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Atlas F1 is going to keep an eye on the battle between teammates throughout the season with a simple measurement: we compare the qualifying times of each driver against his teammate's result. After every Grand Prix, we will show how teammates have fared up against each other, and where they are overall since the beginning of the season. At the end of the season, the World Champion of Qualifying Differentials will be elected - the driver who was most beaten by his teammates, in seconds. Only those who participate in at least 15 of the 17 rounds are eligible for the coveted crown; and for those who made the efforts and participated in all 17 races, the best and worst result will be scrapped.
With four qualifying session completed for 2000, the differentials are once again on a roll! Let's see which drivers deserve bragging rights.
Britain Notables
- Button. You gotta hand it to the youngster - the hype around Briton Jenson Button may well seem overblown, but in so much as four races Jenson is not letting down his supporters, quite the contrary. Once again outqualifying his talented and experienced teammate, Ralf Schumacher, Button landed 6th on the grid, alongside his 'idol' Michael Schumacher... need we say more?
- Wurz. Once upon a time there was a very tall Austrian driver, who was perceived as WC material... but that was once. In Britain, Alex Wurz set his worst ever qualifying position. Perhaps it's time to put the shoe on the other foot, Alex?
- Barrichello. We knew it would happen at some point, and indeed it has: Rubens Barrichello outqualified Michael Schumacher, and set his third pole position - a first with Ferrari. Barrichello seems to have a talent to grabbing pole when everyone else falters in changing weather conditions but none the less, it will not detract from his statistics against Schumacher: they are now 3:1. We're keeping score!
- The excuses: with the fast-changing track conditions, timing and traffic were everything. But then again, those excuses apply for all, so no exceptions this time!
- Changes since San Marino: in what seems to be the pendulum of 2000, Jos Verstappen is now ahead of teammate Pedro de la Rosa - the two Arrows drivers exchanging positions after each round this year. The suspense is killing us: who will get the last say?....
The average gap between teammates in Britain was 0.725s -- somewhat higher than the average at San Marino, which was 0.654s. This, compared to 0.455s in Brazil and 0.874s in Australia.
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