When was the last time a driver rated as highly as Daniel Ricciardo joined a team and under-performed as unexpectedly as he did?
Team mates head-to-head articles archive
Every Formula 1 driver knows only one of their rivals has exactly the same car that they do. Team mates need to work together to move their team forward – but each driver knows that it’s essential for their standing in the paddock to put up a competitive showing against their rival in the other garage.
We pit each pair of drivers head-to-head in this series of articles to judge who holds the upper hand in every team based on their performances in qualifying and races.
Ocon pips Alonso in close fight swung by Alpine unreliability
2022 F1 team mate battles: Ocon vs Alonso
Posted onThere was little to separate the Alpine pair again in 2022, but one driver suffered more from unreliability than the other.
Stroll falls further behind Vettel in their second and last year together
2022 F1 team mate battles: Stroll vs Vettel
Posted onIn his second year as Sebastian Vettel’s team mate, Lance Stroll contributed a smaller share of his team’s points.
Verstappen’s impressive fightback ensures Perez’s early promise is short-lived
2022 F1 team mate battles: Verstappen vs Perez
Posted onSergio Perez looked a bigger challenger to Max Verstappen over the opening races of the season – but then the world champion clicked with Red Bull’s latest chassis.
Schumacher fails to distinguish himself after unexpected change of team mate
2022 F1 team mate battles
Posted onDo Mick Schumacher’s performance alongside his team mate show Haas were right to replace him at the end of 2022?
Tsunoda fares better against departing Gasly in second season of F1
2022 F1 team mate battles: Gasly vs Tsunoda
Posted onYuki Tsunoda was closer to Pierre Gasly’s pace this year than in his debut season, but also compromised his team mate more than once.
Bottas is team’s top scorer but Zhou makes case for a second season
2022 F1 team mate battles: Bottas vs Zhou
Posted onZhou Guanyu was out-scored by team mate Valtteri Bottas but his form over the season showed why Alfa Romeo kept him on for another year.
Did Russell deserve to out-score Hamilton? Perhaps not – but it was close
2022 F1 team mate battles: Hamilton vs Russell
Posted onGeorge Russell beat Lewis Hamilton by 25 points in their first season as team mates, but is that a fair reflection of how well the pair drove?
Leclerc asserts his supremacy but Sainz’s improving form should concern him
2022 F1 team mate battles: Leclerc vs Sainz
Posted onHaving been out-scored by his team mate last year, Charles Leclerc led the way in 2022, but Carlos Sainz Jnr raised his game as the season went on.
Ricciardo’s Monza victory softens his decisive defeat by Norris
2021 team mate battles: Norris vs Ricciardo
Posted onLando Norris comfortably beat team mate Daniel Ricciardo over the 2021 season but the newcomer Ricciardo scored the team’s best result of the year.
Improving Sainz pips Leclerc at end of first season together at Ferrari
2021 team mate battles: Leclerc vs Sainz Jnr
Posted onCharles Leclerc was the more consistent Ferrari driver in 2021, but Carlos Sainz Jnr proved he was more than a match for his new team mate.
Alonso narrowly beats Ocon in the closest team mate duel of the year
2021 team mate battles: Ocon vs Alonso
Posted onFernando Alonso outscored team mate Esteban Ocon in his return to F1 – but it was a closer battle than many predicted.
Tsunoda realises potential with fourth in finale after season behind Gasly
2021 team mate battles: Gasly vs Tsunoda
Posted onPierre Gasly led the way at AlphaTauri for much of the season but his rookie team mate Yuki Tsunoda came good in the final race weekend.
Russell enjoys third straight season on top at Williams before taking Hamilton on
2021 team mate battles: Russell vs Latifi
Posted onMercedes-bound George Russell had the measure of his team mate again, but Nicholas Latifi’s season had its moments.
Bottas concludes his Mercedes chapter in Hamilton’s shadow
2021 team mate battles: Hamilton vs Bottas
Posted onValtteri Bottas’s final season with Mercedes proved to be his worst in comparison to Lewis Hamilton. But it was enough to take the constructors’ title.
Verstappen emphatically beat his latest team mate in title-winning year
2021 F1 team mate battles: Verstappen vs Perez
Posted onMax Verstappen dominated his latest Red Bull team mate, but Sergio Perez played a crucial role in his championship success.
F1 team mate battles at mid-season: Norris vs Ricciardo
2021 F1 season
Posted onWhile Lando Norris is flying, Daniel Ricciardo’s struggle at McLaren has been the biggest surprise of 2021 so far.
F1 team mate battles at mid-season: Alonso vs Ocon
2021 F1 season
Posted onEsteban Ocon’s surprise Hungarian Grand Prix win moved him one point ahead of Fernando Alonso, but does he really hold the upper hand at Alpine?
F1 team mate battles at mid-season: Stroll vs Vettel
2021 F1 season
Posted onAston Martin may be blaming their seventh place in the championship on 700ml of missing fuel, but their drivers have also missed points-scoring chances.
F1 team mate battles at mid-season: Gasly vs Tsunoda
2021 F1 season
Posted onIt should come as no surprise that the only rookie driver up against an experienced team mate has the lowest share of any team’s score.