maldonado is one of the quickest drivers on the grid and will be too strong for the Finn.
    Toro Rosso: I think Ricciardo will beat Vergne this year by a decent margin.
    Caterham: Pic has one year of racing in F1 under his belt and this will prove decisive against Van der Garde.
    Marussia: Bianchi will comfortably have the upper hand against Chilton.

  24. A few interesting battles, but I think Force India, Williams and Torro Rosso will be the closest. Force India have two solid drivers, but I think Sutil’s experience will win out over a season, just. I think Maldonado is quick and will beat Bottas IF, and it’s a big if, he can drive consistently, otherwise I tip Bottas to win. Can’t call Torro Rosso, not convinced by either driver to be fair.

    1. By contrast, I expect Ferrari, McLaren and Sauber to be very one-sided. All three of those teams have a clear lead driver. The others have a driver who should win the battle, but it could swing either way.

  25. Force India and Williams will be interesting…
    But maybe Rosberg or Perez’ will surprise us.

  26. Did anyone else get to the battle of the Toro Rossos and then even lower; the battle of the pay drivers – and just think “sheesh, who cares?”

    The only driver I am excited about this year is Bottas. To a lesser extent of course, Kimi. The only battle I am interested in truthfully is Nico v. Hamilton – because I rate Nico VERY highly, and Lew might be a bit distracted with all of his new freedoms (going out on a limb here).

    1. LOL @ Hamilton’s new found freedom so now lewis can tweet rosbergs telemetry and not get an ass ripping

  27. Come on Rbull change driver so Vet is challenged more. Mark Webber is way two inconsistent , no doubt he will win a classic then go on his customary invisible streak , the guy drives a fast car for 3 years and he has won less than Ham and Button in last 3 seasons.

  28. Rbr – vettel
    Ferrari – alonso
    Mclaren – perez
    Lotus – grojean
    Mercedes – hamilton
    Sauber – hulkenberg
    Fi – sutil
    Williams – bottas
    Tr- ricciardo
    Caterham – pic
    Marussia – bianchi

    Heres to hoping anyway.

  29. Red Bull – Vettel
    Ferrari – Alonso
    Mclaren – Button
    Lotus – Raikkonen
    Mercedes – Hamilton
    Sauber – Hulkenberg
    Force India – Di Resta
    Williams – Bottas
    STR – Ricciardo
    Caterham – Pic
    Marussia – Chilton

    I think Chilton won’t do as badly as everyone says and may have the fortune of getting a lucky highest finish.

  30. Between the Marussia and Caterham drivers, everything can change in one mad race so there’s no point in predicting it. But I’m surprised at the confidence people have in Ricciardo and #BOTTAS (Great, now I’m subconsciously typing his name as a hashtag). I reckon Vergne is better on race day and if he can get his qualifying sorted he could comfortably beat Ricciardo. Also, Maldonado is seriously quick, and last year he showed an ability to learn from mistakes. #BOTTAS will have to adapt, endure the rookie mistakes, and he will have to be extraordinary to beat Pastor this season.

  31. LoreMipsumdOtmElor
    14th March 2013, 8:10

    Wow, I’m completely alone with my predictions^^

    Webber; Alonso; Button; Grosjean; Hamilton; Gutierrez; di Resta; Maldonado, don’t care; don’t care; don’t care

  32. Really looking forward to the fight between nico and lewis in china. both seem to be good on that track, would be great to see who comes out on top.

  33. I seem to have picked the same as most of the readers of the site, judging from the current poll results.

    I think the closest will be Force India but Sutil will edge it.

    Toro Rosso will also be close but I chose Ricciardo to finish ahead in the championship.

    As long as Maldonado can cut out all the silly mistakes he should come out on top at Williams but I think Bottas will impress.

    At Mercedes I think Hamilton should finish ahead but I don’t think it will be a big margin like some may be expecting.

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