RacingMax Verstappen and Red Bull have the strangest teammate split in Formula 1 after three race weekends, but they are far from the only team dealing with a reshuffled pecking order under the 2026 rules. According to teammate analysis published by Motorsport.com and Motorsport-Total.com, Isack Hadjar has averaged 0.08 seconds quicker than Verstappen in qualifying, while Verstappen has been roughly half a second per lap faster in race trim.
That gap between Saturday and Sunday stands out because it cuts two ways at once. Hadjar has clearly moved Red Bull closer to Verstappen over one lap than the team managed with its recent alternatives. Motorsport.com said Yuki Tsunoda trailed Verstappen by 0.81s in qualifying and 1.07s per lap in races in 2025, while Liam Lawson was 1.49s down in qualifying and 1.86s off in race pace. But the same report said the Hadjar-Verstappen split may also reflect how the new regulations are shaping qualifying laps. Motorsport.com said “the earlier you get on the throttle and the later you brake, the less battery energy remains available,” and cited Charles Leclerc, Ferrari driver, saying the resulting qualifying attempts were “Crazy laps” that are “almost impossible,” in comments cited by the publication as part of its rules explanation.
Mercedes has produced the cleanest reversal so far. Andrea Kimi Antonelli has completed every relevant session alongside George Russell and leads him by an average of 0.08s in qualifying and 0.17s per lap in race trim, according to Motorsport.com and Motorsport-Total.com. That is the opposite of 2025, when Motorsport.com said Russell had been around three tenths faster than the then-rookie in both categories. After three weekends, Antonelli is not just closer. He is ahead.
McLaren has seen a similar shift. Oscar Piastri now leads Lando Norris by 0.14s on average in qualifying and 0.24s per lap in races, according to both reports. Motorsport.com said repeated technical issues for both McLarens have made direct comparisons harder, but the trend still points to a step forward from 2025, when Norris held a 0.06s edge in qualifying and a 0.03s advantage in race pace.
Ferrari is less dramatic on the surface, though the same early-season shake-up still shows up there. Leclerc leads Lewis Hamilton by 0.13s in qualifying and 0.07s per lap in races, according to Motorsport.com. The outlet said Hamilton’s start may be helped by the opening tracks, with Australia and China described as circuits that have suited him better. Motorsport.com said the pattern matched 2025 and 2026 alike: Hamilton was level with or slightly quicker than Leclerc in Australia and China before dropping about three tenths behind in Japan.
Outside the front-running teams, the sharpest swings sit at Alpine and Racing Bulls. Motorsport.com described Franco Colapinto as “one of the biggest disappointments” after he fell 0.71s behind Pierre Gasly in qualifying and 0.79s per lap in race trim. Racing Bulls has gone the other way. Rookie Arvid Lindblad has led Liam Lawson by 0.13s in qualifying and 0.14s per lap in races, according to Motorsport.com and Motorsport-Total.com, and Motorsport.com said he also scored points on his debut.
Three weekends is still a small sample, and both outlets treated some comparisons with caution where technical trouble or missing race data got in the way. Even so, the broad picture is already hard to miss. Several 2025 reference points have moved, and in some garages they have flipped completely.