Round 15 · 2003

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Indianapolis, USA · September 28, 2003 · Circuit History · Wikipedia

Kings of this circuit
The race, in perspective

Race debrief

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

R152003
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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 415 earlier finishes across 37 races, 1996–2003. 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
M. SchumacherFerrari #12466 No error range P1 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
K. RäikkönenMcLaren #42256 No error range P2 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
H. FrentzenSauber #161969 No error range P3 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
J. TrulliRenault #102067 No error range P4 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
N. HeidfeldSauber #92087 No error range P5 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
J. Pablo MontoyaWilliams #22433 No error range P6 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
G. FisichellaJordan #171957 No error range P7 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
J. WilsonJaguar #201903 No error range P8 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
C. da MattaToyota #112064 No error range P9 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
J. VerstappenMinardi #181954 No error range P10 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
N. KiesaMinardi #152017 No error range P11 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
J. VilleneuveBAR #132036 No error range DNFEngine Not assessedQualifying unavailable
R. FirmanJordan #191932 No error range DNFSpun off Not assessedQualifying unavailable
D. CoulthardMcLaren #72209 No error range DNFGearbox Not assessedQualifying unavailable
F. AlonsoRenault #52223 No error range DNFEngine Not assessedQualifying unavailable
J. ButtonBAR #122054 No error range DNFEngine Not assessedQualifying unavailable
O. PanisToyota #142018 No error range DNFAccident Not assessedQualifying unavailable
M. WebberJaguar #82165 No error range DNFAccident Not assessedQualifying unavailable
R. SchumacherWilliams #32300 No error range DNFAccident Not assessedQualifying unavailable
R. BarrichelloFerrari #62220 No error range DNFCollision Not assessedQualifying unavailable
How useful is the model? See the historical check

Average absolute error on 206 classified finishes in 17 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
2.12places
Qualifying only
2.16places
Elo only
2.79places

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 grid-to-finish gain

Frentzen+12 places

The bigger picture

Championship after this round

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

  1. 1 Schumacher 92pts 0
  2. 2 Räikkönen 83pts +1
  3. 3 Pablo Montoya 82pts −1
  4. 4 Schumacher 58pts 0
  5. 5 Barrichello 55pts 0

Movement since round 14. 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.

Renault

TrulliP4+62.3 Elo
AlonsoDNF−59.1 Elo

Non-finish recorded; no finishing gap comparison.

Jaguar

WilsonP8+60.0 Elo
WebberDNF−72.9 Elo

Non-finish recorded; no finishing gap comparison.

Toyota

da MattaP9+21.6 Elo
PanisDNF−35.1 Elo

Non-finish recorded; no finishing gap comparison.

BAR

VilleneuveDNF+2.6 Elo
ButtonDNF−34.0 Elo

Non-finish recorded; no finishing gap comparison.

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 (Schumacher)
9
Non-finishes

Race

Qualifying

# Driver Grid +/- Points Season Pts Season # Elo Change Elo
P1 🇩🇪 M.Schumacher 7 +6 +10 92 P1 +20.8 2,487
P2 🇫🇮 K.Räikkönen 1 -1 +8 83 P2 +42.4 2,298
P3 🇩🇪 H.Frentzen 15 +12 +6 13 P10 +89.7 2,059
P4 🇮🇹 J.Trulli 10 +6 +5 29 P8 +62.3 2,130
P5 🇩🇪 N.Heidfeld 13 +8 +4 6 P14 +50.2 2,137
P6 🇨🇴 J.Pablo Montoya 4 -2 +3 82 P3 -16.9 2,416
P7 🇮🇹 G.Fisichella 17 +10 +2 12 P11 +59.0 2,016
P8 🇬🇧 J.Wilson 16 +8 +1 1 P19 +60.0 1,963
P9 🇧🇷 C.da Matta 9 0 8 P13 +21.6 2,086
P10 🇳🇱 J.Verstappen 19 +9 0 0 P21 +34.7 1,989
P11 🇩🇰 N.Kiesa 20 +9 0 0 P22 +14.5 2,032
DNF 🇨🇦 J.Villeneuve 12 0 6 P16 +2.6 2,038
DNF 🇮🇪 R.Firman 18 0 1 P18 +13.9 1,946
DNF 🇬🇧 D.Coulthard 8 0 45 P7 -48.3 2,161
DNF 🇪🇸 F.Alonso 6 0 55 P6 -59.1 2,164
DNF 🇬🇧 J.Button 11 0 12 P12 -34.0 2,020
DNF 🇫🇷 O.Panis 3 0 6 P15 -35.1 1,983
DNF 🇦🇺 M.Webber 14 0 17 P9 -72.9 2,093
DNF 🇩🇪 R.Schumacher 5 0 58 P4 -105.6 2,195
DNF 🇧🇷 R.Barrichello 2 0 55 P5 -99.8 2,120

Qualifying results are not available for this race.

Elo Changes