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As most of you know Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez are neck an neck in the drivers standing each having 1 win and 1 second place finish to their name. Verstappen holds a slight edge having nipped the fastest lap from Perez on the final lap of the race.

Ever since the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, where Verstappen refused to give back position to Perez prior to crossing the finish line, there has been a sense of tension between the two Red Bull drivers. Now with Perez showing that he is capable of winning in the RB19 as well, we may have a blooming teammate rivalry on our hands.

This prompted us to take a look back at some of the most fierce teammate rivalries in F1’s history. Some of these featured incidents of teammates colliding and crashing out of the race while other had a relationship so hostile that they could only manage one season together. We will dive into our favorite rivalries and how they worked out for each driver in the end.

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Before we take a look at some of the best teammate rivalries, lets go through some of the headline news in F1 this week!

News Around the Paddock

• Ricciardo outlines his professional and personal goals in 2023 as Red Bull’s reserve driver

• McLaren makes key changes to their technical teams in a shakeup as they attempt to get back to the front of the grid

• Christian Horner said that a Lewis Hamilton move to Red Bull is unlikely as they have both of their drivers signed through 2024

• Porsche announces that they will not be joining F1 for the 2026 season

• Toto Wolff says that Mercedes would have no shame in copying Red Bull’s concept as long as it brings wins

• Damon Hill says that Perez will not go down without a fight in the F1 title battle with Verstappen

• Nico Rosberg thinks Hamilton’s split with his long-time personal trainer will only make things worse

• Hamilton said he has never seen a car as fast as the RB19 in the Saudi Arabian GP

• Max Verstappen was not happy with P2 result in Jeddah saying he isn’t here to finish in second

The Best Teammate Rivalries in F1

We list some of our favorite F1 rivalries through the years start with some of the more recent ones and ending with arguably the greatest teammate rivalry in F1 history.

Lewis Hamilton & Nico Rosberg

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were teammates on Mercedes from 2013-2016. During this time Mercedes as a team was dominating the sport and Hamilton & Rosberg finished 1-2 in the standings every year with exception to 2013. Mercedes won 3 double titles during this time with Hamilton winning 2 championships in 2014 & 2015 and then Rosberg winning in 2016 before retiring from the sport.

Hamilton and Rosberg’s relationship goes back to their karting days when they were teammates in 2000. They also raced together in Formula 1 feeder series on their way to both eventually making it into F1. Their childhood friendship was rekindled when Hamilton made the shock announcement that he was moving from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 season. While there wasn’t much tension in their first season together, a precedent started to be set when the team asked Rosberg to stay behind Hamilton in the 2013 Malaysian GP.

In 2014 the stakes were taken up a notch. Mercedes was clearly the favorite to win the title and both drivers wanted a crack at the drivers championship. They had a famous battle in the 2014 Bahrain GP with a beautiful on-track duel between the pair.

Tensions began to rise when Hamilton discovered that Mercedes had provided Rosberg with Hamilton’s performance data documenting where he was quick and where he wasn’t. The pair each admitted to using engine modes that Mercedes had banned in order to gain an advantage over the other.

Things became real heated between the two in Monaco. Rosberg, who was on provisional pole in Q3, had gone out before Hamilton and subsequently crashed on his hot lap. This forced Hamilton, who had been quicker in practice, to abort his lap and Rosberg started the race in pole position. Afterward the race, which Rosberg ultimately won, Hamilton and Rosberg were no longer on speaking terms.

In 2015 Hamilton ran away with the title. During the 2015 United States Grand Prix, where Hamilton eventually sealed his second consecutive drivers championship, Hamilton made a very aggressive move on Rosberg going into turn 1 forcing the German wide. After the race, the infamous scene where Rosberg tossed the second place hat occurred. It was clear that things had not calmed down between the two.

The rivalry came to a head in 2016 at the Spanish GP. On the first lap of the race Hamilton tried to get by Rosberg coming out of turn 3 and ended up running wide into the grass. Hamilton lost control of his car and slammed into Rosberg, taking them both out of the race. They each blamed the other for the incident. Rosberg went on to win the 2016 drivers title and retired 5 days later. Hamilton would go on to win 4 more titles with Mercedes.

Sebastian Vettel & Mark Webber

Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were teammates on Red Bull from 2009-2013. During this period, Red Bull was on top of F1 winning 4 consecutive double titles from 2010-2013. Sebastian Vettel won 4 driver championships while Webber was unable to grab one. Webber finished P4, P3, P3, P6 and P3 during his time on Red Bull racing with Vettel.

While Vettel took home the majority of the accolades from Red Bull’s dominance the teammates had plenty of scraps during their tenure together. Webber has more recently reflected on their relationship by saying it was “strained” during their rivalry at Red Bull and while they are friends now things got “pretty tense” while fighting for championships.

Vettel and Webber’s first run-ins actually happened when they weren’t teammates yet. In the 2007 Japanese GP, Webber was fighting with Lewis Hamilton for the lead of the race in what would have been his first win in F1. Unfortunately, while under the Safety Car, Webber was run into by Vettel and came back to the pits steaming mad. Webber questioned if Vettel, who was in his 6th Grand Prix of his career, had enough experience to be in an F1 car. Vettel did apologize for the incident.

In 2009 Red Bull promoted Vettel from Toro Rosso to race alongside Webber, who had been on the team since 2007. The teammates enjoyed a serene relationship in the beginning, but in 2010 Red Bull became true contenders for the title and the drivers’ relationship with each other began to fray.

The first incident in 2010 happened at the Turkish GP. Both drivers were in championship contention at the time and Webber was coming off two straight wins. On lap 40 of the race Webber was in a power saving mode and Vettel was coming from behind at full power. Webber forced Vettel to the edge of the track where he skimmed the grass and veered back into Webber. The collision spun Vettel around and forced Webber out of the race as well. Neither driver took blame for the incident and their relationship was never the same after.

Webber was also beginning to get the sense that favoritism was taking place within the team. In the 2010 British GP Vettel received a new front wing while Webber had the old one. Webber would go on to win the race and afterwards said, “Not bad for a number two driver.” In 2011 Webber was behind Vettel in the final laps of the race and was ordered by the team not to pass Vettel. In 2012, the two drivers almost collided in qualifying and Vettel was furious at Webber over the radio.

Then there is the famous “multi-21’ incident at the 2013 Malaysian GP. Nearing the final stages of the race, Webber was in the lead after being able to jump Vettel by taking advantage of some early pitstops. The team had Webber turn down his engine mode and cruise to victory. Vettel had other plans. With his teammate on a lower power mode Vettel took advantage and honed in on Webber.

Red Bull was on the radio to Vettel sending the message “multi-21” which meant to hold position and finish the race. Vettel promptly ignored these radio messages to the point where even Christian Horner got on the radio saying it was silly to be doing this. Vettel eventually passed Webber and won the race. Afterwards Webber just kept repeating “multi-21 Seb” to Vettel making it clear that Vettel had not listened to team orders.

Webber retired after the 2013 season and Vettel left Red Bull shortly after in 2014. They had once of the fierces rivalries in recent memory only to be outshone by Hamilton and Rosberg. Hamilton however, was embroiled in another teammate rivalry with another championship winning driver.

Fernando Alonso & Lewis Hamilton

The Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton rivalry is the longest current rivalry on the grid. While they have had some incredible battles as opponents, they also shared a season together in Hamilton’s rookie season at McLaren. The teammates only lasted one year together, with Alonso going back to Renault in 2008.

Coming into the 2007 season Fernando Alonso had won two consecutive drivers championships with Renault. He had made the decision to move to his dream team” in McLaren after the end of the 2006 season. It was a shocking move considering the success he had at Renault up to that point.

Simultaneously, Lewis Hamilton was climbing the ranks in GP2 and was eyeing a full time spot in Formula 1. The vacancy was opened up by Kimi Raikkonen departing to Ferrari and Hamilton was tabbed to fill the role. It wasn’t sunshine and roses as people expected between the two. They had several incidents throughout the season that ultimately prompted Alonso to terminate his contract with McLaren and head back to Renault.

The season got off to a good start. The team appeared to be contenders with their primary rival being Ferrari. They had a 1-2 finish in the second race of the season at the 2007 Malaysian GP where Alonso got his first win with McLaren. Tension began to rise in the 2007 Monaco GP. Alonso won the race with Hamilton right behind in P2, given McLaren their second 1-2 of the year. After the race, Hamilton came out saying he felt that he was forced to play a supporting role to Alonso. The FIA investigated but determined McLaren had not used team orders.

Tensions boiled over again in the 2007 Hungarian GP qualifying session when Hamilton went out on track before Alonso. The drivers had been switching places on who went first every race weekend and it was technically Alonso’s turn to go first. Hamilton ignored the team’s requests to let Alonso through. Alonso in turn delayed Hamilton in the pits and did not allow Hamilton to set a second lap time in Q3. Alonso received a penalty and was relegated to P6. Hamilton was bumped up to pole position.

By the end of the 2007 season, the relationship between Alonso and Hamilton had completely collapsed. The two were not a speaking terms for a brief period during the season and it was known amongst other teams in the paddock that one of the drivers had to move on from the team. Hamilton was being eyed by Ferrari and Alonso was looking to go back to the team he had just come from. Ultimately Alonso and McLaren mutually agreed to terminate his contract and he left to race with Renault for the 2008 & 2009 seasons.

Hamilton would go on to win the drivers championship in the 2008 season with McLaren while Alonso had a couple lackluster years with Renault before moving to Ferrari where he was Red Bull’s primary rival from 2010-2013. Hamilton had the greater success of the two drivers, eventually moving to Mercedes and winning 6 more titles with them. Alonso has not won a championship since 2006 but is regarded as one of the most talented drivers on the grid.

Ayrton Senna & Alain Prost

Ayrton Senna vs. Alain Prost is arguably the greatest rivalry in Formula 1 history. During the time when both drivers were active in F1, from 1984-1993, Senna won 3 championships while Prost was able to win 4 championships. The drivers always had a fierce relationship with each other and it was at its peak when they were teammates for the 1988 and 1989 seasons at McLaren.

Prost joined McLaren for the 1984 season and quickly got up to speed winning championships in the 1985 and 1986 seasons. Senna had joined F1 in 1984 and was racing for Lotus when Prost advocated that McLaren sign the young Brazilian driver. Senna was signed by McLaren for the 1988 season thus birthing the greatest rivalry in F1.

Prior to the 1988 season many expected Prost, the two-time champion, to dominate once again. The surprise came when Senna burst onto the scene with the incredible MP4/4 that McLaren built that season. Senna’s driving style was a lot more aggressive than Prost’s more calculated approach. This shows when you look at the pole position compared to race wins between the two drivers. Senna had significantly more pole positions than Prost but their win total were roughly the same.

During the 1988 season McLaren was far and way the best. They won 15/16 races that year with Senna edging out Prost for his first championship in Formula 1. The tensions between the two began to rise when Prost feared that Senna was getting preferential treatment from the team. Later on Prost’s fears proved to be correct when the head of Honda’s R&D department said the Japanese engineers preferred Senna’s relentless driving style. Senna already had a relationship with Honda when he was at Lotus. Prost was promised a more transparent approach from the team but it turned out much differently.

During the 1989 season it was Prost’s turn to claim the title but it did not happen without some conflict with his teammate. The first issues of the year started when Prost announced his displeasure with Senna after he had broke an agreement that the two had. The agreement was that whoever won off the line would not be challenged into the first corner. Senna then passed Prost in the first corner after prost got the jump at the start. Senna would go on to win by more than a minute. Senna denies that any agreement was made between the two drivers.

In the 1989 Italian Grand Prix Prost had already announced his move to Ferrari after it was clear that McLaren would give Senna preferential treatment over himself. Prost went on to win the GP and throw the trophy to the Tifosi much to chagrin of McLaren CEO Ron Dennis. Senna had retired from the race lead after his engine had blown. Senna would win the following Spanish GP but needed to win the final two races to claim the championship.

This set the scene for the infamous moment between Prost and Senna at the 1989 Japanese GP. Senna claimed pole position with a remarkable time that was 1.7s faster than his teammate. Despite this, Prost got the jump at the race start and dominated the first half of the race. Going into lap 46 Senna, on fresher tires, had caught his teammate and was trying to overtake him. Senna was desperate as he needed to win to keep his championship hopes alive. Going into the final chicane Senna dove down the inside and crashed into Prost. Prost was forced to retire but Senna continued and eventually won the race. Unfortunately for Senna, he was later disqualified for illegally re-entering the race, confirming Alain Prost as the 1989 champion.

After the 1989 season the two drivers were no longer teammates but their rivalry was not finished. In the 1990 season they collided in Japan once again. This time, Senna was crowned champion as a result of the crash. The two would battle for a couple more seasons before Prost retired in 1993. Senna continued on but unfortunately lost his life in a fatal crash at the 1994 San Marino GP. The iconic drivers are legends of F1 and had the best rivalry in F1 while the competed with each other.

Red Bull Current Driver Situation

This brings us back to the current situation at Red Bull. After a dominant 2022 season from Max Verstappen, it looks like the playing field has been leveled a little bit in 2023. Both Verstappen and Perez have race wins and it appears that the only competition they will have this season is each other. Lets take a look at how the Verstappen vs. Perez rivalry stacks up.

Max Verstappen & Sergio Perez

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s relationship kicked off in 2021 when Red Bull signed Perez after a frustrating 2020 season. Red Bull valued Perez’s experience, especially after having two young and unproven drivers as Verstappen’s teammate in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Perez was originally brought in as a support role to help Verstappen. It was Perez’s first time on a contending team since he was on McLaren in 2013.

The 2021 season went off without a hitch between the two drivers. Perez fully understood his role as the support driver to Verstappen and his strengths complimented Verstappen’s. Verstappen was able to go toe-to-toe with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes with the help of Perez. Perez became well known for his ability to maintain his tires and go longer than the rest of the grid. This allowed Verstappen to relentlessly attack Hamilton.

In the final race of the 2021 season, Perez helped Verstappen by putting up an unreal defense of Hamilton and allowed Verstappen to catch up to them. Ultimately, Verstappen won the race in spectacular, yet controversial, fashion. His first title in F1.

The 2022 season brought new regulations into the fray. Formula 1 was bringing back ground effect cars and Red Bull aced the regulation changes. Verstappen ran away with the title but near the end of the season we began to seem some tension boil over between the Red Bull drivers.

At the 2022 Sao Paulo GP Red Bull was not having a particularly strong race with Perez and Verstappen in P6 and P7 respectively. The team ordered Perez to give position to Verstappen to chase down P5 with the agreement that Verstappen would concede the place if he was unable to get into P5. On the final lap it was clear that Verstappen would not be able to catch the 5th place driver, but when prompted to give the place back he refused. He was heard on radio saying, “I told you don’t ask me that again” referring to giving the place back to Perez.

This was the first time anyone had heard of tension between Verstappen and Perez. 2023 has started no differently than how 2022 ended. Both Red Bull drivers have one win to their name, albeit that Verstappen would likely have won both had he not started 15th in Jeddah. However, rumors have begun to surface about a fractured relationship between the Red Bull drivers. Checo desperately would like the chance to win his first championship in F1 while Verstappen is going for the all-time greats by winning 3 titles in a row.

Will Perez be able to take the fight to Verstappen? We don’t think so. Verstappen is just too dominant and Red Bull will always favor him because he is the wunderkind of F1 at the moment. Perez will need to be mighty in order to change that. But anything can happen in motorsport, and we are excited to see if Perez can make this season more exciting.

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We will be back on Monday with some Formula 1 team comparisons to NFL teams. Similar to the post we had on the driver comparisons with NFL QBs. Should be interesting!

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