F1 qualifying head-to-heads: Who came out on top in 2021?

F1 qualifying head-to-heads: Who came out on top in 2021?

 

 

 
Max Verstappen beat F1 title rival Lewis Hamilton to a crucial pole position of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with the championship contenders sharing the front-row heading into their winner-takes-all title showdown on Sunday. In topping the final qualifying session of the season at the Yas Marina Circuit, Verstappen secured his 10th pole of the year to cement his position as the undisputed king over one lap in 2021. “ad_But how did the rest of the field fare and stack up against their teammates?Note: This heto-head data only includes conventional qualifying sessions – not the sprint format that was trialed at three races this year. Pole positions were not awarded for topping Friday qualifying at those three events. Mercedes – Hamilton vs Bottas Heto-head: Hamilton 17-5 BottasBest result: Hamilton 1st, Bottas 1stPoles: Hamilton 5, Bottas 43011012.0064.jpg The poles were evenly shared at Mercedes in 2021, though the statistics are slightly skewed because Hamilton topped two qualifying sessions on weekends he was hit with grid penalties in Turkey and Brazil. He was also fastest in regular qualifying at the British GP (where pole was credited to Verstappen for winning the sprint). The same applied to Valtteri Bottas at Monza after he was hit with a grid penalty, promoting Verstappen to pole. Hamilton convincingly came out on top in the overall heto-heads in his final year as teammates with Bottas. Red Bull – Verstappen vs Perez Heto-head: Verstappen 20-2 PerezBest result: Verstappen 1st, Perez 2nd Poles: Verstappen 10, Perez 0 Sergio Perez proved to be no match for Verstappen over lap, with the Mexican only able to get one over on his teammate at Imola and Russia, the latter of which was when Verstappen served a grid penalty. In total, Verstappen racked up more pole positions than both Mercedes drivers combined (10). Related “A lesson to learn” – Wolff admits after Red Bull’s ‘flawless’ towing F1 tactics Alonso rants ‘no rules’ F1 needs “a referee to protect us”3011074.0064.jpg McLaren – Norris vs Ricciardo Heto-head: Norris 15-7 Ricciardo Best result: Norris 1st, Ricciardo 4th Poles: Norris 1, Ricciardo 0McLaren achieved one pole in 2021 courtesy of Lando Norris’s brilliant lap in Russia. The Briton held the upper hand over Ricciardo over one lap for much of the season as his new teammate struggled to adapt to his new machinery. Ricciardo improved as the season went on, but a P4 in Belgium remained the best he could muster on a Saturday. 2021AbuDhabiGrandPrixFridayGP2122_144744_56I7170.jpg Aston Martin – Vettel vs StrollHeto-head: Vettel 14-8 Stroll Best result: Vettel 5th, Stroll 8thQ3 appearances: Vettel 7, Stroll 6Sebastian Vettel outperformed Lance Stroll in every department when it came to qualifying in his first season at Aston Martin, coming out on top in the heto-heads, claiming the outright best result of fifth in Belgium, and recording more Q3 appearances. Related Norris ‘nervous’ about getting involved in F1 title battle Horner hails Verstappen’s “absolutely insane” Abu Dhabi F1 pole lap3010642.0064.jpg Alpine – Alonso vs Ocon Heto-head: Alonso 11-11 OconBest result: Alonso 5th, Ocon 5thQ3 appearances: Alonso 11, Ocon 10Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon ended their first year together as teammates as Alpine on level terms when it came to qualifying. Both secured a top-five starting berth on one occasion, but Alonso just edged out Ocon in Q3 outings. A commendable effort over one lap from Ocon against the two-time world champion. 3011078.0064.jpg Ferrari – Leclerc vs Sainz Heto-head: Leclerc 13-9 SainzBest result: Leclerc 1st, Sainz 2nd Poles: Leclerc 2, Sainz 0Charles Leclerc is regarded as one of the best in the business over one lap, but Carlos Sainz ran him close in his debut season as a Ferrari driver. Leclerc grabbed the one lap headlines with back-to-back poles in Monaco and Baku, but Sainz was also impressive and out-qualified Leclerc four times in the final five rounds. 3010624.0064.jpg AlphaTauri – Gasly vs TsunodaHeto-head: Gasly 21-1 Tsunoda Best result: Gasly 4th, Tsunoda 7th Q3 appearances: Gasly 18, Tsunoda 9Pierre Gasly took advantage of AlphaTauri’s electrifying one-lap pace to become a star performer in qualifying. The Frenchman only failed to make Q3 four times as a result of his remarkably consistent Saturday showings. Yuki Tsunoda saved one of his best laps until the end to prevent Gasly from claiming the only qualifying whitewash of 2021. Gasly nevertheless ends the year with the best heto-head record against a teammate. “43011124.0064.jpg Alfa Romeo – Giovinazzi vs Raikkonen Heto-head: Giovinazzi 13-7 Raikkonen, Giovinazzi 2-0 Kubica Best result: Giovinazzi 7th, Raikkonen 12th Q3 appearances: Giovinazzi 4, Raikkonen 0 He may have ultimately lost his F1 seat, but Antonio Giovinazzi consistently held the upper hand against Kimi Raikkonen in qualifying. He was the only Alfa Romeo driver to reach Q3 in 2021 and his best result was five positions higher than what Raikkonen could achieve. 3011173.0064.jpg Haas – Schumacher vs Mazepin Heto-head: Schumacher 20-2 Mazepin Best result: Schumacher 13th, Mazepin 18th Q2 appearances: Schumacher 2, Mazepin 0 There was no doubt about who held the edge in qualifying at Haas, with Mick Schumacher dominating his fellow rookie teammate Nikita Mazepin. The only times Schumacher was bettered by Mazepin came when he failed to take part in qualifying in Monaco and Hungary following hefty es in final practice. 3009993.0064.jpg Williams – Russell vs Latifi Heto-head: Russell 20-2 Latifi Best result: Russell 2nd, Latifi 12th Q3 appearances: Russell 4, Latifi 0 Dubbed F1’s ‘Mr Saturday’, George Russell certainly lived up to his nickname as the Williams driver regularly starred across 2021. Four Q3 appearances and stunning laps in Belgium and Russia were the highlights of an impressive season. However, Russell finally lost his unbeaten qualifying record as Nicholas Latifi got the better of his teammate in Brazil and Abu Dhabi. “53010873.0064.jpg  

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