Round 20 · 2021

Losail International Circuit

Al Daayen, Qatar · November 21, 2021 · Circuit History · Wikipedia

Kings of this circuit
The race, in perspective

Race debrief

What did we expect after qualifying—and who beat it?

R202021
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20 stored results 20/20 Elo snapshots 20/20 numbered grid slots 0/20 qualifying results
Elo × qualifying → race result

Did they beat the expectation?

A strong driver recovering from a poor qualifying position isn't automatically a surprise. This model estimates a finish from both inputs, then compares it with what happened.

Experimental · v1

Expected finish assumes a classified finish. DNFs stay in the full grid but receive no performance verdict. Qualifying is not the starting grid; grid differences are flagged, not silently substituted.

Fit on 620 earlier finishes across 36 races, 2012–2021. No results from this race enter its expectation.

0/20 entrants have an estimate. Missing Elo or qualifying stays visible below; a grid position is not used as a qualifying result.

Top 3

Beat the estimate

No comparable estimates available for this race yet.

Flop 3

Below the estimate

No comparable estimates available for this race yet.

0/20 entrants assessed. Up to three per side, ranked by expected minus actual finish. DNFs, missing estimates and gaps rounding to 0.0 are excluded. “Flop” means below the model's estimate—not poor driving. A ranked gap can still be inside the usual error range.

Full grid: pre-race Elo rank, qualifying position, estimated finish, actual result and difference from expectation. Positive differences mean finishing ahead of the estimate.
DriverPre-race EloQualifyingExpectedResultP1 ← position → P20vs expectedReading
L. HamiltonMercedes #12566 No error range P1 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
M. VerstappenRed Bull #22454 No error range P2 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
F. AlonsoAlpine F1 Team #102165 No error range P3 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
S. PérezRed Bull #52343 No error range P4 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
E. OconAlpine F1 Team #112128 No error range P5 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
L. StrollAston Martin #162053 No error range P6 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
C. SainzFerrari #32349 No error range P7 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
C. LeclercFerrari #62315 No error range P8 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
L. NorrisMcLaren #72280 No error range P9 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
S. VettelAston Martin #122111 No error range P10 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
P. GaslyAlphaTauri #92201 No error range P11 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
D. RicciardoMcLaren #82216 No error range P12 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
Y. TsunodaAlphaTauri #171984 No error range P13 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
K. RäikkönenAlfa Romeo #132093 No error range P14 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
A. GiovinazziAlfa Romeo #142055 No error range P15 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
M. SchumacherHaas F1 Team #191849 No error range P16 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
G. RussellWilliams #152054 No error range P17 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
N. MazepinHaas F1 Team #201827 No error range P18 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
N. LatifiWilliams #181939 No error range DNFPuncture Not assessedQualifying unavailable
V. BottasMercedes #42347 No error range DNFDamage Not assessedQualifying unavailable
How useful is the model? See the historical check

Average absolute error on 620 classified finishes in 36 earlier races within the last ten years. Each race was held out and predicted using only older races; all three models use the same samples.

Elo + qualifying
2.21places
Qualifying only
2.44places
Elo only
2.70places

The range scales the 80th percentile of earlier held-out absolute errors to this field size, rounding outward. It is an empirical error guide, not a guaranteed 80% chance for a particular driver. We require at least five checked races and 100 checked finishes before showing it.

Inputs are field-normalised Elo rank and qualifying position. The target is position among all race entries, trained only on classified finishers. Estimates are averages, not a unique predicted finishing order. Penalties, the circuit, weather, incidents and strategy aren't model inputs. Historical qualifying coverage is patchy; this is an exploratory backtest on corrected records, not proof of live forecasting accuracy.

The rating ledger

What changed in Elo?

These are actual rating changes. The expectation model above does not change Elo or fantasy scoring.

Largest Elo gain

Alonso+45.1 Elo

Largest Elo loss

Bottas−80.8 Elo

Largest grid-to-finish gain

Pérez+7 places

The bigger picture

Championship after this round

Top five in the stored standings. Points include sprint results where applicable.

  1. 1 Verstappen 351.5pts 0
  2. 2 Hamilton 343.5pts 0
  3. 3 Bottas 203pts 0
  4. 4 Pérez 190pts 0
  5. 5 Norris 153pts 0

Movement since round 19. A dash means the earlier standing is unavailable.

Explore the season →
Across the garage

Teammate results

Two-driver constructor entries from this race. A result comparison, not an adjustment for strategy or reliability.

What this analysis can—and cannot—tell you

This debrief is calculated from stored results and rating snapshots. The experimental expectation model learns from earlier races only, using Elo rank and qualifying together; it never feeds back into Elo. It is not a separately reviewed race report.

Elo uses the result order, including retirements. It does not isolate driver skill from the car, reliability, penalties or strategy. Elo seed comparisons use pre-race ratings, never today's ratings. Equal ratings share the midpoint of their rank range (for example, tied first and second become seed 1.5).

Grid gains use numbered starting slots and classified finishes only. Zero or missing grid values are excluded; a position gained is not necessarily an overtake. Qualifying gaps use the latest segment both teammates have a valid time for, never Q1 against Q3.

Lap-by-lap pace, tyre stints, pit-stop execution and safety-car effects are not available in this report. Missing data is omitted, not inferred.

Read the Elo methodology →
20
Result Entries
Avg Elo
Highest Elo (Hamilton)
2
Non-finishes

Race

Qualifying

# Driver Grid +/- Points Season Pts Season # Elo Change Elo
P1 🇬🇧 L.Hamilton 1 +25 343.5 P2 +12.7 2,578
P2 🇳🇱 M.Verstappen 7 +5 +19 351.5 P1 +15.9 2,470
P3 🇪🇸 F.Alonso 3 +15 77 P10 +45.1 2,210
P4 🇲🇽 S.Pérez 11 +7 +12 190 P4 +15.7 2,359
P5 🇫🇷 E.Ocon 9 +4 +10 60 P11 +38.2 2,166
P6 🇨🇦 L.Stroll 12 +6 +8 34 P13 +42.1 2,095
P7 🇪🇸 C.Sainz 5 -2 +6 145.5 P7 -2.9 2,346
P8 🇲🇨 C.Leclerc 13 +5 +4 152 P6 -4.8 2,310
P9 🇬🇧 L.Norris 4 -5 +2 153 P5 -6.5 2,274
P10 🇩🇪 S.Vettel 10 +1 43 P12 +10.3 2,122
P11 🇫🇷 P.Gasly 2 -9 0 92 P9 -7.9 2,193
P12 🇦🇺 D.Ricciardo 14 +2 0 105 P8 -15.9 2,200
P13 🇯🇵 Y.Tsunoda 8 -5 0 20 P14 +8.8 1,993
P14 🇫🇮 K.Räikkönen 16 +2 0 10 P16 -11.3 2,082
P15 🇮🇹 A.Giovinazzi 18 +3 0 1 P18 -12.2 2,043
P16 🇩🇪 M.Schumacher 19 +3 0 0 P19 +4.9 1,854
P17 🇬🇧 G.Russell 15 -2 0 16 P15 -24.0 2,030
P18 🇷🇺 N.Mazepin 20 +2 0 0 P21 -5.2 1,822
DNF 🇨🇦 N.Latifi 17 0 7 P17 -22.1 1,917
DNF 🇫🇮 V.Bottas 6 0 203 P3 -80.8 2,266

Qualifying results are not available for this race.

Elo Changes