ATLAS F1   Volume 6, Issue 25
		Qualifying Differentials

	by Marcel Borsboom, Netherlands

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 eight qualifying session completed for 2000, the differentials are once again on a roll! Let's see which drivers deserve bragging rights. Canada Notables Mazzacane/Heidfeld/Herbert. Well! What a difference a race makes, eh? After seven rounds of the 2000 Formula One World Championship, the head of the Qualifying Differentials table sees a drastic turn-around, with the Minardi duo, led by Marc Gene, overthrowing the Jags. Johnny Herbert, who last year managed to escape the questionable title of most-outqualified teammate at the very last race, did better this year, and with qualifying ahead of teammate Eddie Irvine in Canada, made way to not only Gaston Mazzacane, but also Nick Heidfeld. With 0.849 difference between the Minardis and 0.843 difference between the Prosts, the fight for the QD title heats up between Alesi and Gene. Stay tuned as the season progresses! Zonta. The young Brazilian answered his critics by putting in one of his best qualifying performances, matching his best ever qualifying position, eighth, and qualifying a mere two tenths of a second behind Villeneuve. This also sees him go down the charts, moving behind Jenson Button and into the more secure midfield of Qualifying Differentials. De la Rosa. After a weekend behind his teammate Jos Verstappen, Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa got his act together just in time, to qualify ahead of Jos. De la Rosa still, however, trails closely behind Verstappen in the overall averages. The average gap between teammates in Canada was 0.449 -- quite close to that at Monaco, which was 0.486s. This, compared to 0.546s in Europe; 0.48s in Spain; 0.725s in Britain; 0.654s in San Marino; 0.455s in Brazil; and 0.874s in Australia.

Canada Differentials                       Total Averages through Canada         
-----------------------------              -----------------------------         
Slower        Diff.   Faster               Slower        Diff.   Faster          
Heidfeld    > 1.168 > Alesi                Mazzacane   > 0.849 > Gene            
Mazzacane   > 1.033 > Gene                 Heidfeld    > 0.843 > Alesi           
Irvine      > 0.546 > Herbert              Herbert     > 0.696 > Irvine          
Button      > 0.461 > R.Schumacher         Button      > 0.653 > R.Schumacher    
Hakkinen    > 0.448 > Coulthard            Zonta       > 0.647 > Villeneuve      
Barrichello > 0.362 > M.Schumacher         Wurz        > 0.316 > Fisichella      
Diniz       > 0.247 > Salo                 Barrichello > 0.305 > M.Schumacher    
Zonta       > 0.198 > Villeneuve           Diniz       > 0.183 > Salo            
Verstappen  > 0.195 > de la Rosa           Trulli      > 0.182 > Frentzen        
Wurz        > 0.181 > Fisichella           de la Rosa  > 0.103 > Verstappen      
Trulli      > 0.098 > Frentzen             Coulthard   > 0.061 > Hakkinen        

Marcel Borsboom	© 2000 Kaizar.Com, Incorporated.
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