F1 2024: Teammate battles so far and what's ahead
It has not taken long for some familiar themes to emerge in Formula One this season. Max Verstappen has been in imperious form, threatening to run away with the championship despite the best efforts of Sergio Perez. The battle for second is far more competitive, but only when Charles Leclerc is facing off against an unmotivated Lewis Hamilton. The real drama has been unfolding behind the top teams, where teammate battles have been fiercely contested and where some have yielded surprising results. Here's a look at how each of the 10 teams are faring so far: Red Bull: Max Verstappen has won all four races this year and is 110 points, with Sergio Perez a solid 85 points back. No real drama here, their battles have been straightforward with the Dutchman simply speeding away. Perez is in a comfortable second but would need a drastic improvement to truly challenge his teammate. Ferrari: The battle of the Prancing Horse is evenly poised between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Leclerc has been struggling in qualifying but has managed to take advantage of Sainz's misfortune in Saudi Arabia and his own strong race day performances to take the lead in the standings. Sainz is the only driver other than Verstappen to have won a race this year and has consistently outperformed his teammate, with the exception of Leclerc's strong recovery in Shanghai. McLaren: It's a showdown between two of the sport's brightest young talents, with Lando Norris ahead of Oscar Piastri. Norris scored McLaren's first podium of the year in China, with Piastri struggling to match his rookie season. Alpine: A pair of former winners, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, are struggling to compete with the mid-field in a disappointing Alpine car. Ocon has shown moments of promise but has yet to capitalize on them, while Gasly has yet to score any points this year. Haas: It's all about Nico Hulkenberg at Haas. The veteran German has consistently outperformed Kevin Magnussen, who is looking to rekindle his form from 2022. Williams: A battle of the newcomers, with Alex Albon vastly outperforming Logan Sargeant. Albon is yet to score any points but has been consistently reaching the brink of the points-paying positions, while Sargeant is yet to finish in the top 15.