2026 Season Teammate Battles: Who’s Leading the Head‑to‑Head Charts?
An official Formula1.com breakdown shows which driver pairings have dominated qualifying and race duels so far in 2026.
The 2026 Formula 1 calendar is already delivering some fascinating intra‑team rivalries, and an official analysis from Formula1.com breaks down the qualifying and race head‑to‑head records of every driver pairing to date. The data, compiled after the first nine Grand Prix, highlights which duos have been evenly matched and which have seen one driver consistently out‑perform the other.
Overall leaders in qualifying
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen continues to dominate his teammate, with a 7‑2 advantage in qualifying sessions. His teammate, the 2025 rookie, has struggled to match Verstappen’s one‑lap pace, especially on high‑downforce circuits. At Mercedes, the battle is tighter: George Russell leads his teammate by a slim 4‑3 margin, reflecting the team’s ongoing development race after a challenging start to the season.
Race performance tells a different story
When the lights go out, the dynamics shift. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has a 5‑4 edge over his teammate in race finishes, but the gap narrows on circuits with high tyre degradation where the younger driver shines. Meanwhile, McLaren’s duo is almost dead‑even, with a 5‑5 split, indicating that strategy calls and pit‑stop execution have been the decisive factor rather than outright speed.
Surprising underdogs
Alpine’s pair stands out as the most balanced, with a 6‑6 record in both qualifying and races, suggesting that the team’s recent aerodynamic upgrades have leveled the playing field. Aston Martin also shows a close contest, with their rookie edging his experienced teammate 3‑2 in races, hinting at a potential shift in the team hierarchy for the second half of the season.
For Indian fans
All upcoming races are streamed live on FanCode in India, with qualifying sessions typically starting at 02:00 IST and races at 06:00 IST (except for the Singapore night race, which begins at 23:00 IST). The head‑to‑head statistics add an extra narrative layer for Indian viewers, especially when the Indian‑based driver, Yuki Tsunoda, faces off against his teammate in the midfield battles that often decide the points‑scoring positions.
Source: Formula1.com