All season long I have tracked the results from the qualification sessions, and for each race, I have determined the time differential between teammates. The theory here is that the team will prepare somewhat similar cars, and the qualifying gives us a glimpse into who is faster on each team. Obviously, Schumacher in a Forti could not compete with drivers in the Ferrari camp, but I bet he would run the pants off any other driver in a Forti. I even argued early on that drivers must see their relative qualifying times as very important components in their weekend performances--their marketability certainly rests on being the fast driver on the team.

Only 16 men participated in every race, and the analyses that follow focus on this elite Formula One Sweet 16. As seen in the first figure, Heinz-Harald Frentzen wins as the best relative qualifier. Not only did he better his teammates (Wendlinger and Boullion) by more than 1.5 seconds per race, he actually beat them in all seventeen events. To no one's surprise, Michael Schumacher dominated his teammate (Herbert) by over one second per event. Roberto Moreno was the relative winner in the Forti stable, and Eddie Irvine took the measure of Barrichello. I believe many Formula One fans were looking forward to this showdown all year, and Irvine won in this year-long comparison. Gerhard Berger won the Ferrari battle, and Olivier Panis defeated his two Ligier teammates (Suzuki and Brundle). Over the course of the year, Damon Hill and David Coulthard ran essentially dead even.

Next year I believe qualifying will be more important and intense than ever. Rules changes regarding the length of practice time, the single qualifying session, and the 107 percent rule will make qualifying more interesting for all of us. The season cannot start too soon for my tastes.