Round 10 · 2016 · 10 Jul

Silverstone Circuit

Silverstone, UK

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 594 earlier finishes across 35 races, 2006–2016. No results from this race enter its expectation.

22 stored results 22/22 Elo snapshots 22/22 numbered grid slots 21/22 qualifying results

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

21/22 entrants have an estimate. Missing Elo or qualifying; see the full grid below.

Top 3

Beat the estimate
  1. Max Verstappen Red Bull · Elo #7 · Q3

    Expected P4.6 Finished P2

    +2.6places
  2. Sergio Pérez Force India · Elo #8 · Q11

    Expected P8.4 Finished P6

    +2.4places
  3. Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso · Elo #16 · Q15

    Expected P12.4 Finished P10

    +2.4places

Flop 3

Below the estimate
  1. Valtteri Bottas Williams · Elo #6 · Q7

    Expected P6.1 Finished P14

    −7.9places
  2. Esteban Gutiérrez Haas F1 Team · Elo #15 · Q14

    Expected P11.7 Finished P16

    −4.3places
  3. Sebastian Vettel Ferrari · Elo #5 · Q6

    Expected P5.4 Finished P9

    −3.6places
16/22 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 → P22vs expectedReading
L. HamiltonMercedes #12540 P1 P2.1P1–P6 P1 +1.1places In range
M. VerstappenRed Bull #72291 P3 P4.6P1–P9 P2 +2.6places In range
N. RosbergMercedes #22479 P2 P2.8P1–P7 P3 −0.2places In range
D. RicciardoRed Bull #32376 P4 P4.0P1–P8 P4 0.0places In range
K. RäikkönenFerrari #42350 P5 P4.7P1–P9 P5 −0.3places In range
S. PérezForce India #82257 P11 Grid P10 P8.4P4–P13 P6 +2.4places In range
N. HülkenbergForce India #132121 P9 Grid P8 P8.9P5–P13 P7 +1.9places In range
C. SainzToro Rosso #102162 P8 Grid P7 P7.7P3–P12 P8 −0.3places In range
S. VettelFerrari #52329 P6 Grid P11 P5.4P1–P10 P9 −3.6places In range
D. KvyatToro Rosso #162053 P15 P12.4P8–P17 P10 +2.4places In range
F. MassaWilliams #112157 P12 P9.7P5–P14 P11 −1.3places In range
J. ButtonMcLaren #122144 P17 P12.2P8–P16 P12 +0.2places In range
F. AlonsoMcLaren #172051 P10 Grid P9 P10.4P6–P15 P13 −2.6places In range
V. BottasWilliams #62328 P7 Grid P6 P6.1P2–P10 P14 −7.9places Below range
F. NasrSauber #182041 P21 P15.6P11–P20 P15 +0.6places In range
E. GutiérrezHaas F1 Team #152058 P14 P11.7P7–P16 P16 −4.3places In range
K. MagnussenRenault #142091 P16 P12.3P8–P17 DNFGearbox — Not assessedDNF: Gearbox
J. PalmerRenault #211981 P18 P15.1P11–P19 DNFGearbox — Not assessedDNF: Gearbox
R. HaryantoManor Marussia #221935 P19 P15.8P12–P20 DNFSpun off — Not assessedDNF: Spun off
R. GrosjeanHaas F1 Team #92165 P13 P9.6P5–P14 DNFRetired — Not assessedDNF: Retired
M. EricssonSauber #192036 — —No error range DNFPower Unit — Not assessedQualifying unavailable
P. WehrleinManor Marussia #202012 P20 P15.7P11–P20 DNFSpun off — Not assessedDNF: Spun off
How useful is the model? See the historical check

Average absolute error on 594 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
2.36places
Qualifying only
2.56places
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 grid-to-finish gain

Nasr+6 places

The bigger picture

Championship after this round

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

  1. 1 Rosberg 168pts 0
  2. 2 Hamilton 167pts 0
  3. 3 Räikkönen 106pts +1
  4. 4 Ricciardo 100pts +1
  5. 5 Vettel 98pts −2

Movement since round 9. 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.

Toro Rosso

SainzP8+22.9 Elo
KvyatP10+27.9 Elo

2 places apart at the finish.

Q2 · Sainz 0.598s faster

Williams

MassaP11+5.8 Elo
BottasP14−38.1 Elo

3 places apart at the finish.

Q2 · Bottas 0.524s faster

McLaren

ButtonP12+1.8 Elo
AlonsoP13+10.3 Elo

1 place apart at the finish.

Q1 · Alonso 0.507s faster

Sauber

NasrP15−0.2 Elo
EricssonDNF−35.4 Elo

Non-finish recorded; no finishing gap comparison.

Renault

MagnussenDNF−19.8 Elo
PalmerDNF−9.6 Elo

Non-finish recorded; no finishing gap comparison.

Q1 · Magnussen 0.176s 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 →