Round 20 · 2017

Yas Marina Circuit

Abu Dhabi, UAE · November 26, 2017 · Circuit History · Wikipedia

Kings of this circuit
The race, in perspective

Race debrief

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

R202017
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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 612 earlier finishes across 36 races, 2008–2017. 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
V. BottasMercedes #22493 No error range P1 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
L. HamiltonMercedes #12597 No error range P2 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
S. VettelFerrari #32430 No error range P3 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
K. RäikkönenFerrari #42336 No error range P4 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
M. VerstappenRed Bull #52317 No error range P5 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
N. HülkenbergRenault #172009 No error range P6 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
S. PérezForce India #72269 No error range P7 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
E. OconForce India #82217 No error range P8 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
F. AlonsoMcLaren #122069 No error range P9 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
F. MassaWilliams #92198 No error range P10 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
R. GrosjeanHaas F1 Team #132065 No error range P11 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
S. VandoorneMcLaren #152040 No error range P12 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
K. MagnussenHaas F1 Team #142047 No error range P13 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
P. WehrleinSauber #191948 No error range P14 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
B. HartleyToro Rosso #181966 No error range P15 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
P. GaslyToro Rosso #162029 No error range P16 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
M. EricssonSauber #201939 No error range P17 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
L. StrollWilliams #102123 No error range P18 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
C. SainzRenault #112074 No error range DNFWheel Not assessedQualifying unavailable
D. RicciardoRed Bull #62278 No error range DNFHydraulics Not assessedQualifying unavailable
How useful is the model? See the historical check

Average absolute error on 612 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
2.24places
Qualifying only
2.44places
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

Grosjean+5 places

The bigger picture

Championship after this round

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

  1. 1 Hamilton 363pts 0
  2. 2 Vettel 317pts 0
  3. 3 Bottas 305pts 0
  4. 4 Räikkönen 205pts +1
  5. 5 Ricciardo 200pts −1

Movement since round 19. 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 →
20
Result Entries
Avg Elo
Highest Elo (Hamilton)
2
Non-finishes

Race

Qualifying

# Driver Grid +/- Points Season Pts Season # Elo Change Elo
P1 🇫🇮 V.Bottas 1 +25 305 P3 +20.5 2,514
P2 🇬🇧 L.Hamilton 2 +18 363 P1 +5.7 2,603
P3 🇩🇪 S.Vettel 3 +15 317 P2 +13.6 2,444
P4 🇫🇮 K.Räikkönen 5 +1 +12 205 P4 +18.2 2,354
P5 🇳🇱 M.Verstappen 6 +1 +10 168 P6 +14.0 2,331
P6 🇩🇪 N.Hülkenberg 7 +1 +8 43 P10 +52.9 2,062
P7 🇲🇽 S.Pérez 8 +1 +6 100 P7 +7.4 2,277
P8 🇫🇷 E.Ocon 9 +1 +4 87 P8 +8.3 2,225
P9 🇪🇸 F.Alonso 11 +2 +2 17 P15 +24.3 2,093
P10 🇧🇷 F.Massa 10 +1 43 P11 -2.1 2,196
P11 🇫🇷 R.Grosjean 16 +5 0 28 P13 +11.7 2,076
P12 🇧🇪 S.Vandoorne 13 +1 0 13 P16 +8.8 2,048
P13 🇩🇰 K.Magnussen 14 +1 0 19 P14 +1.1 2,048
P14 🇩🇪 P.Wehrlein 18 +4 0 5 P18 +8.4 1,956
P15 🇳🇿 B.Hartley 20 +5 0 0 P23 -0.7 1,966
P16 🇫🇷 P.Gasly 17 +1 0 0 P21 -16.1 2,013
P17 🇸🇪 M.Ericsson 19 +2 0 0 P20 -10.3 1,928
P18 🇨🇦 L.Stroll 15 -3 0 40 P12 -43.5 2,080
DNF 🇪🇸 C.Sainz 12 0 54 P9 -42.5 2,031
DNF 🇦🇺 D.Ricciardo 4 0 200 P5 -79.8 2,198

Qualifying results are not available for this race.

Elo Changes