Max Verstappen has given Formula One a one-sided feel so far in 2024 but that is a theme which, on closer inspection, extends well beyond the dominance of the world champion. Verstappen has taken pole position at every race so far and was only denied a clean sweep of race wins by a freak brake fire at the Australian Grand Prix.
While the championship fight has been stacked heavily in one direction, a curious theme of the year so far has been how most of Red Bull’s fellow teams have experienced wildly contrasting performances from their two drivers. Those differences have been as clear as day at some teams, while some require looking a little closer under the surface to see properly. Each one also comes with a different narrative.
The old adage in F1, and one which sets it aside from any other team sport, is that a driver must beat their teammate before thinking of beating anyone else. With the season approaching its quarter-way point, we’ve taken a look at the state of play at each of the grid’s 10 teams.
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Red Bull
Max Verstappen: 110 points
Sergio Perez: 85 points
As cut and dry as it comes — Verstappen has been almost untouchable and has yet to be beaten by Perez in either qualifying or in a race where both Red Bull cars have made the finish. This situation is hardly surprising. Verstappen has become the ultimate teammate killer in F1 and Red Bull does not expect its second driver, whoever it is, to be on a par with the Dutchman. Crucially, Perez appears to have finally made peace with that fact and is doing exactly what is required of him to secure a contract extension for 2025.
– Horner insists Verstappen not making Formula One ‘boring’
While Perez’s failure to compete with Verstappen has ruined any hope of a championship battle out in front, his form has been much improved from last year and every time team principal Christian Horner is quizzed on the matter, he says the team’s priority is to sign Perez for another season.
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc: 79 points
Carlos Sainz: 69 points
This is the closest teammate battle on the grid right now, although the current standings do not fairly reflect the fact that Sainz has been Ferrari’s star performer. The Spanish driver is the only person not named Max Verstappen to have won a…
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