ATLAS F1   Volume 7, Issue 18
		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.

Spanish Differentials                Average Spanish Differentials     
---------------------                -----------------------------     
Slower         Diff.  Faster         Slower        Diff.   Faster      
Marques     > 1.485 > Alonso         Marques     > 1.109 > Alonso      
de la Rosa  > 1.012 > Irvine         de la Rosa  > 1.012 > Irvine      
Button      > 0.851 > Fisichella     Montoya     > 0.646 > R.Schumacher
Montoya     > 0.644 > R.Schumacher   Button      > 0.352 > Fisichella  
Barrichello > 0.473 > M.Schumacher   Barrichello > 0.309 > M.Schumacher
Panis       > 0.357 > Villeneuve     Coulthard   > 0.221 > Hakkinen    
Coulthard   > 0.349 > Hakkinen       Raikkonen   > 0.194 > Heidfeld    
Frentzen    > 0.057 > Trulli         Frentzen    > 0.103 > Trulli      
Verstappen  > 0.041 > Bernoldi       Bernoldi    > 0.077 > Verstappen  
Alesi       > 0.016 > Burti          Alesi       > 0.016 > Burti       
Heidfeld    > 0.003 > Raikkonen      Panis       > 0.006 > Villeneuve  

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.

Marcel Borsboom	© 2007 autosport.com
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