The 2023 Formula 1 season is just a few short weeks away, as the top rivalries fans love to see – Ferrari vs Mercedes, Verstappen vs Leclerc – will soon be rekindled.
But perhaps the fiercest rivalries in the entire sport are between respective team-mates, who are constantly in competition with one another.
So as the 2023 season gets closer, SBOTOP takes a closer look at three team-mate rivalries that should be quite spicy.
McLaren: Lando Norris vs Oscar Piastri
The previous F1 season was quite a disappointing one for McLaren. After finishing fourth in the constructors’ standings in 2021, they took a step back in 2022 as they finished in fifth.
In a bid to shake things up, McLaren moved on from Daniel Ricciardo and brought in promising young driver Oscar Piastri to partner Lando Norris.
The 21-year-old Piastri is regarded as one of the top young talents in F1 and is certainly not lacking in self-belief. That much was clear when he was recently asked whether he could beat his new team-mate Norris.
“Yeah, I think so,” Piastri replied. “I think everyone has to have that self-belief that they can win, or if they’re not in a position to win to do the best that they can with what they have.”
Norris did not have the best 2022 season. After garnering four podium finishes in 2021, he only managed one last season as he finished seventh in the drivers’ standings.
The pressure will now be on Norris with the arrival of the young hotshot Piastri, who will be gunning for No 1 status at McLaren.
SBOTOP odds have Piastri at 4.03 to finish higher in the standings than Norris, who is a 1.15 favourite. But don’t be the least bit surprised if the battle between the two young, talented and self-confident drivers is more competitive than expected.
Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton vs George Russell
After years of being the undisputed top dog at Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton was finally knocked off his perch last season. The seven-time world champion saw himself finish sixth in the drivers’ standings, a distant 35 points behind team-mate George Russell, who was fourth.
The 25-year-old Russell was the picture of consistency for most of last season; he finished in the top five in the first 15 races he finished. After some close calls, Russell finally claimed his maiden victory in the penultimate race in Sao Paulo, which figures to be the first of several more chequered flags for the young Brit.
Ever the competitor, though, Hamilton is unlikely to be content to step aside and let Russell take over as the top driver on the team. The 38-year-old still wants to compete for world championships, and he will do everything in his power to do so again this season.
While there is unlikely to be too much drama at Mercedes, the back-and-forth battle between the two outstanding Brits will nonetheless be a brilliant spectacle.
Red Bull: Max Verstappen vs Sergio Perez
There is no love lost between Red Bull team-mates Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. The two were involved in a high-profile row in the penultimate race of last season in Sao Paulo. Verstappen – who had already clinched the world championship at that point – refused to follow team orders to let Perez through, which would have helped his team-mate in his bid to finish second in the standings.
Perez said Verstappen “showed who really is” with the way he handled that situation, and Checo certainly won’t forget how his team-mate treated him. The dynamic between the two moving forward after that row in Sao Paulo will be fascinating to see unfold.Of course, Verstappen is the undisputed golden boy of Red Bull and is the heavy favourite according to the Formula 1 2023 odds to win his third consecutive championship this season. But Perez is an excellent driver in his own right and will be among his team-mate’s top title challengers.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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