Although Max Verstappen stole the headlines for winning the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it was also the weekend Alex Albon out-qualified Williams team-mate Logan Sargeant yet again.
It meant the 27-year-old finished the F1 season as the only driver to have out-qualified their team-mate for every race in 2023.
Sargeant struggled in his rookie campaign with Albon always proving superior, but other driver pairings were much closer. So how did each driver compare to their team-mate in the 2023 F1 season?
Red Bull - Max Verstappen vs Sergio Perez
|
Category |
Max Verstappen |
Sergio Perez |
|
Championship standings |
1st (575 points) |
2nd (285 points) |
|
Grand prix results head-to-head |
20 |
2 |
|
Qualifying head-to-head |
20 |
2 |
|
Grand prix wins |
19 |
2 |
|
Pole positions |
12 |
2 |
|
Podiums |
21 |
9 |
|
Best finish |
1st (x19) |
1st (x2) |
|
Retirements |
0 |
2 |
|
Fastest laps |
9 |
2 |
|
Grand prix points finishes |
22 |
19 |
|
Sprint results head-to-head |
5 |
1 |
|
Sprint race wins |
4 |
1 |
|
Sprint shootout head-to-head |
5 |
1 |
|
Sprint race podiums |
6 |
3 |
Arguably one of the most one-sided pairings in 2023 was Red Bull, as Verstappen proved too much for Sergio Perez. The triple world champion clinched the title with six grands prix to spare and set many records in doing so.
One record was for the biggest points gap to second in the championship, with the margin bigger than the total points Perez amassed across 2023. While Verstappen was consistently claiming the race wins, Perez often struggled for a podium finish despite Red Bull’s superiority over the rest of the grid.
Perez did start the season pretty well though with two victories in the opening four races, as well as second in Bahrain. But from Miami onwards, Verstappen took it to another level leaving Perez to struggle and doubts to linger over his Red Bull future. The pressure is on the Mexican to improve significantly in 2024, which is the final year of his contract.
Mercedes - Lewis Hamilton vs George Russell
|
Category |
Lewis Hamilton |
George Russell |
|
Championship standings |
3rd (234 points) |
8th (175 points) |
|
Grand prix results head-to-head |
15 |
7 |
|
Qualifying head-to-head |
11 |
11 |
|
Grand prix wins |
0 |
0 |
|
Pole positions |
1 |
0 |
|
Podiums |
6 |
2 |
|
Best finish |
2nd (x3) |
3rd (x2) |
|
Retirements |
2 (includes 1 DSQ) |
4 |
|
Fastest laps |
4 |
1 |
|
Grand prix points finishes |
20 |
17 |
|
Sprint results head-to-head |
2 |
4 |
|
Sprint race wins |
0 |
0 |
|
Sprint shootout head-to-head |
2 |
4 |
|
Sprint race podiums |
1 |
0 |
Lewis Hamilton bounced back from a disappointing 2022 where George Russell, in his first season at Mercedes, beat him in the standings and became the third team-mate of the seven-time world champion - after Jenson Button (2011) and Nico Rosberg (2016) - to do so.
But the roles reversed in 2023 and Russell said “this year the drivers’ championship has just been a complete disaster”. Hamilton, meanwhile, was one of F1’s best, being the highest-placed driver behind Red Bull’s pair in the standings with a pole position in Hungary his standout result.
Nevertheless, on the whole it has been a disappointing season for Mercedes who failed to claim a race victory for the first time since 2011. Much work is to be done if they are to improve on their second-place finish from 2023 and become world champions once again.
Crucial to that target is the drivers, who remain committed to the project having recently signed new contracts. Hamilton and Russell have a good relationship with much respect between the two, despite their collision in Qatar where the 38-year-old retired on lap one after turning in on his team-mate at the opening corner.
Ferrari - Charles Leclerc vs Carlos Sainz
|
Category |
Charles Leclerc |
Carlos Sainz |
|
Championship standings |
5th (206 points) |
7th (200 points) |
|
Grand prix results head-to-head |
12 |
10 |
|
Qualifying head-to-head |
15 |
7 |
|
Grand prix wins |
0 |
1 |
|
Pole positions |
5 |
2 |
|
Podiums |
6 |
2 |
|
Best finish |
2nd (x3) |
1st (x1) |
|
Retirements |
5 (includes 1 DNS and 1 DSQ) |
3 (includes 1 DNS) |
|
Fastest laps |
0 |
0 |
|
Grand prix points finishes |
16 |
18 |
|
Sprint results head-to-head |
3 |
3 |
|
Sprint race wins |
0 |
0 |
|
Sprint shootout head-to-head |
3 |
3 |
|
Sprint race podiums |
2 |
1 |
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have been team-mates for three seasons now, yet it’s always close between the two. 2023 was a clear example of that as just six points separated both drivers in the championship going in the favour of Leclerc, but Sainz might be the happier one as it’s him who got the race victory.
Meanwhile, Leclerc often has the upper hand in qualifying, winning that battle 15-7 - including five pole positions compared to Sainz’s two. Things might be tight, yet 2023 was not their closest statistically as Sainz beat Leclerc in the 2021 championship by just five and a half points.
McLaren - Lando Norris vs Oscar Piastri
|
Category |
Lando Norris |
Oscar Piastri |
|
Championship standings |
6th (205 points) |
9th (97 points) |
|
Grand prix results head-to-head |
17 |
5 |
|
Qualifying head-to-head |
15 |
7 |
|
Grand prix wins |
0 |
0 |
|
Pole positions |
0 |
0 |
|
Podiums |
7 |
2 |
|
Best finish |
2nd (x6) |
2nd (x1) |
|
Retirements |
1 |
3 |
|
Fastest laps |
1 |
2 |
|
Grand prix points finishes |
16 |
12 |
|
Sprint results head-to-head |
4 |
2 |
|
Sprint race wins |
0 |
1 |
|
Sprint shootout head-to-head |
5 |
1 |
|
Sprint race podiums |
2 |
2 |
Lando Norris comfortably beat former team-mate Daniel Ricciardo in the championship for two consecutive years, so McLaren wanted closer competition in 2023. Oscar Piastri gave it exactly that as he impressed in his rookie season which earned the 22-year-old a new contract that expires in 2026.
While the head-to-heads ended at 17-5 and 15-7 to Norris in the grand prix and qualifying battles respectively, much of that was at the beginning of the year when Piastri was still trying to adapt to F1. Once he did, things were much closer.
Piastri out-qualified Norris in five of the 10 grands prix after the summer break, which included a victory in the Qatar GP sprint race, while a win of any kind in F1 still eludes the Briton.
Aston Martin - Fernando Alonso vs Lance Stroll
|
Category |
Fernando Alonso |
Lance Stroll |
|
Championship standings |
4th (206 points) |
10th (74 points) |
|
Grand prix results head-to-head |
18 |
4 |
|
Qualifying head-to-head |
19 |
3 |
|
Grand prix wins |
0 |
0 |
|
Pole positions |
0 |
0 |
|
Podiums |
8 |
0 |
|
Best finish |
2nd (x3) |
4th (x1) |
|
Retirements |
2 |
3 |
|
Fastest laps |
1 |
0 |
|
Grand prix points finishes |
19 |
12 |
|
Sprint results head-to-head |
4 |
2 |
|
Sprint race wins |
0 |
0 |
|
Sprint shootout head-to-head |
5 |
1 |
|
Sprint race podiums |
0 |
0 |
Aston Martin was a much-improved team in 2023 as they jumped up to fifth in the championship after finishing seventh in 2022. This included eight podiums and three front-row starts, yet that was all done by Fernando Alonso who dominated team-mate Lance Stroll.
While Alonso was often fighting for podium positions, Stroll was in the midfield, with the Canadian only achieving three top-five finishes - two of which came in the final three grands prix. But his seat is still secure for 2024 where he will hope to close the gap on Alonso.
Aston Martin also need to ensure its results remain consistent throughout a season. Its form tailed off towards the end of 2023 as six of Alonso’s podiums came in the opening eight grands prix, which left Aston Martin third in the constructors’ championship until they fell behind Ferrari and McLaren in the final 14 rounds.
Alpine - Pierre Gasly vs Esteban Ocon
|
Category |
Pierre Gasly |
Esteban Ocon |
|
Championship standings |
11th (62 points) |
12th (58 points) |
|
Grand prix results head-to-head |
11 |
11 |
|
Qualifying head-to-head |
14 |
8 |
|
Grand prix wins |
0 |
0 |
|
Pole positions |
0 |
0 |
|
Podiums |
1 |
1 |
|
Best finish |
3rd (x1) |
3rd (x1) |
|
Retirements |
3 |
7 |
|
Fastest laps |
0 |
0 |
|
Grand prix points finishes |
11 |
12 |
|
Sprint results head-to-head |
5 |
1 |
|
Sprint race wins |
0 |
0 |
|
Sprint shootout head-to-head |
3 |
3 |
|
Sprint race podiums |
1 |
0 |
There was very little to separate the Alpine team-mates in Pierre Gasly’s first season with the team, but Esteban Ocon could blame that on misfortune. He retired more times than any other F1 driver in 2023, much of which was down to reliability - his failed gearbox in Singapore being just one example.
This led to the drivers being matched head-to-head in race results, but Gasly comfortably beat Ocon in the qualifying battle. That might give Gasly extra satisfaction considering it’s against Ocon, who has been his rival since childhood.
There was much anticipation at the beginning of 2023 over how the two will fare as team-mates given their history - the two often collided when competing against each other as children in karting - but on the whole Ocon and Gasly have worked well together and things have not flared up. That’s despite it being a disappointing season for Alpine, who finished sixth - two places lower than their position in 2022.
Williams - Alex Albon vs Logan Sargeant
|
Category |
Alex Albon |
Logan Sargeant |
|
Championship standings |
13th (27 points) |
21st (1 point) |
|
Grand prix results head-to-head |
19 |
3 |
|
Qualifying head-to-head |
22 |
0 |
|
Grand prix wins |
0 |
0 |
|
Pole positions |
0 |
0 |
|
Podiums |
0 |
0 |
|
Best finish |
7th (x2) |
10th (x1) |
|
Retirements |
4 |
4 |
|
Fastest laps |
0 |
0 |
|
Grand prix points finishes |
7 |
1 |
|
Sprint results head-to-head |
6 |
0 |
|
Sprint race wins |
0 |
0 |
|
Sprint shootout head-to-head |
6 |
0 |
|
Sprint race podiums |
0 |
0 |
Williams very much had the most one-sided driver pairing in 2023. Albon really impressed this season with several point finishes and Q3 appearances, therefore showing why he is capable of leading the team forward.
Yet it was a different story in the opposite side of his garage. Sargeant struggled during his rookie season which is evident in the qualifying record versus Albon, while only beating him in three grands prix. However, those three occasions were because Albon retired so in races where both drivers finished the Thai-British driver was always ahead.
Sargeant did score a point, but it only came as a result of Hamilton and Leclerc being disqualified from the United States GP. Despite the struggles, Williams has retained Sargeant for 2024 so he should do much better in his sophomore year.
AlphaTauri - Yuki Tsunoda vs Nyck de Vries
|
Category |
Yuki Tsunoda |
Nyck de Vries |
|
Points scored during brief spell as team-mates |
2 |
0 |
|
Grand prix results head-to-head |
8 |
2 |
|
Qualifying head-to-head |
8 |
2 |
|
Grand prix wins during brief spell as team-mates |
0 |
0 |
|
Pole positions during brief spell as team-mates |
0 |
0 |
|
Podiums during brief spell as team-mates |
0 |
0 |
|
Best finish during brief spell as team-mates |
10th (x2) |
12th (x1) |
|
Retirements during brief spell as team-mates |
0 |
2 |
|
Fastest laps during brief spell as team-mates |
0 |
0 |
|
Grand prix points finishes during brief spell as team-mates |
2 |
0 |
|
Sprint results head-to-head |
1 |
1 |
|
Sprint race wins during brief spell as team-mates |
0 |
0 |
|
Sprint shootout head-to-head |
2 |
0 |
|
Sprint race podiums during brief spell as team-mates |
0 |
0 |
The team-mate battle at AlphaTauri is very messy given how many times the team changed its line-up in 2023. Beginning the season was Yuki Tsunoda and Nyck de Vries until the F1 rookie was dropped after 10 grands prix for poor performances.
De Vries left AlphaTauri having failed to score a point while at the time, Tsunoda had two. The 23-year-old comfortably won the qualifying battle as well, as de Vries struggled throughout his tenure with six bottom-five finishes including two retirements.
AlphaTauri - Yuki Tsunoda vs Daniel Ricciardo
|
Category |
Yuki Tsunoda |
Daniel Ricciardo |
|
Points scored during brief spell as team-mates |
15 |
6 |
|
Grand prix results head-to-head |
4 |
3 |
|
Qualifying head-to-head |
4 |
3 |
|
Grand prix wins during brief spell as team-mates |
0 |
0 |
|
Pole positions during brief spell as team-mates |
0 |
0 |
|
Podiums during brief spell as team-mates |
0 |
0 |
|
Best finish during brief spell as team-mates |
8th (x2) |
7th (x1) |
|
Retirements during brief spell as team-mates |
1 |
0 |
|
Fastest laps during brief spell as team-mates |
1 |
0 |
|
Grand prix points finishes during brief spell as team-mates |
4 |
1 |
|
Sprint results head-to-head |
1 |
1 |
|
Sprint race wins during brief spell as team-mates |
0 |
0 |
|
Sprint shootout head-to-head |
1 |
1 |
|
Sprint race podiums during brief spell as team-mates |
0 |
0 |
Daniel Ricciardo replaced de Vries for the Hungarian GP, which marked his return to F1 after leaving McLaren at the end of 2022. Ricciardo immediately had the better of Tsunoda by beating him in qualifying and the race at the Hungaroring, but the Japanese driver levelled both scores a week later in Belgium.
Yet Ricciardo then spent a lengthy time on the sideline, as he broke his hand during second practice for the Dutch GP. He returned two months later at the United States GP where things were once again tight between Ricciardo and Tsunoda.
In the final five grands prix, Tsunoda out-qualified and out-raced his team-mate on three occasions while scoring 15 points compared to Ricciardo's six. The two will remain team-mates in 2024, where there’s potentially a shot at a Red Bull seat for the following season.
AlphaTauri - Yuki Tsunoda vs Liam Lawson
|
Category |
Yuki Tsunoda |
Liam Lawson |
|
Points scored during brief spell as team-mates |
0 |
2 |
|
Grand prix results head-to-head |
1 |
4 |
|
Qualifying head-to-head |
4 |
1 |
|
Grand prix wins during brief spell as team-mates |
0 |
0 |
|
Pole positions during brief spell as team-mates |
0 |
0 |
|
Podiums during brief spell as team-mates |
0 |
0 |
|
Best finish during brief spell as team-mates |
12th (x1) |
9th (x1) |
|
Retirements during brief spell as team-mates |
2 (includes one DNS) |
0 |
|
Fastest laps during brief spell as team-mates |
0 |
0 |
|
Grand prix points finishes during brief spell as team-mates |
0 |
1 |
|
Sprint results head-to-head |
1 |
0 |
|
Sprint race wins during brief spell as team-mates |
0 |
0 |
|
Sprint shootout head-to-head |
0 |
1 |
|
Sprint race podiums during brief spell as team-mates |
0 |
0 |
While Ricciardo was injured, Red Bull junior Liam Lawson stepped in to become Tsunoda’s third team-mate of 2023. Lawson, who finished third in the 2022 F2 Championship, immediately impressed coming close to points in Zandvoort and Monza before a ninth-place finish at the Singapore GP after he pulled off a shock Q3 appearance at Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Lawson then finished 11th in Japan, but was well out of contention in Qatar for his final grand prix. In terms of race results, he performed better than Tsunoda and was therefore touted for an F1 seat in 2024 but that did not present itself. Lawson will be the team’s reserve driver next year, but the expectation is that he will eventually be on the grid full-time.
Alfa Romeo - Valtteri Bottas vs Zhou Guanyu
|
Category |
Valtteri Bottas |
Zhou Guanyu |
|
Championship standings |
15th (10 points) |
18th (6 points) |
|
Grand prix results head-to-head |
12 |
10 |
|
Qualifying head-to-head |
15 |
7 |
|
Grand prix wins |
0 |
0 |
|
Pole positions |
0 |
0 |
|
Podiums |
0 |
0 |
|
Best finish |
8th (x2) |
9th (x3) |
|
Retirements |
3 |
3 |
|
Fastest laps |
0 |
1 |
|
Grand prix points finishes |
4 |
3 |
|
Sprint results head-to-head |
3 |
3 |
|
Sprint race wins |
0 |
0 |
|
Sprint shootout head-to-head |
3 |
3 |
|
Sprint race podiums |
0 |
0 |
Zhou Guanyu is firmly holding his own against Alfa Romeo team-mate Valtteri Bottas, with the 10-time grand prix winner beating the Chinese driver by just four points in the championship. It came in Zhou’s second F1 season, where he also narrowly lost the grand prix battle against Bottas.
But qualifying is where Zhou needs to improve as Bottas won that battle comfortably. On the whole though, it was an underwhelming year for the team with Alfa Romeo finishing ninth in the championship.
Haas - Nico Hulkenberg vs Kevin Magnussen
|
Category |
Nico Hulkenberg |
Kevin Magnussen |
|
Championship standings |
16th (9 points) |
19th (3 points) |
|
Grand prix results head-to-head |
13 |
9 |
|
Qualifying head-to-head |
15 |
7 |
|
Grand prix wins |
0 |
0 |
|
Pole positions |
0 |
0 |
|
Podiums |
0 |
0 |
|
Best finish |
7th (x1) |
10th (x3) |
|
Retirements |
1 |
3 |
|
Fastest laps |
0 |
0 |
|
Grand prix points finishes |
1 |
3 |
|
Sprint results head-to-head |
2 |
4 |
|
Sprint race wins |
0 |
0 |
|
Sprint shootout head-to-head |
4 |
2 |
|
Sprint race podiums |
0 |
0 |
Nico Hulkenberg made his return to F1 in 2023 after losing his full-time seat with Renault at the end of 2019. Yet it was like he’d never been away as he beat team-mate Kevin Magnussen in the championship, while winning both race and qualifying battles quite comfortably.
That driver pairing was one to watch in 2023 due to their history together, where at the 2017 Hungarian GP Hulkenberg called Magnussen “the most unsporting driver on the grid” after being pushed off the track while attempting an overtake.
However, there was very little drama between the two in their first year as team-mates and they actually worked pretty well together. Hulkenberg and Magnussen have been retained by Haas for 2024, but they will be hoping for a more competitive car after the team finished bottom of the championship.
