F1 2023 head-to-heads: Which drivers dominated their teammates?

The 2023 F1 season drew to a close in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, but which drivers got the better of their teammates over the course of the campaign?

The best (and fairest) yardstick to judge F1 drivers is comparing their performances directly against their teammates, given they have equal machinery at their disposal.

So with that in mind, we’ve taken a look at the outcomes of the intra-team battles across all 10 teams, to reveal how the drivers stacked up in qualifying and on race day.

N.B. Sprint results not included. Instances of disqualifications, retirements for both cars and at least one car failing to start are all discounted.

Red Bull – Verstappen vs Perez 

Race head-to-head: Verstappen 20-2 Perez

Wins: Verstappen 19, Perez 2

Qualifying head-to-head: Verstappen 20-2 Perez

Poles: Verstappen 12, Perez 2

Championship: Verstappen 1st (575 points), Perez 2nd (285 points)

Max Verstappen once again convincingly held the upper hand over Sergio Perez as he completely dominated his Red Bull teammate across every department in 2023. Perez was no match for Verstappen as he romped towards a third consecutive world championship in record-breaking style, taking the most wins, pole positions and podiums on the way. 

Mercedes – Hamilton vs Russell 

Race head-to-head: Hamilton 15-6 Russell

Best Result: Hamilton 2nd (x3), Russell 3rd (x2)

Qualifying head-to-head: Hamilton 11-11 Russell

Best result: Hamilton 1st (1), Russell 2nd (x3)

Championship: Hamilton 3rd (234 points), Russell 8th (175 points)

After losing out to George Russell during a difficult 2022, Lewis Hamilton turned the tables on his younger teammate this season as he claimed an impressive P3 in the championship behind the dominant Red Bulls. Hamilton had the edge on race day but there was nothing between the British duo when it came to qualifying.

Ferrari – Leclerc vs Sainz 

Race head-to-head: Leclerc 11-9 Sainz

Best result: Sainz 1st (x1), Leclerc 2nd (x3)

Qualifying head-to-head: Leclerc 15-7 Sainz

Poles: Leclerc 5, Sainz 2

Championship: Leclerc 5th (206 points), Sainz 7th (200 points)

Charles Leclerc held a slight advantage over Carlos Sainz on race day, though it was the latter who was the only non-Red Bull driver to claim a victory during a tricky campaign for Ferrari. Leclerc’s abilities over one lap were evidenced with his tally of five poles.

McLaren – Norris vs Piastri 

Race head-to-head: Norris 17-5 Piastri

Best result: Norris 2nd (x6), Piastri 2nd (x1)

Qualifying head-to-head: Norris 15-7 Piastri

Best result: Norris 2nd (x3), Piastri 2nd (x1)

Championship: Norris 6th (205 points), Piastri 9th (97 points)

Lando Norris may have got the better of teammate Oscar Piastri across 2023, but the young Australian managed to stay much closer to Norris than Daniel Ricciardo could in what turned out to be a highly impressive rookie season. 

Aston Martin – Alonso vs Stroll 

Race head-to-head: Alonso 17-4 Stroll

Best result: Alonso 2nd (x3), Stroll 4th (x1)

Qualifying head-to-head: Alonso 19-3 Stroll

Best result: Alonso 2nd (x2), Stroll 3rd (x1)

Championship: Alonso 4th (206 points), Stroll 10th (74 points)

There was quite the mismatch at Aston Martin as Fernando Alonso blew away teammate Lance Stroll. The two-time world champion demonstrated why he is one of the best on the grid – even at 42 – with some memorable performances, while Stroll could only muster rare flashes of quality.

Alpine – Ocon vs Gasly 

Race head-to-head: Ocon 10-9 Gasly

Best result: Ocon 3rd (x1), Gasly 3rd (x1)

Qualifying head-to-head: Gasly 14-8 Ocon

Best result: Ocon 4th (x1), Gasly 4th (x1)

Championship: Gasly 11th (62 points), Ocon 12th (58 points)

There were several flashpoints in what was billed as being a potentially-feisty partnership as friends-turned-rivals Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly locked horns. Race day proved to be where the closest battles occurred, with both Frenchmen managing a podium a piece in what was ultimately an underwhelming campaign for Alpine.

Williams – Albon vs Sargeant 

Race head-to-head: Albon 18-3 Sargeant

Best result: Albon 7th (x2), Sargeant 10th (x1)

Qualifying head-to-head: Albon 22-0 Sargeant

Best result: Albon 4th (x1), Sargeant 7th (x1)

Championship: Albon 13th (27 points), Sargeant 21st (1 point)

The only driver to boast a qualifying whitewash over their teammate in 2023 was Alex Albon. The Red Bull reject was one of the star performers as he brilliantly carried Williams to almost all of their points-scoring heroics. Logan Sargeant endured an incredibly tough rookie season, with a breakthrough points finish in Austin proving to be a fleeting highlight.

AlphaTauri – Tsunoda vs De Vries, Tsunoda vs Ricciardo and Tsunoda vs Lawson 

Race head-to-head: Tsunoda 8-2 De Vries, Tsunoda 4-3 Ricciardo, Lawson 3-1 Tsunoda

Best result: Ricciardo 7th (x1), Tsunoda 8th (x2) Lawson 9th (x1) (De Vries 12th (x1)

Qualifying head-to-head: Tsunoda 8-2 De Vries, Tsunoda 4-3 Ricciardo, Tsunoda 3-2 Lawson

Best result: Ricciardo (4th x1), Tsunoda 6th (x1), Lawson 10th (x1) De Vries 12th (x1)

Championship: Tsunoda 14th (17 points), Ricciardo 17th (6 points), Lawson 20th (2 points), De Vries 22nd (0 points)

Yuki Tsunoda’s performances were the highpoint of a turbulent and testing season for AlphaTauri. Tsunoda impressively held his own against Ricciardo, whose injury lay-off provided Liam Lawson with an unexpected opportunity to shine after Nyck de Vries lost his drive after 10 races. 

Alfa Romeo – Bottas vs Zhou 

Race head-to-head: Bottas 12-9 Zhou

Best result: Bottas 8th (x2), Zhou 9th (x3)

Qualifying head-to-head: Bottas 15-6 Zhou

Best result: Bottas 7th (x1), Zhou 5th (x1)

Championship: Bottas 15th (10 points), Zhou 18th (6 points)

Given he is something of a qualifying specialist, it is no surprise to see Valtteri Bottas out-pace Zhou Guanyu in convincing fashion. Things were much closer on Sundays, but after a back-and-forth battle, it was Bottas who ultimately emerged out on top. 

Haas – Magnussen vs Hulkenberg 

Race head-to-head: Hulkenberg 13-9 Magnussen

Best result: Hulkenberg 7th (x1), Magnussen 10th (x3)

Qualifying head-to-head: Hulkenberg 15-7 Magnussen

Best result: Hulkenberg 2nd (x1), Magnussen 4th (x1)

Championship: Hulkenberg 16th (9 points), Magnussen 19th (3 points)

Points were few and far between for Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg in 2023 due to Haas’ tyre-chewing VF-23, but superb flashes of pace were not uncommon on Saturdays. Both Hulkenberg (second in Canada) and Magnussen (fourth in Miami) pulled off some stunning qualifying laps, but it was the German who got the best out of a frustrating Haas car.