Who won the teammate fights in 2021? Part 1

The 2021 Repco Supercars Championship field featured 10 multi-car squads, running in either two, three or four-car configurations.

Some teams were dominated by one driver, while others featured much closer battles across garages.

In Part 1 of Supercars.com's analysis, we take a closer look at the intra-team battles at Brad Jones Racing, Team 18, Kelly Grove Racing, Matt Stone Racing and Team Sydney.

Brad Jones Racing

Championship position: Percat 7th, Hazelwood 13th, Smith 21st, Jones 23rd
Poles: Percat 1
Qualifying head-to-head: Percat 20, Hazelwood 7, Smith 2, Jones 2
Average start head-to-head: Percat 10.2, Hazelwood 14.8, Smith 21.6, Jones 16.6
Race head-to-head: Percat 22, Hazelwood 8, Smith 0, Jones 0
Average finish head-to-head: Percat 9.7, Hazelwood 13.4, Smith 19.8, Jones 18.4
Wins: N/A
Podiums: Percat 2

The departing Nick Percat was a cut above at BJR in 2021; he was top qualifier 20 times in 31 sessions, and top finisher 22 times in 30 races. Todd Hazelwood was his closest challenger in the Albury team, but Percat proved his class as he scored podiums in Darwin and Sydney, a pole in Sydney and an equal career-best series finish. Jack Smith and Macauley Jones showed glimpses of pace, but the latter's season was let down by seven DNFs.

Team 18

Championship position: Winterbottom 10th, Pye 15th
Poles: N/A
Qualifying head-to-head: Winterbottom 18, Pye 13
Average start head-to-head: Winterbottom 12.1, Pye 12.9
Race head-to-head: Winterbottom 18, Pye 12
Average finish head-to-head: Winterbottom 11.9, Pye 13.2
Wins: N/A
Podiums: N/A

Mark Winterbottom and Scott Pye returned as teammates for a second season, and for much of the season, Winterbottom had the better rub of the green. The 2015 champion never left the top 10 in the points, but still went without a podium. He hasn't finished on a podium since 2018 when he was at Tickford Racing. Pye was let down by poor luck and a number of retirements, including one at the season-ending Repco Bathurst 1000. It was a disappointing return for the team considering both drivers finished in the top 10 in 2020.

Kelly Grove Racing

Championship position: Heimgartner 17th, Reynolds 18th
Poles: Heimgartner 1
*Qualifying head-to-head: Reynolds 13, Heimgartner 12
Average start head-to-head: Heimgartner 13.3, Reynolds 12.3
*Race head-to-head: Heimgartner 13, Reynolds 11
Average finish head-to-head: Heimgartner 14.4, Reynolds 14.4
Wins: Heimgartner 1
Podiums: Heimgartner 1, Reynolds 1

Andre Heimgartner broke his duck with victory from pole position at The Bend Motorsport Park in May, while David Reynolds christened his 350th race start at Sandown with a podium. Aside from that, it was a lean year for the team, which will be after a new driver in 2022 with Heimgartner on his way to BJR. Considering both drivers were in the top 10 overall after the first few rounds, 17th and 18th overall was a major disappointment.

*The two Sydney rounds Reynolds was absent were left out of these tallies

Matt Stone Racing

Championship position: Kostecki 19th, Goddard 20th
Poles: N/A
Qualifying head-to-head: Goddard 17, Kostecki 14,
Average start head-to-head: Goddard 18.3, Kostecki 19.2
Race head-to-head: Kostecki 17, Goddard 13
Average finish head-to-head: Kostecki 18.0, Goddard 18.2
Wins: N/A
Podiums: N/A

Another team which will enter 2022 with a tweaked line-up, Matt Stone Racing's two drivers showed impressive pace at times in 2021. Jake Kostecki scored a memorable top five in Darwin, while Zane Goddard proved his qualifying prowess with a string of standout performances. Kostecki will leave for Tickford in 2022, while Goddard is likely to miss out on a seat altogether.

Team Sydney

Championship position: Jacobson 22nd, Coulthard 24th
Poles: N/A
Qualifying head-to-head: Coulthard 16, Jacobson 15
Average start head-to-head: Coulthard 19.5, Jacobson 20.6
Race head-to-head: Jacobson 18, Coulthard 12
Average finish head-to-head: Coulthard 19.2, Jacobson 19.6
Wins: N/A
Podiums: N/A

Fabian Coulthard's first season with Team Sydney featured little sunshine and six DNFs, enduring the former Shell V-Power Racing Team driver ended the year 24th and last. Garry Jacobson out-raced Coulthard and finished ahead of him in the standings, even though Coulthard narrowly edged the 2016 Super2 champion in qualifying.

Blanchard Racing Team

Championship position: Slade 12th
Poles: N/A
Average start: Slade 12.6
Average finish: Slade 11.7
Wins: N/A
Podiums: N/A

The Blanchard squad's first season as a stand-alone team was impressive, with Tim Slade 12th overall and just 98 points from the top 10. Slade scored a front-row start in Bathurst to open the season, but crashed out. His second half of the season was strong; Slade finished in the top 10 in 13 of his final 20 starts between the OTR SuperSprint and Repco Bathurst 1000. A Great Race top five was up for grabs before Slade and Tim Blanchard finished a respectable ninth.