Impressive Qualifying Pace Disparities Across the 2024 British GT Field
As the British GT Championship reaches its mid-season break, a closer look at the qualifying performances of teammates offers fascinating insights into the dynamics within each garage.
The qualifying head-to-head statistics provide a clear yardstick for assessing relative speed, with some pairings showing remarkable parity and others revealing significant gaps.
At the front, the Alpine duo of Gasly and Ocon have been nip-and-tuck, separated by a scant 0.015s on average supertimes – a gap akin to the legendary Hamilton-Alonso pairing at McLaren in 2007. This underscores the competitiveness within the French squad, even if their overall results have been somewhat inconsistent.
Similarly, the Mercedes tandem of Russell and seven-time champion Hamilton has been closely matched, with just a 0.101s margin, allaying any suggestions of a significant decline in the veteran’s single-lap pace.
Ferrari’s Leclerc and Sainz have also been closely aligned, with a 0.134s gap, suggesting the Spaniard is doing an admirable job of keeping pace with his more established teammate.
Further down the order, some pairings have shown more pronounced disparities. Norris holds a 0.185s edge over rising star Piastri at McLaren, while Tsunoda has established a 0.196s advantage over the experienced Ricciardo at AlphaTauri.
However, the most stark difference lies at Red Bull, where Max Verstappen has been a staggering 0.953s quicker than Sergio Perez on average – a gulf not seen since the Schumacher-Irvine era at Ferrari. This raises questions about Perez’s future at the championship-leading squad.
As the British GT grid reconvenes after the summer recess, these teammate battles will undoubtedly continue to be a key storyline, with drivers fighting not just for race wins but also to cement their positions within their respective teams.
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