F1 Bytes

November 23, 2022

Formula 1 – The Ultimate 2022 Season Head to Head Review

The 2022 season has drawn to a close. With Max Verstappen sealing the title in Japan we didn’t get the ridiculously exciting and controversial finish to the World Drivers Championship that we saw last year but there were still some stunning drives and battles up and down the grid.

In 2022 there were three intra-team battles where one driver had a clean sweep to beat their teammate 6:0 in our head to head factors. There were also a few teams where one driver was clearly dominant even though his teammate managed to snatch a factor win or two. Though we update our head to head statistics straight after each race our end of year wrap also includes “radar charts” that really show at a glance how close the battle was between each team’s driver pair.

So how did the ten team pairings perform relative to each other? Well, we’re glad you asked…

For a full description of the six H2H factors check out our H2H Explanatory Notes.

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RED BULL RACING

Drivers:	Pérez v Verstappen
Team:	Red Bull
Races:	22
H2H Winner:	Verstappen (0/6/0)

	Pérez	Verstappen	Winner
Points	291	433	Verstappen
Race Result	4	15	Verstappen
Qualifying	4	18	Verstappen
Fastest Lap	10	12	Verstappen
Laps in Top 10	1120	1223	Verstappen
Best Result	1st (x2)	1st (x15)	Verstappen

WINNER: Max Verstappen, 6 : 0

What a dominant year 2022 has been for Red Bull Racing and their two time World Champion Max Verstappen. RBR clinched the constructors title with three races remaining and Max the drivers Championship with four races still to go.

Verstappen’s dominance extended to his teammate rivalry where he beat Sergio Perez 6:0 for the second year in a row. Having said that Checo did manage to beat max to pole position on 4 occasions (double his result last year) and take two victories. If you take a look back through the years in our head to head comparisons Perez has consistently beaten his teammates…until he joined RBR. In 2022 Max Verstappen was at his imperious best and will no doubt be the favourite going in to the 2023 season.

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FERRARI

Drivers:	Leclerc v Sainz
Team:	Ferrari
Races:	22
H2H Winner:	Leclerc (5/0/1)

	Leclerc	Sainz	Winner
Points	291	228	Leclerc
Race Result	7	7	draw
Qualifying	15	7	Leclerc
Fastest Lap	10	8	Leclerc
Laps in Top 10	1125	1005	Leclerc
Best Result	1st (x3)	1st	Leclerc

WINNER: Charles Leclerc, 5 : 0

At the start of the season 2022 promised much for Ferrari. With Leclerc wins in two of the first three races it looked like the Italian marque had made the most of the regulation changes and looked set to challenge for championships. Unfortunately for the Scuderia the year didn’t pan out that way.

Even though his title chances slipped away Charles Leclerc had a solid year and bettered his teammate 5:0 (with one draw) improving on his 3:2 (with one draw) win against Carlos Sainz last year.

Chilli Sainz will no doubt be satisifed securing his maiden F1 win in 2022 but relative to his teammate there were a few backward steps compared to 2021. Qualifying in 2022 saw Charles beat Chilli 15:7 compared to a much closer 13:9 last year.

The battle between Leclerc and Sainz and the relative competitiveness of Ferrari will be fascinating to see in 2023.

MERCEDES

Drivers:	Hamilton v Russell
Team:	Mercedes
Races:	22
H2H Winner:	Russell (1/5/0)

	Hamilton	Russell	Winner
Points	233	262	Russell
Race Result	9	11	Russell
Qualifying	13	9	Hamilton
Fastest Lap	8	12	Russell
Laps in Top 10	1115	1143	Russell
Best Result	2nd (x5)	1st	Russell

WINNER: George Russell, 5 : 1

It has been a challenging year for Mercedes and their seven time World Champion Lewis Hamilton. After eight years straight winning the Constructors Championship the batton was passed to Red Bull Racing in 2022. Similarly for Lewis he found the going much harder against his new teammate than he had in recent years against Valtteri Bottas.

In his five years at Mercedes Bottas only won one of a possible 30 factors in his H2H with Hamilton. Contrast that to this year when George Russell bettered his far more experienced teammate 5:1 in their head to head battle.

As the cliche goes “you can’t argue with the stats” and George Russell had an outstanding and consistent year. While deputising for a covid stricken Hamilton at Sakhir in 2020 Russell was comfortably leading the race but then a slow pit stop and puncture dashed his fairytale first ever Grand Prix win. George would have to wait nearly two years to finally secure a win in this year’s Brazilian Grand Prix and Mercedes one and only during the season.

Lewis on the other hand has had his share of misfortune this year but with Mercedes seemingly having made a significant step in performance the 2023 season may well see Lewis, as well as George, again fighting for the Championship.

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ALPINE

Drivers:	Alonso v Ocon
Team:	Alpine F1 Team
Races:	22
H2H Winner:	Ocon (2/3/1)

	Alonso	Ocon	Winner
Points	81	89	Ocon
Race Result	8	8	draw
Qualifying	12	10	Alonso
Fastest Lap	15	7	Alonso
Laps in Top 10	875	937	Ocon
Best Result	5th (x3)	4th	Ocon

WINNER: Esteban Ocon, 3 : 2

What a difference a race makes! Prior to the last Grand Prix Fernando Alonso was leading his teammate in their head to head battle. Fast forward to the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi and it was Esteban Ocon who ended the season on top. The radar chart shows how close this intra team battle was with the Fastest Lap result the only factor with a clear winner.

The head to head result between these two drivers has been close in both of the two years they have shared the garage and both have had very solid drives promoting the team from fifth in 2021 to fourth in the constructors in 2022. Now the oldest driver on the grid following Kimi Raikkonen’s retirement last year the experienced Alonso has seemingly lost nothing in his drive or wheel to wheel ability. Some of his drives in 2022 against faster cars were exceptional and who could forget the heart stopping crash he had with Lance Stroll at Austin. Prior to his mid career break we looked at Fernando’s stats compared to some of the best of his generation and he came out on top! You can see the story here.

New teammates for both Fernando and Esteban in 2023 are going to have to bring their best to better these two extremely talented drivers.

MCLAREN

Drivers:	Norris v Ricciardo
Team:	McLaren
Races:	22
H2H Winner:	Norris (6/0/0)

	Norris	Ricciardo	Winner
Points	116	34	Norris
Race Result	14	4	Norris
Qualifying	20	2	Norris
Fastest Lap	18	3	Norris
Laps in Top 10	939	453	Norris
Best Result	3rd	5th	Norris

WINNER: Lando Norris, 6 : 0

It has been a difficult year for McLaren slipping from 4th in the Constructors title in 2021 to 5th in 2022. It has also been a difficult year for their drivers and in particular Daniel Ricciardo.

From his rookie year in 2019 when Carlos Sainz beat him 5:1 (and again in 2020) Lando Norris has really found his feet. He bettered the more experienced Riccardo 5:1 last year but in 2022 produced one of three teammate clean sweeps this year beating Daniel 6:0.

McLaren no doubt hoped the Australian would find his form again in 2022 with a significant change to the regulations but unfortunately for the Honey Badger it wasn’t to be. Championship points aside perhaps the most telling factor in 2022 was the qualifying record where Lando beat Daniel 19:2 compared to a closer 15:7 in 2021.

It remains to be seen if Ricciardo can rediscover his mojo and find a full time drive somewhere in the future. At McLaren it will be another Aussie stepping up in 2023. Oscar Piastri has won a number of world championships in the lower classes and we can’t wait to see how he fares against Lando Norris who is now without doubt one of the best young drivers on the grid.

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ALFA ROMEO

Drivers:	Bottas v Zhou
Team:	Alfa Romeo
Races:	22
H2H Winner:	Bottas (6/0/0)

	Bottas	Zhou	Winner
Points	47	6	Bottas
Race Result	10	3	Bottas
Qualifying	14	8	Bottas
Fastest Lap	12	8	Bottas
Laps in Top 10	576	148	Bottas
Best Result	5th	8th	Bottas

WINNER: Valtteri Bottas, 6 : 0

Having finished second last in the constructors title last year and with two new drivers including a rookie in 2022 it looked like it may have been a challenging year for Alfa Romeo but instead it proved to be extremely positive. Lead by Valtteri Bottas, 2021’s third placed driver in the Championship, the team finished an impressive sixth.

The performance improvement for Alfa wasn’t only due to the car and the Finn. The rookie Zhou Guanyu had a solid first year and though comprehensively beaten 6:0 by Valtteri still showed good pace managing to beat Bottas 7 times in qualifying.

ASTON MARTIN

Drivers:	Stroll v Vettel
Team:	Aston Martin
Races:	20
H2H Winner:	Vettel (1/5/0)

	Stroll	Vettel	Winner
Points	18	37	Vettel
Race Result	8	9	Vettel
Qualifying	7	13	Vettel
Fastest Lap	13	7	Stroll
Laps in Top 10	414	459	Vettel
Best Result	6th	6th (x2)	Vettel

WINNER: Sebastian Vettel, 5 : 1

Aston Martin finished seventh in 2021 and again in 2022. Sebastian Vettel beat Lance Stroll in 2021 and again in 2022. In what was the German’s final year in Formula 1 Seb showed age hasn’t dulled his racing ability and reaffirmed the cliche that the cream always rises to the top.

Seb comprehensively beat Lance 5:1 in their head to head and also showed why he is a four time world champion with some brilliant wheel to wheel racing. If you haven’t already seen it watch his last lap stoush with Kevin Magnussen in Austin and his sheer joy at pipping the HAAS to the line – Vettel’s enthusiasm is definitely smile inducing!

With the four time world champion being replaced by a two time world champion in 2023 it won’t get any easier for Lance Stroll!

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HAAS

Drivers:	Magnussen v Schumacher
Team:	Haas F1 Team
Races:	22
H2H Winner:	Magnussen (4/2/0)

	Magnussen	Schumacher	Winner
Points	21	12	Magnussen
Race Result	6	10	Schumacher
Qualifying	16	6	Magnussen
Fastest Lap	3	17	Schumacher
Laps in Top 10	311	235	Magnussen
Best Result	5th	6th	Magnussen

WINNER Kevin Magnussen, 4 : 2

A much better year for Haas in 2022 compared the previous season and a much stronger driver pairing can only have helped. Mick Schumacher easily accounted for Nikita Mazepin in 2021 (5:0 with one draw) but the return of Kevin Magnussen proved a far more difficult challenge.

Competing in the midfield always presents more risk than those in the front positions at the start of a Grand Prix but in qualifying all are equal. It was in this pure speed factor that Kevin really outshone the young German beating Mick 16:6. Schumacher was the 2020 Formula 2 Champion and clearly has the talent for Formula 1 but unfortunately a number of errors and (expensive) crashes in 2022 resulted in his contract not being renewed at Haas and without a drive in 2023. As with Daniel Ricciardo it feels like Mick Schumacher potentially has more to offer F1 and we hope he gets another chance in the future.

Magnussen seemingly lost nothing during his 12 months out of the sport and though he struggled with an inconsistent car at times he had some impressive drives – none more so than his unexpected pole position in Brazil! It will be extremely interesting to see how Kmag measures up against his equally experienced new teammate in 2023. Nico Hulkenberg was likely not expecting another shot at Formula 1 so both he and Kmag will no doubt be extremely keen to finish on top within the Haas garage.

ALPHA TAURI

Drivers:	Gasly v Tsunoda
Team:	AlphaTauri
Races:	22
H2H Winner:	Gasly (5/1/0)

	Gasly	Tsunoda	Winner
Points	23	12	Gasly
Race Result	8	5	Gasly
Qualifying	13	9	Gasly
Fastest Lap	9	12	Tsunoda
Laps in Top 10	374	252	Gasly
Best Result	5th	7th	Gasly

WINNER: Pierre Gasly, 5 : 1

2022 was a disappointing year for Alpha Tauri slipping from 6th to 9th in the championship but it was certainly a positive year for Yuki Tsunoda. Yuki may have slipped from 14th in 2021 to 17th in the Championship in 2022 but he made some serious headway against his teammate compared to the previous year. Pierre Gasly comprehensively beat his then rookie teammate 6:0 in 2021 but in 2022 the young Japanese driver’s relative improvement was impressive. Gasly still bettered Tsunoda 5:1 in 2022 but the factor scores were far closer and the qualifying result was down to 13:9 to the Frenchman.

It’s a bit of a shame not to get the chance to see if Tsunoda would take another step in 2023 and really challenge Gasly but alas both drivers will be up against new team mates next year. Pierre moves to Alpine alongside his childhood karting competitor Esteban Ocon in an all French lineup. It will be fascinating to see who comes out on top. Equally fascinating will be Yuki’s performance – he now has the experience and will need to harness all of it in going up against the 2021 Formula E World Champion Nyck de Vries. Two very interesting driver matchups for 2023!

WILLIAMS

Drivers:	Albon v Latifi
Team:	Williams
Races:	21
H2H Winner:	Albon (5/0/1)

	Albon	Latifi	Winner
Points	4	2	Albon
Race Result	13	1	Albon
Qualifying	19	2	Albon
Fastest Lap	14	5	Albon
Laps in Top 10	117	47	Albon
Best Result	9th	9th	draw

WINNER: Alex Albon, 5 : 0

Having been comprehensively beaten 6:0 by George Russell in our factor score in 2021 Nicholas Latifi didn’t fare much better in 2022. After a year on the sidelines Alex Albon came out swinging in 2022 and bettered Latifi 5:0 (with one draw).

Albon showed flashes of brilliance when he moved up to Red Bull Racing but like Pierre Gasly before him most pundits agree it was perhaps too early for Albon to step up to RBR and take on the entrenched and brilliantly quick Max Verstappen. Alex seemed more relaxed in 2022 and like George Russell before him regularly showed qualifying pace to put the Williams higher on the grid than was expected.

Latifi will move on to a different challenge in 2023 and it will be rookie American Logan Sargeant to learn from Albon and together try to move the team forward.

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There are some fascinating teammate matchups for 2023…March 5 in Bahrain can’t come quickly enough!

December 16, 2021December 16, 2021

Formula 1 – The Ultimate 2021 Season Head to Head Review

What a season we have just witnessed!

With emotions still running high many pundits are saying 2021 was the best season in the history of the sport. The season-long battle between Hamilton and Verstappen was absolutely awesome but objectively was the season as a whole the best ever? That’s a question we hope to answer soon as we compare the stats of 2021 and see if it tops 2012 as our previous winner of the best season in F1 history. Stay tuned…

Though the focus for the season was on the two main protagonists there were also some stunning drives and results for a number of other drivers. We know Max and Lewis dominated their teammates during the season but who were the other teammate winners in their respective head-to-head battles?

Many of you check how your favourite driver is performing compared to their teammate throughout the year using our H2H tables, updated shorty after each race. But, as they say, a picture tells a thousand words so at season end we generate “radar charts” to really show how each driver has measured up compared to their teammate over the full season.

Enjoy!

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For a full description of the six H2H factors check out our H2H Explanatory Notes.

MERCEDES

	Bottas	Hamilton	Winner
Points	226	387	Hamilton
Race Result	3	14	Hamilton
Qualifying	5	17	Hamilton
Fastest Lap	7	13	Hamilton
Laps in Top 10	972	1250	Hamilton
Best Result	1st	1st (x8)	Hamilton

WINNER: Lewis Hamilton, 6 : 0

It must have been tough for Valtteri Bottas (and Sergio Perez) in 2021 knowing that not far into the season the team was relying on him to be a wingman to support Lewis Hamilton’s title bid. Unfortunately for fans of the silver arrows Lewis missed out on his eighth title. Arguably Hamilton might have had a better opportunity to secure the title had Valtteri been more consistently harrying Max during the season.

In his last year with Mercedes Bottas had some good drives including his win in the Turkish Grand Prix. Unfortunately, at season’s end Valtteri recorded another 6:0 loss against Lewis in their head-to-head comparison.

Valterri Bottas is without doubt an extremely capable driver. Had he been against a teammate other than the seven-time World Champion he may well have scored better in our H2H factors.

But it is what it is. And at the end of his five-year stint with Mercedes Bottas bettered Hamilton in only one factor (most laps in top 10 in 2017) out of 30 possible factors. We can’t wait to see how George Russell compares to Lewis in 2022 and are fairly confident Valtteri will win significantly more factors next year against Guanyu Zhou, his rookie teammate at Alfa Romeo.