ATLAS F1   Volume 7, Issue 12		Email to Friend   Printable Version
		Qualifying Differentials

	by Marcel Borsboom, Netherlands

For the fourth year running, 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 two qualifying sessions completed for 2001, the differentials are on a roll! Let's see which drivers deserve bragging rights. Malaysia Notables Setting the records straight. A number of drivers set their best F1 grid position ever, including Juan Montoya, Gaston Mazzacane and Luciano Burti. But, before they party, it should be also noted that at the same time all three were outqualified by their teammates... Schumacher. Not Michael. Ralf Schumacher had what was his undeniable best ever qualifying performance. Yes, he already qualified third once before - in France 1997 - but never before was he a serious contender for the front row, only robbed of at least second place in the very dying moments of the session. Kudos to Ralf, then, for a great performance. Marques. The Minardi comeback driver, Tarso Marques, made another comeback in Sepang, when he outqualified his rookie teammate, Fernando Alonso, by over half a second. However, Alonso still leads Marques in the average differentials by over a second, due to the abysmal gap they had in Australia. Bernoldi. Enrique Bernoldi's time from qualifying was stripped after the session was over because his car did not conform to the regulations. Therefore, he and Arrows teammate Jos Verstappen are not included in this week's Differentials chart.

The average gap between teammates in Malaysia was 0.588. This, compared to 0.526 in the 2000 Malaysian Grand Prix, and 0.852 in Australia.

Marcel Borsboom	© 2007 autosport.com
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