Who is winning F1's team-mate wars?

It has been a frantic start to the season, with seven races on four continents in 12 weeks. But patterns are already starting to emerge within Formula 1 teams about which drivers have taken their opportunities and who needs to up their game.

Only three teams - Ferrari, Red Bull and Toro Rosso - have an unchanged driver line-up from 2016, and new man on the other side of the garage or not, a driver's first yardstick is their team-mate. Now, a little over a third of the way through the season, let's look at how they're stacking up against each other.

Mercedes

Bottas knew from the minute he signed his Mercedes contract that the pressure was on to prove he was the right man to replace world champion Nico Rosberg.

After seven races there have been glitches, such as an "amateur" spin during the Chinese Grand Prix and a confession that he "could have done a better job" of avoiding a first-corner crash in Spain.

But they are blips in an otherwise impressive start, with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff saying the Finn is "stepping up his game".

On outright pace, it is Bottas who comes out on top, with a supertime - a driver's fastest single time of the weekend, converted to a percentage of the outright quickest - 0.015% faster than Hamilton.

He heads the average qualifying gap by just 0.041 seconds, with an average grid slot 0.72 places better than Hamilton.

But it's Hamilton who is stronger in the races, finishing on average one place higher than he started while also accumulating 36 more points.

This year's Mercedes is, by Wolff's admission, a "bit of a diva" with a narrow sweetspot, which could explain why the team is struggling to get a set-up that works for both drivers and has only achieved a solitary one-two this season.

That difficult in making the car work for both men at the same track has been evidenced on weekends such as the Russian GP, where Bottas was able to get his first win while Hamilton laboured to fourth. Monaco was another example, with Bottas only a fraction off pole and salvaging fourth while Hamilton missed Q3 and finished seventh.

Verdict: Hamilton is the leading title hope at Mercedes, but Bottas has caused a surprise with his level of performance and could become a real threat if he can achieve consistency.

Ferrari

Raikkonen has struggled to be a match for Vettel since they became team-mates in 2015, but has shown improved form this season, scoring his first pole position since France '08 in Monaco.

But the statistics suggest he still has a long way to go to bring himself on par - or even consider consistently beating - Vettel, who is clearly the stronger of the two after seven races.

Vettel has scored nearly double Raikkonen's number of points and has the best average finish of any driver on the grid, finishing in the top two in each of the opening six races.

Vettel has been Ferrari's only genuine threat for victory so far - aside from Monaco when Raikkonen led the opening stint - and has taken three wins.

Given the pace of the car, Raikkonen should have delivered more. He ended the first seven races with just two podiums from six points finishes.

That doesn't compare so well to Vettel's run of six podiums, and he would have likely had a perfect seven in Montreal if not for picking up wing damage from contact with Max Verstappen at the start of the race.

Raikkonen has shown good qualifying form this season, taking pole in Monaco and just missing out to Vettel by 0.059s in Russia, but his team-mate has consistently delivered when it counts.

Only Nico Hulkenberg and Felipe Massa have achieved more convincing performances over their respective team-mates, with Vettel starting, on average, nearly 1.5 places ahead of Raikkonen.

Verdict: Raikkonen's upturn in form makes Ferrari a constructors' championship contender, but Vettel represents its best chance of success in the drivers' standings.

Red Bull

Verstappen described his 2017 F1 season so far as "crap" after he retired from the Canadian Grand Prix with a suspected battery failure on his Renault engine.

The teenager's frustration was understandable given he was running second after a rocket-like start, and that his team-mate Ricciardo went on to score his third-successive podium.

In race trim, when both cars finish, the pair are well-matched, with Ricciardo edging it by around one position on average and scoring 22 more points.

But Verstappen will feel he has been the better performer in races, with his points tally affected by mechanical problems.

He made a brilliant start in Bahrain, jumping both Ricciardo and Raikkonen, and then put pressure on Hamilton only to have his race terminated by brake failure.

His Montreal getaway was even better, vaulting from fifth to second before Turn 1. He kept in touch with leader Hamilton and gapped Bottas before the battery intervened.

It's close in qualifying, with Ricciardo on average 0.110s ahead (only Bottas, Carlos Sainz Jr and Pascal Wehrlein hold more slender leads over their team-mates) and the two separated by just under 1.5 places.

Verdict: Little to choose between the pair, with Verstappen demonstrating better pace and Ricciardo superior consistency. An intense battle awaits.

Force India

Perez has been one of the stars so far, scoring points in six of the first seven races to sit seventh in the drivers' standings - the best of the rest after the three 'big' teams.

The data shows Perez has dominated his team-mate, beaten only once in qualifying and just one time when both cars have reached the chequered flag.

In qualifying, the performance difference has been clearer, with Perez on average 3.34 places ahead, with an average gap of 0.252s.

Ocon has admitted qualifying is the area he needs to work on the most, but he has still yet to complete a full season in F1, having only made his Manor debut at Spa last August.

He has been closer in the races, finishing on average just over one place behind his team-mate.

Ocon had one blip, crashing in final practice in Monaco, but has otherwise been remarkably consistent and made the most of the package.

His intense battle with Perez in Canada suggests Force India will face some big decisions over the course of the rest of the season.

Verdict: Perez has the edge now, but Ocon has demonstrated he has the talent to beat his more experienced team-mate as he settles in.

Toro Rosso

Though the points tallies of the Toro Rosso drivers don't suggest a tight battle, Kvyat believes he has been "close all the time" to Sainz this season.

Ask Sainz and he says the results prove he is the man on top at Red Bull's junior team, adding that Red Bull can count on him when it next considers promoting someone.

When only comparing outright pace, the duo are the most closely-matched on the 2017 grid. The difference in their supertime is just 0.012%, while in qualifying, Sainz edges it by being a mere 0.029s on average quicker after seven races.

It's in race trim that Sainz pulls ahead, scoring 86% of the points that have put Toro Rosso fifth in the constructors' championship.

When both cars have finished, Sainz has been ahead and on average finishes nearly three places clear of Kvyat.

Kvyat has conceded that Sainz's side of the garage has done a better job when it counts on race day, but added that he has also had some bad luck - such as two penalties for the same offence in Canada.

Verdict: Sainz has the upper hand, but will face a sterner challenge if Kvyat finds some pace and consistency on Sunday afternoons.

Williams

After Hulkenberg, the un-retired Massa has the best record on the grid against his team-mate.

The Brazilian is clearly revelling in his role as team leader, and looks to be enjoying F1 as much as in 2014 when he joined Williams and his career got a new lease of life.

His performances in Australia and Bahrain were impressive - he got the best out of the car to finish sixth - and he would likely have been in contention for a podium had he not be been the innocent victim of Sainz and Romain Grosjean's crash in Canada.

Massa's form has perhaps looked better because his rookie team-mate has found life in F1 so tough. Stroll has struggled, particularly with getting his tyres into the right window.

He was not to blame for collisions with Perez in China and Sainz in Bahrain, while he suffered brake problems in Monaco.

But he was at fault in Russia, where he spun on the first lap and recovered to finish 11th, proving points were on the table.

When they have both seen the chequered flag, Massa has finished ahead on those two occasions.

But Stroll will take heart from his home race, scoring his maiden F1 points with ninth from 17th on the grid.

It's qualifying where he really needs to up his game, with Massa dominating that head-to-head and qualifying 0.901s ahead and nearly seven places clear on average.

Verdict: Massa is in control but can go off the boil when under pressure from a team-mate. It's up to Stroll to build some momentum after Canada.

Renault

Hulkenberg was signed by Renault as a team leader, tasked with helping it return to the front of the grid. And so far he has done an impressive job.

The German has the most-convincing statistics against his team-mate of any other driver on the grid, with Palmer struggling in both qualifying and race trim.

He is yet to be outqualified and holds an average advantage of 1.189s, making Q3 four times from the seven races compared to once for Palmer.

Palmer has also failed to score a single point - Hulkenberg has 18 - and has never finished ahead when both have seen the chequered flag.

While this year's chassis is stronger, the Renault factory return is overall still a work in progress. But as shown in Canada, Hulkenberg is capable of getting the most out of it.

Despite the Renault being weaker in low-downforce configuration, he hauled the RS17 into Q3 then drove a strong race to finish eighth.

Palmer couldn't do the same. It followed a nightmare start with a mix of mechanical problems and errors hampering his progress.

He openly admits he is struggling to get the car to his liking, particularly in qualifying, which in turn makes life on race day so much harder.

Verdict: Hulkenberg is in complete control at Renault, which is heaping the pressure on Palmer to deliver or face losing his seat.

Haas

Grosjean hasn't had the same explosive start that he managed in Haas's rookie season 12 months ago, and radio communication does not indicate he's having a great time.

The statistics, though, suggest he has dealt well with the challenge of new team-mate Magnussen.

On Saturday afternoons, Grosjean has been the stronger of the two, qualifying on average 2.5 places higher, with an average gap of 0.321s.

Grosjean has also scored 66.7% of the team's points, has an average finish that's two places better, and boasts a superior head-to-head record when both cars finish.

He has managed four points finishes in seven attempts, compared to Magnussen's two, but the Dane would have had at least one more had he not collided with Kvyat at Barcelona and picked up a puncture.

Magnussen certainly had the upper hand in Russia, with Grosjean offering no answer to his team-mate's pace all weekend, but in the other six races it has been the incumbent coming out on top.

But Magnussen has settled in well, saying the Haas environment is healthier than at his previous teams McLaren and Renault, and is comfortably providing a sterner challenge than Esteban Gutierrez.

Verdict: Grosjean is doing a solid job and has the early edge, but Magnussen is the happiest he's been in F1 and will be more of a threat if he can build in consistency.

Sauber

Wehrlein's back injury, sustained in an accident during the Race of Champions in January, put him on the backfoot ahead of his first season with Sauber.

Since returning three races in, though, he has quickly asserted himself in the team, despite Ericsson having been settled there since 2015.

The duo are closely-matched in both qualifying and race trim, but it is Wehrlein who just shades Ericsson, boasting the stronger pace in qualifying and better average race finish.

Sauber will not get many chances to score points this year, but when the opportunity came up, Wehrlein absorbed the pressure to finish eighth in Spain and in turn dent Ericsson's confidence.

Wehrlein's pace in Bahrain was particularly impressive, given that was his first race back. He hustled the Sauber into Q2 and just missed out on points in 11th.

But last time out in Canada, Ericsson put together his best weekend of the season relative to Wehrlein, comfortably ahead in qualifying (0.305s clear) and well clear in race conditions, finishing one lap down compared to Wehrlein's two.

Verdict: Wehrlein has delivered on his promise, dealt well with pressure and will likely emerge as the top driver if he can cut out the type of off-weekends he had in Russia and Canada.

McLaren

Vandoorne was supposed to be McLaren's answer to Verstappen, but after seven races he has failed to live up to the hype.

He is yet to outqualify Alonso in their six GP weekends together. Alonso has made Q2 on every occasion with a best of Q3 and seventh in Spain, while Vandoorne has only made Q2 once, in Monaco, and a crash at the end of that session kept him out of Q3.

On average, Vandoorne has qualified 0.586s adrift of Alonso, which puts him in the bottom three 2017 performers relative to their team-mates, ahead of only Stroll (+0.901) and Palmer (+1.189s).

Analysis of race performance is tricky given that McLaren has not yet got two cars to the finish, with Alonso seeing the chequered flag just once in five attempts.

Vandoorne lost the chance of a points finish when he put it in the wall in Monaco, while Alonso had a point go up in smoke when his engine failed with three laps to go in Canada.

McLaren says Vandoorne has struggled to adapt to the greater technological demands of F1 compared with the single-make junior formulas he learned his trade in.

He has also had to contend with a double world champion - widely considered to be the best on the grid and someone Vandoorne himself idolised growing up - on the other side of the garage.

Those two elements, combined with the fact that McLaren-Honda is struggling for performance and reliability, mean Vandoorne is up against it.

Verdict: Vandoorne's career is in danger of ending before it has even started, so impressive is Alonso's form.