2026 F1 Team‑Mate Rivalries After the Spanish Grand Prix

The 2026 Formula One season has produced a wealth of data on how teammates have fared against each other across qualifying, sprint events and the main Grand Prix races. After the Spanish Grand Prix the full picture of these intra‑team battles can be examined team by team, highlighting who has been the stronger performer and where the gaps are narrowing. Below is a comprehensive, expanded overview of each driver pairing, their points tallies, race finishes and the context behind the numbers. **McLaren (Norris vs.

Piastri)** - **Qualifying:** Over the eleven events, Lando Norris has out‑qualified Oscar Piastri nine times to five, giving Norris a clear edge in single‑lap speed. - **Sprint:** Norris has dominated the sprint format, winning all five sprints where both drivers took part, while Piastri failed to claim a sprint victory. - **Race Results:** In the main Grand Prix races, Norris accumulated eight wins to Piastri’s six, and the points gap stands at 186 for Norris against 120 for Piastri. Norris’s best finishing position this season has been fourth, whereas Piastri’s best has been seventh.

- **Overall Assessment:** Norris remains the clear number one driver for McLaren, but Piastri’s steady improvement, especially in race conditions, suggests the gap could close as the season progresses. **Williams (Russell vs.

Antonelli)** - **Qualifying:** George Russell has a mixed record, qualifying six times ahead of his teammate Alex Antonelli but falling behind eight times. - **Sprint:** The sprint results are more balanced, with Russell taking three sprint wins to Antonelli’s two. - **Race:** In the Grand Prix races, Russell finished fourth on average while Antonelli’s average finish is tenth, giving Russell a points advantage of 211 to Antonelli’s 292 (note the higher number reflects Antonelli’s higher placement in the championship points system used for the team).

- **Championship Placement:** Russell is currently second in the drivers’ standings, while Antonelli sits just behind in first place for the team’s internal ranking. The data shows Russell’s experience still gives him a slight edge, but Antonelli’s consistency is beginning to challenge that hierarchy. **Red Bull (Verstappen vs.

Hadjar)** - **Qualifying:** Max Verstappen has out‑qualified his teammate Isack Hadjar eight times to three. - **Sprint:** In sprint events, Verstappen has a perfect record of four wins to zero for Hadjar. - **Race:** The Grand Prix outcomes mirror qualifying, with Verstappen winning eight races to Hadjar’s three.

- **Points:** Verstappen leads the intra‑team points tally with 145 to Hadjar’s 71, and his best finishes this season have been in the top six, while Hadjar’s best have been eighth. - **Context:** Verstappen’s dominance is expected given his status as a multiple world champion, but Hadjar’s occasional strong qualifying runs indicate potential for future growth. **Red Bull (Verstappen vs. Lawson)** - **Driver Change Note:** Liam Lawson stepped in for Hadjar at the Dutch, Italian and Spanish rounds.

- **Qualifying:** Verstappen qualified ahead of Lawson three times, with Lawson not beating him in any session. - **Sprint & Race:** Verstappen won each sprint and race against Lawson, with a 2‑1 race points split (2 for Verstappen, 1 for Lawson).

- **Implication:** The temporary swap underscores Verstappen’s ability to maintain his performance level regardless of teammate changes. **Ferrari (Leclerc vs. Hamilton)** - **Qualifying:** Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have been evenly matched in qualifying, each achieving seven pole‑positions. - **Sprint:** The sprint format favoured Hamilton slightly, with Hamilton winning three sprints to Leclerc’s two.

- **Race:** In the main races, Leclerc finished six times ahead of Hamilton’s eight, resulting in a points distribution of 167 for Leclerc and 191 for Hamilton. - **Championship Placement:** Hamilton currently sits third in the drivers’ standings, while Leclerc is fifth, indicating a tight battle for podium positions. **Alfa Romeo (Albon vs.

Sainz)** - **Qualifying:** Fernando Albon has qualified ahead of Carlos Sainz four times to ten, showing a clear disadvantage. - **Sprint:** The sprint results are split, with Albon winning one sprint and Sainz taking four. - **Race:** Albon’s race finishes are six to eight against Sainz’s eight to eight, resulting in a modest points gap of five to six. - **Overall:** Both drivers are struggling to break into the points regularly, and the intra‑team competition is largely a fight for midfield positions.

**Alfa Romeo (Lawson vs. Lindblad)** - **Qualifying:** Lawson edged Lindblad six to five, demonstrating a slight edge in single‑lap speed. - **Sprint:** The sprint results are tied, each driver winning two sprints. - **Race:** Lawson has a stronger race record, finishing eight times ahead of Lindblad’s three, leading to a points advantage of 59 to 31.

- **Championship Placement:** Lawson sits ninth overall, while Lindblad is eleventh, reflecting Lawson’s higher consistency. **AlphaTauri (Lindblad vs. Tsunoda)** - **Driver Change Note:** Yuki Tsunoda replaced Lawson for the Dutch, Italian and Spanish rounds, pairing him with Lindblad.

- **Qualifying:** Lindblad qualified ahead of Tsunoda three times to zero, showing clear superiority. - **Sprint:** Lindblad also won the sprint against Tsunoda. - **Race:** Lindblad’s race performance (two wins to one) gives him a modest points lead of two to one. - **Implication:** The temporary driver swap did not significantly alter the team’s internal hierarchy.

**Aston Martin (Alonso vs. Stroll)** - **Qualifying:** Fernando Alonso has dominated qualifying with twelve wins to two for Lance Stroll. - **Sprint:** In sprint events, Alonso also leads with four wins to one. - **Race:** Alonso’s race record is eight wins to two, though several races (Australian, Chinese, Barcelona, Dutch) saw both drivers retire, resulting in no points for those events.

- **Championship Placement:** Alonso is currently nineteenth in the drivers’ standings, while Stroll is twenty‑first, indicating that despite Alonso’s superior pace, reliability issues have limited his points haul. **Alpine (Bearman vs. Ocon)** - **Qualifying:** Oliver Bearman out‑qualified Esteban Ocon nine times to four, but missed the Spanish Grand Prix qualifying entirely. - **Sprint:** Bearman leads the sprint tally three to two.

- **Race:** Bearman has eight race wins to five for Ocon, though he did not start the Spanish sprint and both drivers retired at the Dutch Grand Prix, leaving those events without points. - **Championship Placement:** Bearman sits thirteenth overall, while Ocon is eighteenth, reflecting Bearman’s higher finishing positions when he does race. **Haas (Hulkenberg vs.

Bortoleto)** - **Qualifying:** Nico Hulkenberg and Bortoleto are evenly matched in qualifying with seven each. - **Sprint:** Hulkenberg has a slight edge in sprint events, winning two to Bortoleto’s three. - **Race:** Hulkenberg’s race record is six wins to eight for Bortoleto, but a Miami sprint saw Hulkenberg fail to start and Bortoleto disqualified, resulting in no points for that event.

- **Championship Placement:** Hulkenberg is fifteenth in the drivers’ standings, while Bortoleto is fourteenth, indicating a close fight for the lower midfield spots. **AlphaTauri (Gasly vs.

Colapinto)** - **Qualifying:** Pierre Gasly has a strong qualifying advantage with eleven wins to three for Oscar Colapinto. - **Sprint:** Gasly leads the sprint tally three to two. - **Race:** Gasly’s race performance (eight wins to six) gives him a points lead of 41 to 27, placing him tenth overall, while Colapinto sits twelfth.

**Red Bull (Perez vs. Bottas)** - **Qualifying:** Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas are evenly matched with seven each. - **Sprint:** Perez leads the sprint count three to two.

- **Race:** Perez has eight race wins to Bottas’s four, though both drivers retired at the Austrian and Hungarian Grands Prix, resulting in no points for those events. - **Championship Placement:** Perez is twenty‑third in the drivers’ standings, while Bottas is twenty‑second, reflecting the difficulty both have had scoring points this season. Overall, the 2026 season’s intra‑team statistics illustrate a mixture of clear hierarchies—such as Norris over Piastri at McLaren and Verstappen over Hadjar at Red Bull—and tighter battles, like the Leclerc‑Hamilton duel at Ferrari.

The data also highlights the impact of driver changes, retirements and non‑starts on the points tallies. Fans can follow every race weekend live on Sky Sports F1, stream the action without a contract via NOW, and stay updated through the official F1 podcast and Sky Sports WhatsApp service.