Formula 1 is generally considered a team sport, although it features individual drivers fighting for the World Championship.
There are ten teams across the paddock, each with two drivers. Both drivers’ performances are critical, not only for their careers but the team’s overall standing in the Constructor’s Championship. The dual nature of the sport forces teams to come up with different strategies and prioritise different drivers depending on their achievements and consistency.
Midfield teams are better at determining the roles of their drivers, like Aston Martin, where Fernando Alonso is easily recognized as the number one driver despite Lance Stroll being the son of the team’s owner. These roles are easier to assign due to the major gap in skill, experience, and achievements of both drivers. Due to their consolidated roles, midfield teams find it easier to compete together and focus on having better team results – leaving personal aspirations and ego off the track.
Meanwhile, bigger teams with better drivers, like McLaren or Ferrari, struggle more in deciding who will play the role of their first and second driver. Due to the low skill difference, teams tend to consider them both as first drivers. Depending on their performances through the season and their position on the championship standings, teams will tip the scale and offer more support to one.
Prioritising a driver is a normal thing to do. Still, when the difference between them is not outstanding, it can stir the pot and set teammates against each other – this was the case with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg for Mercedes during the 2016 season. Of course, prioritising a driver is harder than it seems. Teams have to look beyond individual stats and how good they are on the car, but follow also their off-track presence, how big of a name they are outside the sport, and how much money a certain driver brings to the team through personal sponsorships.
In 2016 the difference between first and second in the World Driver’s Championship (WDC) was only five points. Subsequently, both drivers were from the same team. Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1, the team managed to come out victorious in both the WDC and the World Constructors Championship (WCC), however, the relationship between their drivers failed to survive the turbulent season they had.
With both drivers being big names in and outside of the sport and both equally talented, the team was not able to prioritise either one of them, so failed to come up with a strategy that worked in favour for either of them. While many fans consider that staying neutral and letting the drivers fight it out was the best decision, it could have ended as horribly wrong for the team as it did for the drivers.
In a more recent example of this, McLaren F1 is facing the same dilemma with drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Lando, having been part of the team for five years, is now fighting current champion Max Verstappen for the title. The talented, up-and-coming rookie is giving him a fight as well, however, despite being his teammate.
Until recently, McLaren has been unclear about their position when it comes to drivers. Both drivers have displayed amazing technical skill and desire to win, but Lando is closer to Verstappen than Oscar. As such, the team has decided to give him their support after pulling ahead on the WCC, though, many speculate this clarity has come too late.
Formula 1, despite featuring individual drivers fighting for the glory of being crowned World Champions, is ultimately a team sport. The drivers race under their team names, so the team will always have the final say.
JMC & Spanish student, native Spanish speaker and freelance photographer. 🙂
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