2022 F1 Hungarian GP: Teammate Rivalry!

Heading into the 2022 F1 Hungarian GP, the battles among midfield driver pairings were especially heating up. Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon at Alpine, and Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll at Aston Martin are proof enough that the first driver you want to beat in F1 is your teammate.

This feature for the F1 Hungarian GP is all about that! In this feature, we will take a look at where the intra-team battles stand as the sport heads towards the summer break. So, without further ado, let's get straight to it.

2022 F1 Hungarian GP: Teammate Wars!

Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton vs George Russell (6-7)

Winner: Lewis Hamilton

The F1 Hungarian GP could have been a Max Verstappen vs Lewis Hamilton titanic battle if not for the reliability issues both the drivers faced in qualifying.

Despite George Russell's spectacular qualifying, the veteran had the edge over his teammate when it comes to the long runs. This was the second P2 in a row for Hamilton and a win doesn't seem too far away for the team this season.

Red Bull

Max Verstappen vs Sergio Perez (12-1)

Winner: Max Verstappen

Sergio Perez's performances have fallen off a cliff in the last few races. This should be a concern for Red Bull considering rumors that Perez is running the modified single-plank floor (a technical requirement after the summer break).

Verstappen was once again supreme as Perez is starting to catch the ire of Helmut Marko, who does have a low tolerance for poor performances.

Ferrari

Charles Leclerc vs Carlos Sainz (10-3)

Winner: Charles Leclerc

Yes, Charles Leclerc started behind Carlos Sainz. Yes, he finished behind the Spaniard as well. However, it would be a crime to suggest that Charles Leclerc was the worst of the two Ferrari drivers.

It's safe to say that Leclerc would have won the race if not for the strategy slip.

McLaren

Lando Norris vs Daniel Ricciardo (11-2)

Winner: Lando Norris

There were signs of improvement from Ricciardo at the start of the weekend, but everything went haywire as the race unfolded. Norris, on the other hand, is starting to emerge as the driver that many top teams should be keeping a close eye on.

Alpine

Fernando Alonso vs Esteban Ocon (7-6)

Winner: Fernando Alonso

The Frenchman is getting all the hate from Alonso fans on social media for his rather aggressive defense against the Spaniard. Nonetheless, it was amazing to watch the two teammates battle it out.

Was the defense marginal? It was! But then so was the attack from Alonso. In the end, Alonso reclaimed the form he had shown throughout the F1 Hungarian GP weekend and overtook Ocon. This might be the most fun intra-team battle this season.

Aston Martin

Sebastian Vettel/Nico Hulkenberg vs Lance Stroll (11-2)

Winner: Sebastian Vettel

The F1 Hungarian GP was Sebastian Vettel putting Lance Stroll in his place for what happened at Paul Ricard. The Canadian's wheel-to-wheel maneuvers against his teammate would fundamentally be the perfect recipe for a penalty.

However, the German was having none of it and got the jump on Stroll in the unlikeliest of places. This battle is bound to get tastier as the season progresses.

AlphaTauri

Pierre Gasly vs Yuki Tsunoda (8-5)

Winner: Pierre Gasly

At AlphaTauri, it was almost a case of 'who had the worst weekend'? Gasly was out-qualified by Tsunoda, but then the Japanese spun out on his own during the race. The French driver got the dub on this one, but the overall atmosphere within the team is far too negative right now.

Alfa Romeo

Valtteri Bottas vs Guanyu Zhou (11-2)

Winner: Valtteri Bottas

Alfa Romeo is a team that is on a steep decline. Performance levels are not where they used to be earlier in the season and it shows. Having said that, it was another triumph from Bottas over his teammate as he had a couple of tenths over Zhou throughout the weekend.

Williams

Alex Albon vs Nicholas Latifi (11-2)

Winner: Alex Albon

Not much to say here as the F1 Hungarian GP saw the Williams drivers maintain the status quo with Albon holding the edge over Latifi throughout the weekend.

Haas F1

Mick Schumacher vs Kevin Magnussen (7-6)

Winner: Mick Schumacher

It was tough to pick this one. Mick Schumacher was the slower driver and drove the older package throughout the weekend while Kevin Magnussen once again clipped his front wing and had to pit early.

In the end, going on their finishing positions, Mick Schumacher gets this one as he finished ahead of his teammate at the F1 Hungarian GP.