Round 1 · 2018

Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit

Melbourne, Australia · March 25, 2018 · Circuit History · Wikipedia

Kings of this circuit
The race, in perspective

Race debrief

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

R012018
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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
S. VettelFerrari #32444 No error range P1 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
L. HamiltonMercedes #12603 No error range P2 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
K. RäikkönenFerrari #42354 No error range P3 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
D. RicciardoRed Bull #82198 No error range P4 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
F. AlonsoMcLaren #92093 No error range P5 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
M. VerstappenRed Bull #52331 No error range P6 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
N. HülkenbergRenault #122062 No error range P7 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
V. BottasMercedes #22514 No error range P8 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
S. VandoorneMcLaren #132048 No error range P9 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
C. SainzRenault #152031 No error range P10 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
S. PérezForce India #62277 No error range P11 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
E. OconForce India #72225 No error range P12 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
C. LeclercSauber #17.52000 No error range P13 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
L. StrollWilliams #102080 No error range P14 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
B. HartleyToro Rosso #191966 No error range P15 Not assessedQualifying unavailable
R. GrosjeanHaas F1 Team #112076 No error range DNFWheel Not assessedQualifying unavailable
K. MagnussenHaas F1 Team #142048 No error range DNFWheel Not assessedQualifying unavailable
P. GaslyToro Rosso #162013 No error range DNFEngine Not assessedQualifying unavailable
M. EricssonSauber #201928 No error range DNFSteering Not assessedQualifying unavailable
S. SirotkinWilliams #17.52000 No error range DNFBrakes 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 Elo gain

Alonso+43.2 Elo

Largest grid-to-finish gain

Bottas+7 places

The bigger picture

Championship after this round

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

  1. 1 Vettel 25pts
  2. 2 Hamilton 18pts
  3. 3 Räikkönen 15pts
  4. 4 Ricciardo 12pts
  5. 5 Alonso 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.

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)
5
Non-finishes

Race

Qualifying

# Driver Grid +/- Points Season Pts Season # Elo Change Elo
P1 🇩🇪 S.Vettel 3 +2 +25 25 P1 +23.7 2,467
P2 🇬🇧 L.Hamilton 1 -1 +18 18 P2 +5.0 2,608
P3 🇫🇮 K.Räikkönen 2 -1 +15 15 P3 +20.5 2,375
P4 🇦🇺 D.Ricciardo 8 +4 +12 12 P4 +34.3 2,233
P5 🇪🇸 F.Alonso 10 +5 +10 10 P5 +43.2 2,136
P6 🇳🇱 M.Verstappen 4 -2 +8 8 P6 +4.3 2,335
P7 🇩🇪 N.Hülkenberg 7 +6 6 P7 +35.2 2,097
P8 🇫🇮 V.Bottas 15 +7 +4 4 P8 -26.5 2,487
P9 🇧🇪 S.Vandoorne 11 +2 +2 2 P9 +24.5 2,073
P10 🇪🇸 C.Sainz 9 -1 +1 1 P10 +20.6 2,052
P11 🇲🇽 S.Pérez 12 +1 0 0 P11 -20.4 2,256
P12 🇫🇷 E.Ocon 14 +2 0 0 P12 -19.9 2,206
P13 🇲🇨 C.Leclerc 18 +5 0 0 P13 +6.1 2,006
P14 🇨🇦 L.Stroll 13 -1 0 0 P14 -11.5 2,068
P15 🇳🇿 B.Hartley 16 +1 0 0 P15 -1.9 1,964
DNF 🇫🇷 R.Grosjean 6 0 0 P16 -23.6 2,053
DNF 🇩🇰 K.Magnussen 5 0 0 P17 -25.9 2,023
DNF 🇫🇷 P.Gasly 20 0 0 P18 -27.1 1,986
DNF 🇸🇪 M.Ericsson 17 0 0 P19 -22.4 1,906
DNF 🇷🇺 S.Sirotkin 19 0 0 P20 -38.0 1,962

Qualifying results are not available for this race.

Elo Changes