For several years now, Atlas F1 kept an eye on the battle between teammates with a simple measurement: comparing the qualifying times of each driver against his teammate's. The new qualifying format has made the comparison somewhat difficult - potentially, every driver could be running with a different fuel load. Moreover, with only one lap each in two back-to-back sessions, small errors could divert the results of any comparison significantly. But, we believe that over an entire season all these factors even out and the overall qualifying differentials between teammates remains the best tool to compare the natural capabilities of the drivers. So, with a few charts and several observations, it's time to see who's hot and who's not...

With nine double qualifying sessions completed for 2004, the differentials are once again on a roll! Let's see which drivers deserve bragging rights.

USA Notables

• Exclusions from the second session: The Renault duo of Fernando Alonso and Jarno Trulli were excluded from the second session's chart, because the latter did not set a time due to gearbox problems.

• Changes Since Canada: Olivier Panis is now faster than his Toyota teammate Cristiano da Matta in the average chart for the second session.

• The Gap: Compared to previous sessions this year, the gaps between teammates in general was small. Perhaps it's due to the long straight at Indianapolis and the fact that the times rely more on engine power than the driver alone.

Contact the Author Contact the Editor