Round 4 · 2016

Sochi Autodrom

Sochi, Russia · May 01, 2016 · Circuit History · Wikipedia

Kings of this circuit
The race, in perspective

Race debrief

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

R042016
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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 595 earlier finishes across 35 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 #22558 No error range P1 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
L. HamiltonMercedes #12591 No error range P2 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
K. RäikkönenFerrari #52295 No error range P3 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
V. BottasWilliams #62268 No error range P4 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
F. MassaWilliams #82253 No error range P5 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
F. AlonsoMcLaren #191999 No error range P6 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
K. MagnussenRenault #132136 No error range P7 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
R. GrosjeanHaas F1 Team #112166 No error range P8 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
S. PérezForce India #102213 No error range P9 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
J. ButtonMcLaren #152058 No error range P10 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
D. RicciardoRed Bull #42331 No error range P11 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
C. SainzToro Rosso #142106 No error range P12 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
J. PalmerRenault #211954 No error range P13 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
M. EricssonSauber #162035 No error range P14 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
D. KvyatRed Bull #72261 No error range P15 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
F. NasrSauber #172033 No error range P16 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
E. GutiérrezHaas F1 Team #201960 No error range P17 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
P. WehrleinManor Marussia #182002 No error range P18 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
M. VerstappenToro Rosso #92231 No error range DNFPower Unit Not assessedQualifying unavailable
S. VettelFerrari #32401 No error range DNFCollision Not assessedQualifying unavailable
N. HülkenbergForce India #122155 No error range DNFCollision Not assessedQualifying unavailable
R. HaryantoManor Marussia #221950 No error range DNFCollision Not assessedQualifying unavailable
How useful is the model? See the historical check

Average absolute error on 595 classified finishes in 35 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
2.37places
Qualifying only
2.59places
Elo only
2.90places

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+59.0 Elo

Largest Elo loss

Vettel−83.0 Elo

Largest grid-to-finish gain

Magnussen+10 places

The bigger picture

Championship after this round

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

  1. 1 Rosberg 100pts 0
  2. 2 Hamilton 57pts 0
  3. 3 Räikkönen 43pts +2
  4. 4 Ricciardo 36pts −1
  5. 5 Vettel 33pts −1

Movement since round 3. 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 (Hamilton)
4
Non-finishes

Race

Qualifying

# Driver Grid +/- Points Season Pts Season # Elo Change Elo
P1 🇩🇪 N.Rosberg 1 +25 100 P1 +15.5 2,574
P2 🇬🇧 L.Hamilton 10 +8 +18 57 P2 +7.1 2,598
P3 🇫🇮 K.Räikkönen 3 +15 43 P3 +32.5 2,327
P4 🇫🇮 V.Bottas 2 -2 +12 19 P9 +30.3 2,299
P5 🇧🇷 F.Massa 4 -1 +10 32 P6 +26.6 2,280
P6 🇪🇸 F.Alonso 14 +8 +8 8 P11 +59.0 2,058
P7 🇩🇰 K.Magnussen 17 +10 +6 6 P12 +32.6 2,168
P8 🇫🇷 R.Grosjean 15 +7 +4 22 P7 +21.9 2,188
P9 🇲🇽 S.Pérez 6 -3 +2 2 P15 +8.7 2,222
P10 🇬🇧 J.Button 12 +2 +1 1 P16 +26.5 2,085
P11 🇦🇺 D.Ricciardo 5 -6 0 36 P4 -20.4 2,311
P12 🇪🇸 C.Sainz 11 -1 0 4 P14 +7.3 2,113
P13 🇬🇧 J.Palmer 18 +5 0 0 P18 +23.0 1,977
P14 🇸🇪 M.Ericsson 22 +8 0 0 P19 +6.0 2,041
P15 🇷🇺 D.Kvyat 8 -7 0 21 P8 -34.4 2,227
P16 🇧🇷 F.Nasr 19 +3 0 0 P21 -5.7 2,027
P17 🇲🇽 E.Gutiérrez 16 -1 0 0 P22 -1.7 1,958
P18 🇩🇪 P.Wehrlein 20 +2 0 0 P20 -13.3 1,989
DNF 🇳🇱 M.Verstappen 9 0 13 P10 -53.9 2,177
DNF 🇩🇪 S.Vettel 7 0 33 P5 -83.0 2,318
DNF 🇩🇪 N.Hülkenberg 13 0 6 P13 -54.2 2,101
DNF 🇮🇩 R.Haryanto 21 0 0 P23 -30.4 1,920

Qualifying results are not available for this race.

Elo Changes