F1 2026: Updated Teammates' Qualifying Head-to-Head Before the Sao Paulo GP

Qualifying sessions typically are a test of pure skill for drivers, as they pit their one-lap pace mainly against their teammates. That's why it's very fun to track how well drivers stack up against their peers in qualifying, as you'll find out below.

Note: This list tracks only the main qualifying sessions, and won't include Sprint qualifying.

George Russell trimmed the gap by qualifying P2 in Mexico, three spots ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli. However, Antonelli had a better qualifying performance in Interlagos last year, when he qualified second, ahead of Russell in sixth.

This is the closest qualifying head-to-head in this list, with Charles Leclerc leading by only one session over Lewis Hamilton. If the last few races are an indicator, the Prancing Horse has the pace to fight for the win in Interlagos. We won't be surprised if both Ferrari drivers lock out the front row in qualifying.

Oscar Piastri has struggled in qualifying this season, especially when compared to his teammate Lando Norris. Last weekend in Mexico was an example, when Piastri failed to advance to Q3 for the first time in two years. 

Max Verstappen aims to do better in qualifying this year in Brazil. In 2025, a car setup nightmare apparently cost Verstappen a lot of time, and he exited the session in Q1. His teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, also dropped out early in P19.

Liam Lawson has qualified better than teammate Arvid Lindblad, and he has dominated in their race head-to-head. There's not much more to be said about Lawson's value to this team.

This is one of the most lopsided qualifying head-to-heads between teammates this season.  Franco Colapinto didn't do well here in Brazil last year, either. He exited Q1, while his teammate Pierre Gasly qualified in ninth.

Rafael Camara will make his qualifying debut in Formula 1 this weekend. Oliver Bearman has been in good form this season, though. The British driver had a 13-5 lead over teammate Esteban Ocon in qualifying, before Haas decided to drop the axe on Ocon.

Due to damage that his car sustained in the Sprint, the hometown hero Gabriel Bortoleto didn't participate in the Sao Paulo qualifying last year. This means that the Brazilian driver will also make his F1 qualifying debut in Interlagos this weekend.

Carlos Sainz Jr. has dominated his qualifying head-to-head with teammate Alex Albon. But overall, this is still a Williams car that is severely underperforming, especially with the high expectations placed on the team prior to the season.

Fernando Alonso just missed out by one spot in Q3 in Brazil last year. But the AMR26 has been a different story this year. It will be very surprising if the two Aston Martin drivers don't exit Q1 this weekend.

Valtteri Bottas is coming off a nightmare weekend in Mexico, where his suspension failed, forcing him into the barriers and out of the race. Cadillac should have the issue fixed by now, although the team is still not expected to fight for a Q2 appearance here in Interlagos.