The Formula 1 driver line-up for the 2023 season is edging closer to completion, and it’s already clear several new partnerships will be formed.
McLaren will partner newcomer Oscar Piastri with Lando Norris, having dropped Daniel Ricciardo. Fernando Alonso was confirmed as Sebastian Vettel’s replacement at Aston Martin alongside Lance Stroll. Esteban Ocon will therefore have a new team mate at Alpine, as will Alexander Albon at Williams, as Nicholas Latifi has been shown the door.
As team mates chop and change, how will the new pairings match up against each other? The battle for supremacy within each team is crucial, as it can often determine who receives the better strategy and the newer parts – and who is relegated to a “number two” role.
Of course F1 bosses are adamant they do not set out to bestow preferential treatment on either driver.
Speaking at Mercedes’ launch earlier this year, team principal Toto Wolff discussed the arrangements for Lewis Hamilton and new team mate George Russell, who arrived in place of Valtteri Bottas.
“We never had a situation of a ‘one’ and ‘two’,” said Wolff. “They had equal opportunities and same and the same car.
“This year, the interesting situation is we have in George the up-and-coming star [in one seat], and undoubtedly the best Formula 1 driver ever in the other seat. So the dynamic is new and clearly it’s something that we will try to steer in a direction that has the most positive effect on developing the car and making us overall competitive.”
Hamilton and Bottas had the same car, and the same opportunities. Bottas was generally out-scored by his seven-time world champion team mate, and on more than once occasion the team gave Hamilton preferential treatment in his endeavours to win the title.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
At Red Bull, Sergio Perez had to take on the number two role early in the year. During the Spanish Grand Prix he was told on two separate occasions to move aside for team mate Max Verstappen, who went on to win the race. “That’s very unfair, but okay” Perez reluctantly agreed. Speaking to the media afterwards he said there were “a few things that we will discuss internally” at the team.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner defended his decision, saying Verstappen had significant tyre advantage and the team needed to capitalise on the…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at RaceFans…