Round 1 · 2016

Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit

Melbourne, Australia · March 20, 2016 · Circuit History · Wikipedia

Kings of this circuit
The race, in perspective

Race debrief

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

R012016
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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 608 earlier finishes across 36 races, 2006–2015. 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
N. RosbergMercedes #22504 No error range P1 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
L. HamiltonMercedes #12611 No error range P2 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
S. VettelFerrari #32458 No error range P3 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
D. RicciardoRed Bull #82244 No error range P4 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
F. MassaWilliams #102176 No error range P5 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
R. GrosjeanHaas F1 Team #132143 No error range P6 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
N. HülkenbergForce India #112176 No error range P7 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
V. BottasWilliams #72270 No error range P8 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
C. SainzToro Rosso #152073 No error range P9 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
M. VerstappenToro Rosso #92178 No error range P10 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
J. PalmerRenault #202000 No error range P11 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
K. MagnussenRenault #122165 No error range P12 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
S. PérezForce India #42283 No error range P13 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
J. ButtonMcLaren #142086 No error range P14 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
F. NasrSauber #162070 No error range P15 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
P. WehrleinManor Marussia #202000 No error range P16 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
M. EricssonSauber #172032 No error range DNFEngine Not assessedQualifying unavailable
K. RäikkönenFerrari #52277 No error range DNFEngine Not assessedQualifying unavailable
R. HaryantoManor Marussia #202000 No error range DNFMechanical Not assessedQualifying unavailable
E. GutiérrezHaas F1 Team #221974 No error range DNFCollision Not assessedQualifying unavailable
F. AlonsoMcLaren #182002 No error range DNFCollision Not assessedQualifying unavailable
D. KvyatRed Bull #62272 No error range DNFRetired Not assessedQualifying unavailable
How useful is the model? See the historical check

Average absolute error on 608 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
2.36places
Qualifying only
2.57places
Elo only
2.88places

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

Massa+38.4 Elo

Largest Elo loss

Kvyat−78.1 Elo

Largest grid-to-finish gain

Grosjean+13 places

The bigger picture

Championship after this round

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

  1. 1 Rosberg 25pts
  2. 2 Hamilton 18pts
  3. 3 Vettel 15pts
  4. 4 Ricciardo 12pts
  5. 5 Massa 10pts

Opening round: no earlier standings in this season to compare.

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.

McLaren

ButtonP14−1.3 Elo
AlonsoDNF−30.6 Elo

Non-finish recorded; no finishing gap comparison.

Sauber

NasrP15−4.7 Elo
EricssonDNF−11.0 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 →
22
Result Entries
Avg Elo
Highest Elo (Hamilton)
6
Non-finishes

Race

Qualifying

# Driver Grid +/- Points Season Pts Season # Elo Change Elo
P1 🇩🇪 N.Rosberg 2 +1 +25 25 P1 +19.8 2,523
P2 🇬🇧 L.Hamilton 1 -1 +18 18 P2 +5.6 2,616
P3 🇩🇪 S.Vettel 3 +15 15 P3 +12.2 2,470
P4 🇦🇺 D.Ricciardo 8 +4 +12 12 P4 +33.7 2,278
P5 🇧🇷 F.Massa 6 +1 +10 10 P5 +38.4 2,214
P6 🇫🇷 R.Grosjean 19 +13 +8 8 P6 +37.6 2,181
P7 🇩🇪 N.Hülkenberg 10 +3 +6 6 P7 +26.4 2,202
P8 🇫🇮 V.Bottas 16 +8 +4 4 P8 +5.9 2,276
P9 🇪🇸 C.Sainz 7 -2 +2 2 P9 +30.7 2,104
P10 🇳🇱 M.Verstappen 5 -5 +1 1 P10 +8.1 2,187
P11 🇬🇧 J.Palmer 13 +2 0 0 P11 +29.5 2,030
P12 🇩🇰 K.Magnussen 14 +2 0 0 P12 -1.8 2,163
P13 🇲🇽 S.Pérez 9 -4 0 0 P13 -25.9 2,257
P14 🇬🇧 J.Button 12 -2 0 0 P14 -1.3 2,085
P15 🇧🇷 F.Nasr 17 +2 0 0 P15 -4.7 2,065
P16 🇩🇪 P.Wehrlein 21 +5 0 0 P16 -0.4 2,000
DNF 🇸🇪 M.Ericsson 15 0 0 P17 -11.0 2,021
DNF 🇫🇮 K.Räikkönen 4 0 0 P18 -54.9 2,222
DNF 🇮🇩 R.Haryanto 22 0 0 P19 -18.4 1,982
DNF 🇲🇽 E.Gutiérrez 20 0 0 P20 -20.8 1,953
DNF 🇪🇸 F.Alonso 11 0 0 P21 -30.6 1,971
DNF 🇷🇺 D.Kvyat 18 0 0 P22 -78.1 2,194

Qualifying results are not available for this race.

Elo Changes