Formula 1: All 10 teammate battles ranked from No. 10 to No. 1
By Asher Fair
Considering the fact that all 20 drivers who finished out the 2023 Formula 1 season are set to be back with their respective teams in 2024, the first time that has ever happened in the history of the sport, it was a relatively mundane offseason -- sure, right?
Jokes aside, the chaotic portion of the calendar between the end of the 2023 season and the 2024 season is almost behind us, and the latter is scheduled to get underway this weekend with the Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit.
The only driver change that has been made to the grid since the start of the 2023 season took place at AlphaTauri, now known as Visa Cash App RB, during the season, when Daniel Ricciardo took over for the struggling Nyck de Vries and joined Yuki Tsunoda. Ricciardo did end up missing a handful of races with a wrist injury he suffered in a crash, but he retained the seat for 2024.
So all 20 drivers on this year's grid have experience competing against their teammates, which should set up some pretty intriguing battles throughout what is slated to be a record-breaking 24-race calendar.
Formula 1 teammate battles, ranked
We used odds listed at FanDuel Sportsbook, which is currently offering a $150 bonus to fans who place a successful $5 bet (effectively a +3000 odds boost), to rank this year's 10 teammate battles.
Let's have a look at the odds for each battle, plus how each one turned out a season ago.
Odds and availability subject to change
No. 10 - Red Bull
Max Verstappen: -6000
Sergio Perez: +1300
2023 result: Verstappen, 575-285
Tied-No. 8 - Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso: -670
Lance Stroll: +415
2023 result: Alonso, 206-74
Tied-No. 8 - Williams
Alex Albon: -670
Logan Sargeant: +415
2023 result: Albon, 27-1
No. 7 - Sauber
Valtteri Bottas: -480
Zhou Guanyu: +320
2023 result: Bottas, 10-6
No. 6 - McLaren
Lando Norris: -335
Oscar Piastri: +240
2023 result: Norris, 205-97
No. 5 - Ferrari
Charles Leclerc: -290
Carlos Sainz Jr.: +215
2023 result: Leclerc, 206-200
No. 4 - Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton: -270
George Russell: +198
2023 result: Hamilton, 234-175
No. 3 - Haas
Nico Hulkenberg: -245
Kevin Magnussen: +182
2023 result: Hulkenberg, 9-3
No. 2 - Visa Cash App RB
Daniel Ricciardo: -164
Yuki Tsunoda: +125
2023 result: Ricciardo, 6-5*
*=only the races in which both Ricciardo and Tsunoda competed as teammates are included
No. 1 - Alpine
Pierre Gasly: -114
Esteban Ocon: -114
2023 result: Gasly, 62-58
Note that none of the drivers who lost their respective teammate battles last year are favored to win this year, which is not very surprising seeing as how none of the rosters have changed.
The three biggest surprises are probably the placement of McLaren, Ferrari, and Haas. Piastri's development was evident as his rookie season progressed, and he even managed to do something Norris couldn't: win a sprint race.
As for Ferrari, Sainz beat Leclerc in 2021, and he was ahead for pretty much the entire 2023 season, up until the season finale. He is also the only non-Red Bull winner from 2023, making him one of only three drivers who are set to enter the 2024 season on multi-year winning streaks. Oh, and the chip on his shoulder from being replaced by Hamilton from 2025 should help, too.
Then there is Haas, where Hulkenberg dominated Magnussen in 2023 despite having been out of the sport since 2019. I guess this ranking is based more on the fact that Haas will probably struggle to score points at all in 2024. After all, we cannot forget that Robert Kubica technically beat George Russell at Williams in 2019, despite having been consistently outperformed by his teammate.
A nine-leg parlay on the favorites is listed at +780. Add either Gasly or Ocon to create a 10-leg parlay, and it jumps to +1552.
A nine-leg parlay on the underdogs? +31581137 (bet $1 to win $315,811.38). Throw Gasly or Ocon in to make it +59283977.
While FanDuel caps potential winnings at $1,000,000 and therefore you can't bet more than a few dollars, I don't recommend either.
Next. Formula 1 makes necessary change (plus two questionable ones) for 2024. Formula 1 makes necessary change (plus two questionable ones) for 2024. dark
The 2024 Formula 1 season is scheduled to begin on Saturday, March 2, not Sunday, March 3, with the Bahrain Grand Prix. ESPN is set to provide live coverage from Bahrain International Circuit beginning at 9:55 a.m. ET. Begin a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss it!
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