ATLAS F1   Volume 7, Issue 18 Email to Friend   Printable Version
Atlas F1   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 five qualifying sessions completed for 2001, the differentials are on a roll! Let's see which drivers deserve bragging rights.

Spain Notables

  • Setting the records straight. Spain was the best qualifying result of Kimi Raikkonen; while Luciano Burti, Fernando Alonso and Enrique Bernoldi equalled their best grid position.

  • Burti/de la Rosa. We're not sure what it says about Jaguar, Prost and #1 drivers, or Luciano Burti - but the fact that the rookie Brazilian was able to match his best qualifying position and out-qualify his senior teammate Jean Alesi, amidst having just switched teams a week ago, must be registered as a notable. Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa on the other hand had a weekend to forget, no doubt, as he qualified over a second behind Eddie Irvine. But, the good news (or bad, depending who you support) is that Irvine, Alesi, de la Rosa and Burti are all officially excluded from the 2001 Qualifying Differentials Championship - as none of them will have at least 15 qualifying sessions in one pair.

  • Changes since San Marino: BAR's Jacques Villeneuve moved back ahead of teammate Olivier Panis, but only by a whisker: a mere six thousandths of a second separate the two.

Spain Differentials

Averages Through Spain

The average gap between teammates in Spain was exactly the same as last year's: 0.480s. This, compared to the previous Grand Prix in San Marino, where the average gap was 0.715s; 0.25s in Brazil; 0.588 in Malaysia; and 0.852 in Australia.

Average Gaps - 2001 Vs 2000

Marcel Borsboom© 2007 autosport.com
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