Round 11 · 2021 · 1 Aug

Hungaroring

Budapest, Hungary

Results & qualifying →

Race debrief

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Elo × qualifying → race result

Did they beat the expectation?

Experimental · v1
Model & data

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

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 624 earlier finishes across 36 races, 2011–2021. No results from this race enter its expectation.

20 stored results 20/20 Elo snapshots 19/20 numbered grid slots 20/20 qualifying results

Missing Elo or qualifying stays visible in the full grid. A grid position is not used as a qualifying result.

Top 3

Beat the estimate
  1. Nicholas Latifi Williams · Elo #19 · Q18

    Expected P15.1 Finished P7

    +8.1places
  2. Esteban Ocon Alpine F1 Team · Elo #13 · Q8

    Expected P8.8 Finished P1

    +7.8places
  3. Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri · Elo #14 · Q16

    Expected P12.6 Finished P6

    +6.6places

Flop 3

Below the estimate
  1. Max Verstappen Red Bull · Elo #4 · Q3

    Expected P3.6 Finished P9

    −5.4places
  2. Daniel Ricciardo McLaren · Elo #7 · Q11

    Expected P8.1 Finished P11

    −2.9places
  3. Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo · Elo #16 · Q14

    Expected P12.4 Finished P13

    −0.6places
13/20 entrants assessed. DNFs excluded. How we rank

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
E. OconAlpine F1 Team #132085 P8 P8.8P5–P12 P1 +7.8places Above range
L. HamiltonMercedes #12617 P1 P1.8P1–P5 P2 −0.2places In range
C. SainzFerrari #52329 P15 P9.2P6–P13 P3 +6.2places Above range
F. AlonsoAlpine F1 Team #112145 P9 P8.5P5–P12 P4 +4.5places Above range
P. GaslyAlphaTauri #92181 P5 P6.1P2–P10 P5 +1.1places In range
Y. TsunodaAlphaTauri #142073 P16 P12.6P9–P16 P6 +6.6places Above range
N. LatifiWilliams #191889 P18 P15.1P11–P19 P7 +8.1places Above range
G. RussellWilliams #171987 P17 P14.0P10–P18 P8 +6.0places Above range
M. VerstappenRed Bull #42359 P3 P3.6P1–P7 P9 −5.4places Below range
K. RäikkönenAlfa Romeo #152032 P13 P11.6P8–P15 P10 +1.6places In range
D. RicciardoMcLaren #72292 P11 P8.1P4–P12 P11 −2.9places In range
M. SchumacherHaas F1 Team #181891 P20 P15.7P12–P19 P12 +3.7places In range
A. GiovinazziAlfa Romeo #162024 P14 Grid unnumbered P12.4P9–P16 P13 −0.6places In range
N. MazepinHaas F1 Team #201858 P19 P15.9P12–P20 DNFCollision — Not assessedDNF: Collision
L. NorrisMcLaren #22400 P6 P4.3P1–P8 DNFCollision — Not assessedDNF: Collision
V. BottasMercedes #32371 P2 P2.8P1–P7 DNFCollision — Not assessedDNF: Collision
S. PérezRed Bull #62320 P4 P4.7P1–P8 DNFCollision — Not assessedDNF: Collision
C. LeclercFerrari #82262 P7 P6.7P3–P10 DNFCollision — Not assessedDNF: Collision
L. StrollAston Martin #102148 P12 P9.5P6–P13 DNFCollision — Not assessedDNF: Collision
S. VettelAston Martin #122086 P10 P9.3P6–P13 DSQDisqualified — Not assessedDSQ: Disqualified
How useful is the model? See the historical check

Average absolute error on 624 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
2.14places
Qualifying only
2.38places
Elo only
2.62places

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

Ocon+67.8 Elo

Largest Elo loss

Bottas−59.5 Elo

Largest grid-to-finish gain

Sainz+12 places

The bigger picture

Championship after this round

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

  1. 1 Hamilton 195pts +1
  2. 2 Verstappen 187pts −1
  3. 3 Norris 113pts 0
  4. 4 Bottas 108pts 0
  5. 5 Pérez 104pts 0

Movement since round 10. 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.

Mercedes

HamiltonP2+3.8 Elo
BottasDNF−59.5 Elo

Non-finish recorded; no finishing gap comparison.

Q3 · Hamilton 0.315s faster

Ferrari

SainzP3+23.5 Elo
LeclercDNF−58.2 Elo

Non-finish recorded; no finishing gap comparison.

Q1 · Sainz 0.435s faster

Red Bull

VerstappenP9−16.0 Elo
PérezDNF−59.4 Elo

Non-finish recorded; no finishing gap comparison.

Q3 · Verstappen 0.581s faster

McLaren

RicciardoP11−19.9 Elo
NorrisDNF−56.6 Elo

Non-finish recorded; no finishing gap comparison.

Q2 · Norris 0.486s faster

Aston Martin

StrollDNF−48.9 Elo
VettelDSQ−46.5 Elo

Non-finish recorded; no finishing gap comparison.

Q2 · Vettel 0.099s faster

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 →