It’s one of the most intriguing battles on the grid – Dan vs. Dan? Who will gain supremacy and ultimately Christian Horner/Helmut Marko/Dietrich Mateschitz’s affections…
Not only does the loser get the shame and ignominy of losing but they’ll probably be consigned to Formula E!*
Both Red Bull drivers are likely to be in the thick of it this year, with hot competition from Ferrari, Williams and even potentially Lotus. Daniel Ricciardo is the incumbent, fresh off an almost miracle year, so holds a lot of the advantage going into 2015. However this might not count for much as Red Bull promoted driver equality in 2014, allowing Ricciardo to get the better of 4x world champion Sebastian Vettel. Kvyat has much to prove but should be given the tools and support to thrive.
Interestingly this is one of the few head-to-heads where performance against another driver can be compared and used to assess how closely the two may match up; see this interesting article which uses performance Jean-Eric Vergne as a benchmark.
The data suggests that Kvyat, while more inexperienced than Ricciardo, could be a threat especially on one-lap pace when he gets to grips with the Red Bull car. Despite this there is little evidence to suggest that Kvyat can trouble Ricciardo in the races, especially if Ricciardo performs miracles on race day like in 2014.
As we all know, history does not dictate the future so have your say! Who do you think will come out on top? (Vote on the poll at top of the thread)
I'll continue to provide an update on a race-by-race basis throughout the year (in the form of a chart). I hope you all enjoy the ride that is the 2015 season - it's almost here.
* along with Buemi, Vergne, Alguersuari and Felix da Costa
Edited by Cult, 11 March 2015 - 17:24.