Formula 1 2019: Your Biggest Rival Is Your Teammate

With only two days of preseason testing completed, I’ll refrain from discussing the teams’ performances until next week, as thus far, the times being set are next to meaningless. What I want to discuss is the inter-team battles, as 2019 is set to throw up some interesting stories.

Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton v Valtteri Bottas.

Whether Mercedes are going to continue their run of dominance in the turbo-hybrid era of Formula 1 is yet to be seen, but you would be crazy to bet against them.

Valtteri Bottas goes into his third season with the World Champion constructor carrying some serious weight on his shoulders.

The Finn will not only be hoping to take the fight to his five-time World Champion teammate, Lewis Hamilton, but he will also be racing for the future of his career.

Bottas ended the 2018 season without a win to his name, driving what was arguably the best car on the grid.

OK, a couple of wins were taken away from him, notably Baku and Sochi, but he also lost the lead of others without putting up a strong enough fight against title rivals, Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari.

Bottas struggled to hold onto leads in 2018

Mercedes have a raft of young drivers from their junior programme who are chomping at the bit to jump in their car, including ex-Force India driver, Esteban Ocon, who will be the team’s reserve driver this year. Dare I say it, if Bottas doesn’t perform, he could be replaced before season’s end?

Of course, making Bottas’ task even more difficult is the fact his teammate is Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton solidified his place as one of the all-time greats by taking his fifth championship in 2018. Although he is going into his 13th season in Formula 1, Hamilton is ageing like a fine wine, appearing to become an even more complete racing driver with every lap.

With little left to prove, Hamilton appears more relaxed and content than ever, and when he’s in a happy place, he tends to perform at his best. If Mercedes give Hamilton the car, I can’t see Bottas getting near Lewis, a problem Bottas’ might share with the rest of the grid.

Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel v Charles Leclerc.

The Ferrari partnership of four-time World Champion, Sebastian Vettel and young rising star, Charles Leclerc, has the potential to be the most fascinating partnership on the grid.

Vettel is going into his fifth season with the Italian team where he has yet to achieve his boyhood dream, of winning the World Championship with Ferrari.

This is due in part to Mercedes’ dominance of the sport in the last five seasons, most notably in 2015 and 2016, when they were untouchable.

In 2017 and 2018, Vettel came as close as anyone has to date of taking the fight to Mercedes. In the latter half of both those seasons however, the train came off the tracks and he had to settle for second best.

Errors by both team and driver contributed to this, but with a new management structure in place for 2019, Ferrari seems like a happier place to be. This boost in morale could be the key to Ferrari and Vettel breaking the Mercedes duct.

Vettel and Ferrari will be looking to not make mistakes in 2019

The spanner that could be thrown in the works however, is Vettel’s new teammate, Charles Leclerc. The young Monegasque impressed in his rookie season in 2018 driving for Sauber.

He pulled performances from the car that it probably didn’t deserve; and Ferrari took note. They have taken on the youngest and most inexperienced driver in their history, showing their confidence in the hot-shot.

Leclerc has an impressive CV from his junior career, including winning the Formula 2 (then GP2) championship in his debut season. He achieved this despite the sudden death of his father mid-season.

This tragedy proved the 21-year old can handle intense emotional pressure, which he’ll need when racing for the biggest name in Motorsport.

For 2019 though, I think Vettel will have the upper hand. His greater experience, his relationship with the team and the fact he has a point to prove this year, might just give him the edge over Leclerc, who still has some question marks over his consistency, especially during qualifying.

No doubt he will improve as the year progresses, so Vettel needs to make hay while the sun shines.

Red Bull: Max Verstappen v Pierre Gasly.

How the Red Bull drivers perform this year all hinges on how well Red Bull’s new engine partnership with Honda pans out.

The Japanese manufacturer has a lot to prove this year, after a rocky return to Formula 1 since 2015.

Whether Honda can supply Red Bull with a race winning engine is yet to be seen, but regardless of fighting for wins or not, the Red Bull teammates will still be compared against each other.

Max Verstappen has proved he has what it takes to race against the best and beat them. He’s a multiple race winner and has shown some breath-taking race craft. He is in no doubt, a champion of the future.

Verstappen, a proven race winner

This makes his new teammate, Pierre Gasly’s job all the more difficult. Red Bull have shown confidence in the young Frenchman, promoting him from their junior team, Toro Rosso, after just a single season.

That debut season was impressive. Gasly dominated his team mate, Brendan Hartley, scoring 29 points to Hartley’s 1. The highlight of the season being a deeply impressive fourth place finish in Bahrain.

Beating Hartley was one thing but taking on Verstappen is a whole different challenge. Gasly will have to give it everything he’s got to take on the relentless Verstappen. I’ll be surprised if he even comes close to beating Max, but I’ll be deeply impressed if he can.

Renault: Nico Hülkenberg v Daniel Ricciardo.

This pairing at Renault is one of the hardest ones to judge.

Nico Hülkenberg is an exceptional driver. Unfortunately, he has been exceptional at being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

He currently holds the moniker of being the driver with the most number of race starts without a podium finish.

He has the talent however. He won the 24-hours of Le Mans at his first attempt in 2015 and he has won almost ever junior category he has entered.

In Formula 1 however, Hülkenberg arguably hasn’t been given the equipment to prove his worth.

Renault have a lot to prove in this their fourth season in their return to Formula 1. If they provide Hülkenberg with a competitive car, he has to take advantage of it, something team boss, Cyril Abiteboul, made abundantly clear at the team’s car launch earlier this month.

Hülkenberg will be racing for his place in the team

The reason Hülkenberg needs to prove himself so urgently is he’s going up against the most competitive teammate he’s had in F1, Daniel Ricciardo, who joins the French team after growing frustrated with his tenure at Red Bull.

Ricciardo is a proven race winner, but unlike Hülkenberg, he had the machinery to do it. Whether he is the better driver than Hülkenberg is yet to be seen.

Ricciardo is hungry for a World Championship and he hopes to play the long game with Renault, having signed a multi-year deal with the team, a luxury Hülkenberg doesn’t have.

I think Ricciardo might have the edge here. Hülkenberg has a lot to prove and whether he can handle the pressure could be the deciding factor.

He must beat Ricciardo, but whether he can, I’m not so sure.

HAAS: Romain Grosjean v Kevin Magnussen.

HAAS had an impressive season in 2018, continuing to improve in only their third season in the sport, albeit aided by a little help from Ferrari.

With increased financial backing this year from a new (questionable) title sponsor, you have to believe their turn of form is set to continue.

The American outfit have retained both their drivers for this season, the only team to do so other than Mercedes.

Kevin Magnussen is in his third year of a 3-year contract; whereas teammate Romain Grosjean was lucky to be resigned by the team after a mistake filled first half of the 2018 season.

That sloppy start to the year ensured Grosjean was shown a clean set of heels by Magnussen. When he got his act together however, Grosjean out performed his Dutch teammate by season’s end and ultimately saved his career.

Grosjean needs a clean season in 2019

Just for one year though, as both the HAAS drivers have no contract signed for 2020, so they will have to do their talking on the racetrack.

This could lead to sparks between the drivers as they fight for their careers.

This pairing is too hard to call. Whoever keeps the more level head will ultimately come out on top.

McLaren: Carlos Sainz v Lando Norris.

McLaren have an all new driver line-up this year after losing their superstar driver, Fernando Alonso, at the end of 2018. They also sacked their once loved protégé, Stoffel Vandoorne, who failed to deliver the goods.

They have replaced one Spaniard with another, taking on former Toro Rosso and Renault driver, Carlos Sainz.

Sainz has proved in his first four years in F1 that he has pace. He was only marginally beaten by Max Verstappen at Toro Rosso; and he kept Nico Hülkenberg honest during his time at Renault.

Whether he has the potential to be one of the greats is still up for debate however.

Sainz will be going up against a very hotly tipped new-comer this year, Lando Norris. Norris has had a glittering junior career, winning everything bar last year’s Formula 2 championship, which he just narrowly missed out on.

McLaren will be looking to make big strides after several years of torment

Norris has a mature head on his young shoulders and McLaren could be a good place for him to hone his talent. He’s been part of their junior programme for several years now, so he knows the team well.

McLaren are in the midst of trying to reclaim their former glory, after four dismal years languishing at the back of the pack. With the team away from the front of the grid, it allows both drivers to develop away from the limelight and small achievements will seem like victories.

I think Norris will give Sainz a good run for his money. The young Brit has little to lose, if he’s beaten by Sainz, people will say he was beaten by a more experienced driver, in what will only be his rookie season. If he beats Sainz, he’ll be heralded as the next big thing.

However, I think Sainz’ experience will prevail, but he’ll have to work hard to achieve it.

Racing Point: Sergio Perez v Lance Stroll.

Racing Point, the new name of Force India, are lucky to even be competing in Formula 1 in 2019, having very nearly gone under last year.

Sergio Perez, who starts his sixth season with the team, was instrumental in saving the outfit from it’s demise in the 11th hour, a move that won’t go unnoticed by the staff who’s jobs he saved. He is well respected in the team and has provided them with some of their greatest results.

Although sometimes erratic, Perez is quick, and on a good day he is deeply impressive. This year he’ll be partnered by young Canadian, Lance Stroll, who has one big advantage over his teammate, his father owns the team.

Daddy, Daddy cool.

Although Perez halted the teams demise, it’s Lawrence Stroll, billionaire entrepreneur and father to Lance, who has secured the team’s future, by buying the outfit and corralling a group of his wealthy friends to financially invest in Racing Point.

Lawrence has also bank rolled his son’s career, which has given Lance the unfair image of being a “pay-driver”. While that moniker is somewhat true, he does also have a lot of talent and deserves his place on the grid. He learns fast and rarely makes the same mistake twice. He’s good, but is he great?

Perez should have the legs on Stroll, he’s quick and consistent; and with the team now having financial security, the sword of Damocles has been removed, so with the stress of imminent doom no longer looming, Perez should have the freedom to show his worth once again.

Alfa Romeo: Kimi Räikkönen v Antonio Giovinazzi.

The team formerly known as Sauber is now Alfa Romeo. Thanks to a lot of investment in the outfit from Ferrari, Alfa’s parent company, it’s not surprising then that their two drivers come from the Italian stable.

Everyone expected now 40-year-old Kimi Räikkönen to announce his departure from Ferrari and therefore the sport in 2018.

While the former is true, the Finn surprised everyone by signing a two-year deal with Sauber, the team he started his F1 career with way back in 2001.

Kimi loves race driving but hates pretty much everything else about F1. His return to Sauber will reduce the bullshit he has to deal with outside of the car while still enjoying his time in it.

The Finn has nothing to prove and is really in it for the fun of driving…and the pay cheque.

Kimi proved in 2018 that he’s still got it

His teammate, Antonio Giovinazzi, comes from the Ferrari junior academy and spent 2018 working very hard as Ferrari’s development driver. His feedback from his simulator work being a huge helping hand to the Italian squad’s successes last year.

Although he has three F1 races under his belt, when he filled in for the injured Pascal Weherlein in 2017, this will be his rookie season. For the same reasons as Lando Norris at McLaren, Giovinazzi has little to lose. His teammate is experienced and well respected, he just has to try not be made a fool of.

I think Kimi will have the upper hand in 2019. He proved last year he still has pace and can still win races. He performs at his best when the stress level is low, which it should be at Alfa Romeo. The elder statesman might have himself a very fruitful season.

Toro Rosso: Daniil Kvyat v Alexander Albon.

Toro Rosso, being Red Bull’s junior team, may well have to play guinea pig to their bigger brothers.

As Red Bull embarks on its new journey with Honda, rather than take risks on new technical developments, they can get Toro Rosso to experiment with them first before deciding whether to adopt them or not.

This will either play to Toro Rosso’s advantage or disadvantage, we’ll have to wait and see. In turn this will determine what type of year their two drivers will have.

Danill Kvyat has been given the rare opportunity of getting a second chance at Formula 1. He has been given this opportunity by default however, as Red Bull don’t have any other drivers in their junior programme with enough Super-license points to qualify for Formula 1, so there’s a sense he’s only keeping the seat warm until the next Red Bull protégé is ready.

Kvyat is getting a second chance in F1 after several high profile accidents saw him demoted in 2017

The one junior driver Red Bull did have access to is Alexander Albon. Albon had a breath-taking career in go-karting, which made everyone stand up and take notice. His progress through the junior formula has been less eye-opening though. Flashes of brilliance yes, but nothing consistently outstanding.

Kvyat should have the upper hand, his experience and point to prove should give him the edge. He has shown his speed in Formula 1 in the past, but If he is beaten by Albon, he’ll be gone as soon as they have someone to fill his position. Both drivers however, will have to do something spectacular to secure a future in the sport.

Williams: Robert Kubica v George Russell.

Williams, where to start?

In 2018, the once giants of the sport had the worst season in their 42-year history in Formula 1

They finished last in the championship scoring just seven points. On top of this, they lost their big title sponsor, Martini, at the end of the year.

To make matters seem even worse, due to their 2019 car not being ready, the team have missed the first two days of pre-season testing this week, which is a quarter of the pre-season programme.

All of this makes the task of their all new driver line-up all the more difficult.

Robert Kubica arrived in Formula 1 in 2006 with a bang. He was quick from the get-go, showing incredible race-craft and garnering praise from up and down the paddock. He won a race in only his second season; and ahead of the 2011 season, he was being tipped as a potential title contender. Then, disaster.

Will Kubica’s injuries hold him back?

When competing in a rally in January of that year, he had a massive accident where he almost lost his right arm. His career was over, or so we thought.

Kubica worked tirelessly to rehabilitate himself. With only partial use of his right arm, he began competing in rallies again, and not just as an also-ran, he was winning.

Miraculously, in 2017 he was given a Formula 1 test drive with Renault and proved he could still drive an F1 car. This led to Williams taking Kubica on as a reserve driver for 2018. For 2019, he has been promoted to race driver. It’s a comeback story like no other.

Kubica’s teammate will be current Formula 2 champion George Russell. George has won every junior championship he has competed in and has clearly shown he is an incredible race driver.

Like Lando Norris, who he beat to the F2 title in 2018, he has a mature head on his young shoulders, which he’ll need to compete against the much more experienced and resilient, Kubica.

Like HAAS, who comes out on top in this pairing is too hard to call. Without his injuries, it would be a slam-dunk for Kubica, but whether his limitations will hold him back is a big question mark.

Russell is a rookie and although highly rated, in the past we’ve seen hot-shot rookies crumble when it comes to the high pressure of Formula 1.

All this may pale in insignificance if Williams don’t get their act together, soon.

Melbourne can’t come soon enough

An exciting season lies ahead, the first race in Melbourne on March 17th can’t come soon enough.

-John Quinn

@JohnnyQ86

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