With the 2017 season now in the rear-view mirror and the 2018 Formula One season rapidly appearing on the horizon, it’s time to compare the Williams teammates. To do so, we need to look at the statistics of the duo. Did the rookie beat the veteran?
It’s probably not very surprising when I tell you that Felipe Massa performed better over the course of the season than Lance Stroll. The duo was extremely close when it came to points, with only three points separating the pair. Many of Stroll’s points came from a shocking podium finish in Baku, something that Massa was unable to accomplish all season.
However, qualifying pace showed a clear advantage for Massa, as the Brazilian outqualified his rookie Canadian teammate at all but two of the races. This qualifying advantage greatly helped Massa to also outrace his teammate in 13 of the races in the season.
Even eliminating Stroll’s rocky start to the season left Massa with the lead in the teammate comparison. With race retirements excluded, Massa’s average finishing position in 2017 was between P9 and P10, while Stroll’s was P11.
Nevertheless, a significant performance gap is expected when comparing a rookie to another driver, as there is a learning curve when you enter Formula One. Stroll looks to have some good potential going into the 2018 season.
