Max Verstappen leads the F1 2026 teammate head-to-head in qualifying at 9–2. Behind the leader come Carlos Sainz (Williams, 9–2), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin, 9–2), Pierre Gasly (Alpine F1 Team, 9–3) and Lando Norris (McLaren, 8–4). Qualifying duels won against the driver in the sister car.
The Dutch Grand Prix rewrote the top of the table: Max Verstappen climbed 1 place into first. Nobody has pushed harder over the last three rounds than Arvid Lindblad (RB F1 Team): W, W, W across the Belgian, Hungarian and Dutch Grands Prix — comfortably clear of the level set over the rest of the season. Going the other way, Liam Lawson (Red Bull) has given up the most ground: L, L, L across the Belgian, Hungarian and Dutch Grands Prix, below the standard set earlier in the year.
So why is this ranking worth your time? Because it is exactly the kind of question every fan argues about and almost nobody actually counts. This one is counted: 23 drivers and 12 races of the F1 2026 season, built race by race from the official classifications. No votes, no opinions, no cherry-picked highlights — if a driver moves here, something real happened on track. And it recomputes itself after every Grand Prix, so the next time the argument comes up, the answer is already up to date.
Updated after the Dutch Grand Prix
Max Verstappen tops the 2026 "Teammate head-to-head (qualifying)" standings after the Dutch Grand Prix, posting 9–2 across 11 counted races.
Carlos Sainz (Williams) is next at 9–2, with Fernando Alonso third at 9–2.
This table is rebuilt from the official classification after every Grand Prix, so it moves only when the racing does. The big mover this round is Lewis Hamilton, up 4 places to P8. Nico Hülkenberg heads the other way, down 3 places to P13.
After round 12 at the Dutch Grand Prix, the Teammate head-to-head (qualifying) picture is still led by Max Verstappen, whose Red Bull edge stands at 9–2 from 11 sessions counted. Carlos Sainz sits second on the same 9–2 figure, with Fernando Alonso third, also at 9–2, keeping the top of the table tightly bunched on headline form. The biggest climb belongs to Lewis Hamilton, up 4 places to P8 with a perfectly even 6–6, while Lando Norris gains 2 to reach P5 at 8–4 and Arvid Lindblad also rises 2 to P11 on 6–6. On the other side, Nico Hülkenberg drops 3 to P13 (6–6), Sergio Pérez falls 3 to P14 (6–6), and Sainz slips 1 place to P2 despite matching the leader’s 9–2. The distinct story this week is how much the order is being shaped by movement among the mid-table draws: with multiple 6–6 records shifting several positions, small changes in rank are coming more from volatility than from a clear qualifying advantage.
In every qualifying session where exactly two drivers of the same constructor set a position, the driver with the better qualifying position takes one win. Constructor is determined from that same round's race-result rows (qualifying has no constructor field on its own); a driver with a qualifying position but no race-result row that round (e.g. a DNS) is excluded from that session's pairing rather than guessed. The ranking orders drivers by wins, then by win rate. The record is shown as wins–losses. Ties beyond win rate are broken by total season points, then alphabetically.
In every qualifying session where exactly two drivers of the same constructor set a position, the driver with the better qualifying position takes one win. Constructor is determined from that same round's race-result rows (qualifying has no constructor field on its own); a driver with a qualifying position but no race-result row that round (e.g. a DNS) is excluded from that session's pairing rather than guessed. The ranking orders drivers by wins, then by win rate. The record is shown as wins–losses. Ties beyond win rate are broken by total season points, then alphabetically.
After every Grand Prix. The standings above reflect results through the Dutch Grand Prix.
A higher value is better — the driver at the top of the table is the strongest by this measure.
Max Verstappen (Red Bull), with 9–2.