Teammate rivalries are something that occasionally comes to fruition within the world of motorsport. Whether they're racing for the top spot or for the final points paying position; the tension can build up between drivers with it, in some cases, eventually exploding. And, although this can make for fantastic racing and viewing for the fans, the teams may have other opinions.
In Formula One, rivalries between teammates isn't anything new, with many pairings throughout the history of the popular motor racing championship coming head to head. In the current F1 season, it look's as if we're being treated to yet another fantastic intra-team battle with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez at Red Bull Racing. (You can read my article about their dwindling teammate relationship here.) And this got me thinking. From the past to the present, which driver pairings have been the most intense; and, in one way or another, have managed to rock the world of F1? Let's take a look.
Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna (1988-1989)
1988 was a dominant season for McLaren and their drivers; Prost and Senna. Between them they won 15 out of 16 races over the course of the season, with Senna securing that year's title. However, in 1989 the animosity between the driver pairing would escalate and come to a complete fruition during the Japanese Grand Prix when the two collided. Although Senna won this race, he would later be disqualified, handing the '89 championship to Prost who then departed the team for Ferrari. Prost would go on to say that "to be honest, I’m quite happy to leave because I think it becomes absolutely impossible to work with Ayrton.” Despite their on-track and off-track differences, the two World Champions eventually reconciled before Senna's untimely death in 1994.
Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi (1981-1982)
This intra-team rivalry has, in the past, been described as one of, if not, the most intense rivalries in Formula One. And, although initially the pairing of Villeneuve and Pironi worked, it didn't take much for their relationship to fall apart, with Villeneuve vowing to never talk to his teammate ever again after they clashed during a race. Later, in 1982, things got worse between the teammates, most notably at the San Marino Grand Prix. Ferrari, the team both Villeneuve and Pironi drove for, requested that both drivers slow down as they had a considerable lead over the rest of the field. The pairing would constantly switch positions with Pironi winning the race on the final lap, a move that left his teammate furious and their relationship non-repairable. Less than two weeks later, Villaneuve was killed during qualifying at Zolder as he supposedly attempted to go faster than Pironi. To this day, opinions are split on what actually happened with the accident but what is known is that Villeneuve was angry with Pironi and that this intra-team battle could have contributed in some way to Villeneuve's demise.
Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber (2009-2013)
The rivalry between Vettel and Webber started in 2007, sometime before they became teammates. It was at that year's Japanese Grand Prix when the two collided behind the safety car. Frustrations were more than understandable as both drivers stood a chance of taking their maiden wins. However, in 2009 any hard-feelings between the two had to be put aside when Vettel joined Webber at Red Bull Racing. And, although 2009 was a successful year for the team, 2010 brought yet another downward spiral between the teammates. At the 2010 Turkish GP, Webber was on course for his third consecutive win that season when Vettel attempted an overtake on him and made contact causing both drivers to spin. After several more incidents throughout 2010, 11 and 12, it's fair to say that the relationship between Vettel and Webber had become non-existent and in 2013 it reached a boiling point after the infamous "Multi-21" incident at the Malaysian Grand Prix. Vettel said of the incident: "the bottom line is I was racing, I was faster, I passed him, I won," a statement that summarised the rivalry between the two. Webber would go on to leave Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel at the end of the 2013 season.
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg (2013-2016)
Despite being childhood friends during their karting years, things turned sour rather quickly when Hamilton and Rosberg teamed up at Mercedes in 2013. From 2014, the year of new regulations, Mercedes created a package that dominated the field and with both drivers vying for the championship, it was inevitable that sooner or later things would come to blows. Their most infamous clash was at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix when Rosberg collided with Hamilton on the first lap resulting in a double DNF for the team. This was a big blow for Hamilton as Rosberg had already won every race that season so far. The rest of the season was full of tension in the Mercedes camp as the relationship between the drivers dissolved into nothing. Rosberg would eventually win the 2016 championship and announce his shock retirement soon after.
Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton (2007)
Although Alonso and Hamilton were teammates at McLaren for only one season, it was enough time for the two to become rivals. In fact, to the surprise of many, Hamilton, fresh out of GP2, took the fight to the more experienced Alonso during the first race of the season before appearing on the podium for nine races in a row. Things started to change during the Monaco Grand Prix when tension grew due to team orders that denied Hamilton the chance to fight Alonso for the win. Later on in Hungary, team orders caused more issues when Hamilton failed to follow them. This frustrated Alonso who then went on to sabotage his teammate's qualifying lap before receiving a grid penalty for his actions. The rest of the season was full of issues between Hamilton and Alonso and, although, both drivers finished the season tied on 109 points, Hamilton was ahead of Alonso. Alonso would leave McLaren at the end of the season with Hamilton taking the championship win the following year.
So there we have it - five teammate rivalries that have manage to rock the Formula One world and it's fair to say that there are plenty more waiting out there. Will the rivalry between Verstappen and Perez in 2023 become one for the history books? Time will tell.
Which teammate rivalries have you enjoyed watching in the past? Let me know in the comments section below!
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