The 2026 Qualifying and race head-to-heads so far

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As the 2026 season reaches its halfway point, now is the perfect time to assess how the team mate head-to-heads have stacked up so far. Who from each of the 11 pairings on the grid has had the upper hand in Qualifying and/or race trim across the first half of the campaign? Let’s take a look at the numbers… Qualifying: Russell 4-7 Antonelli Race: Russell 4-7 Antonelli Perhaps unsurprisingly given his hold on the top spot in the Drivers’ Championship, Kimi Antonelli has also taken the lead when it comes to the head-to-head statistics at Mercedes. The Italian has beaten George Russell in Qualifying seven times out of 11, with six of these occasions seeing him take pole position. The numbers are repeated in the race day figures, Antonelli having crossed the line ahead of Russell at seven Grands Prix – and winning at six of these. Russell on the other hand has experienced marginally more bad luck, recording two DNFs in comparison to one for Antonelli. Qualifying: Leclerc 6-5 Hamilton Race: Leclerc 5-6 Hamilton Over at Ferrari, there is little to choose between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton on both counts. Leclerc has the edge in the Qualifying figures but only just, classifying in front of his team mate at six out of 11 weekends. The numbers are reversed for race day, Hamilton leading on six higher finishes to Leclerc’s five. Both drivers have taken one Grand Prix victory apiece, while Hamilton just beats Leclerc in terms of podiums scored by five to four. Qualifying: Norris 7-4 Piastri Race: Norris 5-5 Piastri* *No mark included for the Chinese Grand Prix as both drivers failed to start In the Qualifying statistics between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, Norris leads the way with seven better results. This included his pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix, marking his and the team’s best grid slot of the season so far. The McLaren pair draw equal in race day figures, while they are also even in terms of retirements – Norris having recorded two DNFs, while Piastri has one to his name as well as a DNS from the season opener in Australia. Norris is responsible for the squad's only win in 2026 so far at the Hungaroring. Qualifying: Verstappen 8-3 Hadjar Race: Verstappen 8-3 Hadjar Isack Hadjar faced the difficult task of stepping up as Max Verstappen’s new team mate at Red Bull in 2026 – and while he has enjoyed a solid start to the campaign, it is the Dutchman that leads the way in the statistics. Verstappen has outqualified his team mate on eight occasions, as well as finishing ahead on race day the same number of times. The four-time World Champion recorded retirements at the other three events, one more DNF than the two experienced by Hadjar. Qualifying: Lawson 6-5 Lindblad Race: Lawson 8-3 Lindblad The first half of the season has been strong for Racing Bulls, with both drivers performing well. However, it is Liam Lawson who has taken the lead in the head-to-heads – albeit narrowly in Qualifying form, the New Zealander holding the edge by six to five over Arvid Lindblad. Lawson has finished ahead of Lindblad at eight out of 11 Grands Prix, though the gap between the duo – who have recorded five double points finishes so far – has often been small. There has been one retirement so far for Lawson in Miami, while Lindblad did not start in Canada due to a clutch issue. Qualifying: Gasly 9-2 Colapinto Race: Gasly 7-4 Colapinto Pierre Gasly has been dominant in the Qualifying statistics at Alpine, having beaten Franco Colapinto by nine to two. The picture is a little more even on race day, where Gasly’s lead is down to seven over Colapinto’s four. The French driver scored the team’s best finish of P3 in Monaco, but also recorded their only DNF so far in Miami. Qualifying: Bearman 8-3 Ocon Race: Bearman 7-4 Ocon At Haas, Ollie Bearman has qualified ahead of Esteban Ocon on eight occasions. The Briton’s best Saturday result has been a P10 in China, which also marked the only time that one of the squad’s cars has progressed to Q3. Bearman has the edge in Grand Prix finishes too, beating Ocon by seven to four. In terms of reliability, Bearman has suffered three DNFs in comparison to none as of yet for Ocon. Qualifying: Hulkenberg 6-5 Bortoleto Race: Hulkenberg 4-7 Bortoleto The statistics are split over at Audi. Nico Hulkenberg holds the advantage in the Qualifying head-to-head, though only by six to five against Gabriel Bortoleto. It is Bortoleto, however, who has the better race day statistics, the Brazilian finishing ahead of Hulkenberg at seven of the 11 rounds so far. The younger driver has enjoyed better luck in terms of reliability; Bortoleto has crossed the line at every race barring China – where he failed to start – while Hulkenberg has suffered three DNFs along with a DNS in Australia. Qualifying: Albon 2-9 Sainz Race: Albon 5-6 Sainz It has been a tough campaign so far for Williams, who remain down in P9 of the Teams’ Championship. While there has not been much to celebrate, Carlos Sainz might take heart from the fact that he has led the Qualifying head-to-head by nine to two over Alex Albon. Sainz also tops the Grand Prix figures, albeit only by six to five. Incidentally these numbers represent the number of points scored by each driver too, with Sainz recording three P9 finishes while Albon has a P8 and a P10 to his name. Qualifying: Alonso 9-2 Stroll Race: Alonso 6-2 Stroll* *No mark for the Australian, Chinese and Barcelona Grands Prix as both drivers retired Like Williams, Aston Martin have endured a challenging first half of 2026. Such were the squad’s car issues that neither driver was able to finish the opening two rounds in Australia and China, while both also retired with reliability problems in Barcelona. In terms of the head-to-heads, Fernando Alonso has outscored Lance Stroll on both counts – albeit by a lesser extent on Sundays – and the Spaniard is also responsible for the team’s sole point from his P10 finish in Monaco. Qualifying: Perez 6-5 Bottas Race: Perez 6-3 Bottas* *No mark for the Austrian and Hungarian Grands Prix as both drivers retired Cadillac recruited the experienced pairing of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez for the squad’s maiden F1 season – and while the duo have often been fighting towards the rear of the pack, Perez has marginally beaten his team mate in the Qualifying figures so far. The Mexican also holds the advantage in the Grand Prix statistics, finishing ahead of Bottas on six occasions. 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