Which F1 driver pairing has the most races together?

With 100 F1 races together, the Mercedes teammates pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas is second only to that of Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher, who competed in 104 races together as teammates for Ferrari. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marked the final race for the two Mercedes drivers as teammates, with Valtteri Bottas joining Alfa Romeo for the 2022 F1 season. This means that Ferrari's record will remain intact for many seasons to come.

Barrichello joined Ferrari in 2000 to partner Schumacher. Together, they dominated the sport for five seasons, winning the constructors' championship for the Maranello-based team. While Schumacher won the drivers' championship for all five seasons, the partnership was not without controversy. Despite never winning a championship himself, the Brazilian driver was the perfect teammate for Schumacher and the two played very distinctly defined roles for the team.

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"There are no games between us" - Lewis Hamilton on former F1 teammate

Whilst not the longest-lasting partnership in F1, Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton's time as teammates has been some of the most successful. Hamilton was all praise for his teammate after the revelation that this season was Bottas' final year with the Brackley-based team before his move to Alfa Romeo.

Here's what the Briton had to say to Formula1.com about what makes his pairing with Bottas tick:

“I don’t think there’s one specific thing that’s better than the other; I think it’s a combination of many things and it is a fact that there are no games between us.”

It is no secret that Lewis Hamilton has not always gotten along with his teammates. This was especially evident in his hostile partnership with former Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg. The past five seasons with Bottas, however, have been competitive but filled with respect. Mercedes won its eighth consecutive constructors' championship in 2021 and has both their drivers to thank for it.

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