Round 12 · 2014

Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

Spa, Belgium · August 24, 2014 · Circuit History · Wikipedia

Kings of this circuit
The race, in perspective

Race debrief

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

R122014
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22 stored results 22/22 Elo snapshots 22/22 numbered grid slots 0/22 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 605 earlier finishes across 36 races, 2004–2014. No results from this race enter its expectation.

0/22 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.

0/22 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 → P22vs expectedReading
D. RicciardoRed Bull #42393 No error range P1 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
N. RosbergMercedes #12480 No error range P2 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
V. BottasWilliams #62336 No error range P3 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
K. RäikkönenFerrari #92200 No error range P4 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
S. VettelRed Bull #52358 No error range P5 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
J. ButtonMcLaren #72290 No error range P6 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
F. AlonsoFerrari #22465 No error range P7 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
S. PérezForce India #122141 No error range P8 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
D. KvyatToro Rosso #172012 No error range P9 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
N. HülkenbergForce India #82242 No error range P10 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
J. VergneToro Rosso #132073 No error range P11 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
K. MagnussenMcLaren #102198 No error range P12 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
F. MassaWilliams #112150 No error range P13 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
A. SutilSauber #162012 No error range P14 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
E. GutiérrezSauber #191973 No error range P15 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
M. ChiltonMarussia #211924 No error range P16 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
M. EricssonCaterham #221880 No error range P17 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
J. BianchiMarussia #201969 No error range DNFGearbox Not assessedQualifying unavailable
L. HamiltonMercedes #32463 No error range DNFRetired Not assessedQualifying unavailable
R. GrosjeanLotus F1 #142029 No error range DNFRetired Not assessedQualifying unavailable
P. MaldonadoLotus F1 #152014 No error range DNFMechanical Not assessedQualifying unavailable
A. LottererCaterham #182000 No error range DNFPower Unit Not assessedQualifying unavailable
How useful is the model? See the historical check

Average absolute error on 605 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
2.53places
Qualifying only
2.72places
Elo only
3.03places

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.

The bigger picture

Championship after this round

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

  1. 1 Rosberg 220pts 0
  2. 2 Hamilton 191pts 0
  3. 3 Ricciardo 156pts 0
  4. 4 Alonso 121pts 0
  5. 5 Bottas 110pts 0

Movement since round 11. 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 →
22
Result Entries
Avg Elo
Highest Elo (Rosberg)
5
Non-finishes

Race

Qualifying

# Driver Grid +/- Points Season Pts Season # Elo Change Elo
P1 🇦🇺 D.Ricciardo 5 +4 +25 156 P3 +34.1 2,427
P2 🇩🇪 N.Rosberg 1 -1 +18 220 P1 +17.1 2,497
P3 🇫🇮 V.Bottas 6 +3 +15 110 P5 +28.6 2,364
P4 🇫🇮 K.Räikkönen 8 +4 +12 39 P10 +42.8 2,243
P5 🇩🇪 S.Vettel 3 -2 +10 98 P6 +12.2 2,370
P6 🇬🇧 J.Button 10 +4 +8 68 P8 +15.5 2,305
P7 🇪🇸 F.Alonso 4 -3 +6 121 P4 -14.4 2,451
P8 🇲🇽 S.Pérez 13 +5 +4 33 P12 +26.1 2,167
P9 🇷🇺 D.Kvyat 11 +2 +2 8 P15 +40.3 2,052
P10 🇩🇪 N.Hülkenberg 18 +8 +1 70 P7 -3.5 2,238
P11 🇫🇷 J.Vergne 12 +1 0 11 P13 +17.5 2,090
P12 🇩🇰 K.Magnussen 7 -5 0 37 P11 -9.7 2,188
P13 🇧🇷 F.Massa 9 -4 0 40 P9 -8.4 2,141
P14 🇩🇪 A.Sutil 14 0 0 P17 +7.2 2,020
P15 🇲🇽 E.Gutiérrez 20 +5 0 0 P20 +6.5 1,980
P16 🇬🇧 M.Chilton 19 +3 0 0 P21 +6.8 1,931
P17 🇸🇪 M.Ericsson 22 +5 0 0 P18 +5.9 1,886
DNF 🇫🇷 J.Bianchi 16 0 2 P16 -12.7 1,956
DNF 🇬🇧 L.Hamilton 2 0 191 P2 -93.5 2,370
DNF 🇫🇷 R.Grosjean 15 0 8 P14 -35.1 1,994
DNF 🇻🇪 P.Maldonado 17 0 0 P19 -39.3 1,975
DNF 🇩🇪 A.Lotterer 21 0 0 P23 -43.8 1,956

Qualifying results are not available for this race.

Elo Changes