An extended scoring system ( described here) is used to give fractional points for lower places, so that the model can discriminate between lower placings (e.g., 12th vs. Counting races are defined as those in which a driver did not suffer a non-driver DNF (mechanical DNF, technical disqualification). The basis for the model is a driver’s scoring rate in counting races. They were relegated to lower priority news in 2017, but have the chance to get full exposure here. While it’s easy to focus on Mercedes and Ferrari, let us not forget that there were other drivers in 2017 who could also have been championship contenders in more competitive and/or reliable machinery. It’s rare to have two top cars with such differing characteristics, and the nature of this inter-team battle is analyzed below, including its impact on the outcome of the World Drivers’ Championship.Īs in previous years (links for each year: 2014, 2015, 2016), the focus of this article is separating team from driver performances to provide a quantitative estimate of how the drivers would have ranked in 2017 in totally equal cars. The high-rake short-wheelbase Ferrari came into its own at circuits with many low or mid speed corners and where total downforce generation was at a premium. The low-rake long-wheelbase Mercedes was nigh unbeatable at power tracks and those that demanded high aerodynamic efficiency (low drag to downforce). By my numbers, preseason testing was just too close to call and so it played out as the early season evolved. While most pundits and analysts were tipping Ferrari as the preseason favorites, I wasn’t as convinced. Could Vettel have stayed in championship contention with better reliability or fewer driver errors in the critical stages, or was the Mercedes advantage too much for Vettel or any driver to bridge? Is this a step on the road to recovery for Ferrari, or do the later stages of the season foretell yet another temporary-revival-into-implosion?īesides the spellbindingly quick cars, the key ingredient for the season’s entertainment was the dynamic equilibrium of Ferrari and Mercedes. The 2017 Formula 1 season will be long remembered and debated.
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