6 November 2009

Abu Dhabi 2009: Round 17 Results

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Formula 1 2009 has come to a close and a massive congratulations is in order for new World Champion Karan. The Canadian has become GPP's first ever two-time champion, repeating his success of 2007. I have to admit, I never thought anybody would take the crown twice and it might well never happen again. Very well done mate - I'm seriously impressed!

Congratulations too to IceMan on taking his fifth career victory at the inaugural Abu Dhabi twlight Grand Prix, winning what we now know to be Toyota's last Formula 1 race. The result was also just enough to edge out Ferrari's Revs for third place overall, equalling his best championship result from last season. Its just a shame he'll have to find new employment in 2010!

I'd also like to give a quick nod of approval to GPP veteran Sandeep on a fantastic prediction of the weekend - more like prediction of the year!

Commiserations to my team mate Wooze, who eventually finished 11 points down on Karan after a season-long battle. Second place is his best ever championship finish and although he didn't take the title in the end, he can at least take heart from the fact that he comprehensively blew me away this year 11-6 in the team battles. Nice work.

Another championship finish worthy of mention is that of BMW Sauber's Fisichella. Having spent most of the season stuck in 19th place, he staged an heroic comeback with two wins and climbed up to eighth place by the year's end. He's never missed a round since his debut in 2005 and its great to see his commitment being rewarded with a decent result. He too though will have to find a new berth next year...

In the teams championship Ferrari take their fourth championship thanks to the efforts of Revs and Karan. GPP original Revs has been behind all four of the team's titles and surely both players should be included in any 'greatest ever' debate. Well done guys.

Despite being Toyota's sole entrant in Abu Dhabi, IceMan managed to single-handedly overhaul Renault for third place in the final standings. Force India duo Sandeep and Flutterfly lifted their team from eighth to sixth in the final round.

In the nations championship, with five players (and pretty reliable ones at that) it was always looking like Great Britain's championship and after five wins in 2009, they have taken the honours once again. Canada held USA off for runner-up spot whilst Revs took Germany to fourth place as the best of the 'solo' nations.

So thats it, the chequered flag has fallen on F1 2009. Its been an incredible season of racing and the lower than usual scores tell the tale of just how unpredictable the racing has been. As ever, a huge thank you to everybody that took part. Your continued commitment (and tolerance for my delays!) make this game what it is and I still find it hard to believe just how long some of you have stuck with this. You guys and girls and fantastic and you're all very welcome to come back for another season of F1-based internet time wasting in 2010.

26 seats and a host of new teams... its going to be one hell of an F1 season.

Roll on 2010!

27 October 2009

Analysis: Key battles ahead of Abu Dhabi

Its hard to believe there's only one round left of Formula 1 2009. As ever the season has flown by and we've had another great year of close-fought predictions. But while the championships might have been decided in the real world, there's still plenty to fight for in GPP09. Here's a look at some of the key battles ahead of the first ever Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Karan vs Wooze
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All season long the battle for the championship has been between these two men. Ever since Wooze took the opening round in Australia, the two have lead the championship largely unchallenged, swapping the lead several times. Karan goes into the final round as firm favourite, holding a five point lead. Whilst Wooze can afford to tie on points, he'll need a big result and a little luck to stand a chance of becoming the game's third British champion. Karan meanwhile is looking to become the first ever two-time champion. Whoever winds up on top after Sunday will be a deserving champion.

Revs vs IceMan vs Atomic
Toyota's IceMan finds himself in a battle with two former champions for third place. Ferrari's Revs has a three point advantage and should be able to seal his top three position with a solid score, but a bum result could easily drop him two places. I'll be entering my last round as champion looking to steal fourth - overhauling Revs at this stage would take a small miracle.

Montie vs Luigi
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Renault team mates Montie and Luigi find themselves level on 94 points in their first year together. 2008 runner-up Montie has beaten his Belgian team mate 10-6 so far this year and is the only one of the two to have taken the French marque to victory this year. But whoever bags a higher score in Abu Dhabi will earn the higher final championship position and, more importantly, bragging rights.

ForeverR5 vs Good Ol' JR vs Fisichella
A genuine good news story: just a few weeks ago, twice runner-up Fisichella found himself 19th in the championship seemingly unable to get his season started. Cue late season victories in Belgium and Singapore. He now sits 10th, just three points behind my missus Good Ol' JR. If eighth-placed ForeverR5 once again misses a round, Fisichella could well find himself ending the year in the top eight. Williams' Good Ol' JR needs just two points more than ForeverR5 in Abu Dhabi to secure her Williams seat for 2010.

Ducks to Break
Two of the twenty players remain winless in their predictions careers. Both Good Ol' JR and Luigi debuted late in the 2007 season and both are yet to take the top spot at a Grand Prix. Veteran Badboy had to wait quite some time for his debut win, finally sealing the deal in the final round of 2004. Luigi and JR will need similar luck if either is to avoid entering a fourth season empty handed.

Renault vs Toyota
Just three points separate these two teams in the battle for third place in the teams championship. Toyota's Hollywood has missed two of the last three rounds, but if he enters the season finale, the Japanese team could well retake the top three spot they held for much of the season.

Canada vs USA
The nations championship looks to be foregone conclusion, but there's a close battle for second place between these two great sister nations. Canada have taken an impressive four wins in 2009, but a four point cushion over the USA is by no means enough to guarantee their runner-up spot.

The very best of luck to everybody ahead of the last round of the season and as always, thanks for your continued commitment throughout 2009.

21 October 2009

Brazil 2009: Round 16 Results

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Congratulations to Montie on taking his sixth career win, making him one of the most prolific winners in the series. Its Renault's first win of the season and indeed, Montie's first for his new team. He has won for every team he has competed with.

The fight for 2009 championship honours took a decisive swing in Brazil. The Ferraris and Renaults dominated the top scorers whilst the Brawn duo struggled. Number one contender Wooze came away with the lowest score, leaving him five points down on leader Karan going into the final round. While its not impossible that he will still take the title in Abu Dhabi, he'll need some good fortune to prevent Karan from becoming GPP's first ever two-time world champion. One small factor in Wooze's favour is that he can afford to tie on points - Karan needs to be at least a point clear.

Its a similar tale in the teams championship - Karan and Revs' performance in Brazil looks strong enough to have all but secured the title, leaving Brawn ten points down. Renault have jumped Toyota for third.

Great Britain can pretty much start uncorking the champagne in the nations championship.

Just one more to go folks - stay tuned this weekend for some additional analysis and information on the upcoming 2009 Race of Champions...

Roll on Abu Dhabi!

5 October 2009

Japan 2009: Round 15 Results

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The return to Suzuka marked a return to the top spot for GPP veteran ForeverR5 - his first victory in over two years. This win is the third of his career and his first for McLaren. It lifts him to sixth overall - not bad for somebody with two DNEs on the 2009 scoreboard. Grats mate.

There's a change at the top of the championship standings as Karan once again takes the lead, two points clear of Wooze. With two rounds to go, its a two horse race, but the battle for third place is a close run thing, with just three points covering IceMan, Revs and me.

In the teams championship, Brawn refuse to give up on their championship challenge and have reduce the gap to leaders Ferrari from ten points to four. McLaren and Force India both climb a place at the expense of the two Red Bull teams.

Great Britain have moved well clear of their rivals and look to have an almost unassailable lead going into Brazil. ForeverR5's victory in Japan is USA's second of the season and closes the gap to Canada to just three points. The fight for second place is well and truly on for these neighbouring nations.

The season is drawing to a close, folks... Roll on Brazil!

28 September 2009

Tie scores

As the championship leaders are once again tied on points could well finish the season that way, I wanted to post a brief explanation of how championship positions are worked out in the event of tied scores.

Firstly, the number of wins is counted. If this is also a tie (as now), the highest score throughout the year counts. If still tied, the second highest score counts and so on. I wanted to point this out becuse after Hungary I mistakenly considered Karan the leader when tied with Wooze. He had the higher winning score, but Wooze's score from Spain technically keeps him ahead. This is the way its been done in seasons past, which is how UnclePeJay beat Wooze to seventh last year.

Of course, you guys could make it easier for me and stop bloody tying! :)

Cheers

Singapore 2009: Round 14 Results

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Grats to Fisichella, who takes his second win in three races. Its his fifth career victory overall and I have to admit its good to see his season start to come good after a tough first half. As a multiple winner in 2009, he has now also secured his seat should he wish to stay with the team, whatever they might be called next season.

The battle between Karan and Wooze for the world championship rages on and remains as close as ever. Outscoring Wooze in Singapore by three points, Karan is now once again tied with Wooze at the top of the standings. With just three to go, its wide open. Wooze leads by virtue of a higher score during the year (Spain).

Singapore was also a great round for Luigi, who jumps from 11th to sixth. He might be yet to win in GPP but he's looking good for securing his seat at Renault.

The order in the teams championship remains as it was, but another great showing from Karan and Revs sees Ferrari pull ten points clear of Brawn.

Germany move up to fourth in the nations championship after a no-show from the Australians whilst Luigi's impressive recent form lifts Belgium ahead of Denmark. Canada look to have seen off the USA threat for second for the time being.

Roll on Japan!

23 September 2009

Italy 2009: Round 13 Results

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A big, big congratulations to Revs on a Tifosi-pleasing win for Ferrari on home turf. Not only does this win (his 10th no less) keep him in contention for the title, but it means he continues his record of being the only player ever to hit the top spot in all eight Predictions seasons. Impressive stuff.

In the title chase, Karan remains three points behind Wooze after both scored six points. Revs moves up to third, 11 points behind the lead. ForeverR5 now lies seventh after another good result and has been quietly climbing the leaderboard all season - he must be ruing missing the Chinese Grand Prix.

In the teams championship, Ferrari retake the lead from Brawn yet again. They are five points clear of Brawn with three wins apiece. A bad round for Toyota means a late surge for the title now looks unlikely whilst Renault pairing Montie and Luigi scored well to lift the team to fourth.

Great Britain still lead the way in the nations standings, but the USA is on the move, closing to within two points of Canada's second place.

Roll on (a hopefully un-fixed) Singapore!

22 September 2009

C'est la vie

Hi all

Its about time I gave you lot an update. A couple of things:

1) Firstly, apologies for the slight delays recently on the blog. I've not been too well recently and had a break away from everything. I'm determined to get everything sorted tomorrow night.

2) After almost three years reliable use, the free form site I use has ceased all free accounts immediately and now only offers a pay service. I'll try and sort out a replacement for that (suggestions welcome) but in the meantime, please send all Singapore entries via email: kohlstream13@hotmail.com

I guess it wouldn't be Predictions without the Summer cock up. I'm really sorry guys.

Pete

6 September 2009

Form updated: Fisichella to Ferrari, Liuzzi added

As I'm sure you all know by now, Giancarlo Fisichella has been released from his Force India contract to realise his lifelong dream of racing for Ferrari. He'll compete for the Scuderia in the remaining five Grands Prix before becoming official reserve and test driver in 2010.

I've seen the whole of Fisi's career and I've always been a fan. Its great to see him get the finish to his career he deserves.

As I write this, Force India have not yet officially confirmed that it will be test driver Vitantonio Liuzzi that will take Giancarlo's place, but its a safe bet that the plucky Italian will be making his race comeback this weekend in his home Grand Prix.

The entry form is now updated and ready to use.




3 September 2009

Belgium 2009: Round 12 Results

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Congratulations to Fisichella on taking his fourth career victory! Its been a tough season by his own standards, populating the lower end of the standings after two seconds and a sixth in the last three years. Good to see you back on winning form, bud. And just as the real Fisi hits good form too...

In another instance of the game replicating real life, Brawn's Wooze had a pretty terrible round yet still extended his championship lead. He now sits three points clear of Karan and a further nine ahead of IceMan, who leapfrogs his team mate after the Canadian drew a blank at Spa.

Brawn and Ferrari continue to swap the teams championship lead like a hot potato, the two teams once again tied on points at the top, with Brawn ahead on season wins. Red Bull come away from Belgium with more points than their rivals and look set to overhaul their junior team for sixth.

Great Britain extend their lead in the nations championship after a difficult round for Canada has left them fighting a rearguard action against arch rivals USA.

Roll on Italy!

26 August 2009

Europe 2009: Round 11 Results

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A big congratulations to Kai-Star on winning the European Grand Prix. Its his first for Red Bull, the third of his career and his first since Brazil 2007. He's also jumped from 16th to 12th in one race. Nice work mate.

Gotta spare a quick moment to big up Rubens. What a legend! The only downside is I predicted him for the win at every race this year... until this one. Oh yes. I rule.

In the championship standings Brawn and Ferrari have swapped their championbship leads - Wooze takes over from former champ Karan whilst a little help from Revs has seen Ferrari retake the lead in the teams championship. Bommer falls from 4th to 7th after his first missed round of the year, leaving IceMan to move up behind team mate Hollywood and make it a Toyota 3-4. Toro Rosso drop to 6th after a double-DNE.

Australia's second win of the season sees them claw some ground back on the leading trio, but a top three spot still looks a big ask with just six rounds to go.

The glorious Spa-Francorchamps is up next. Early forecasts suggest a good chance of rain over the weekend. Click here for forecast details.

Roll on Belgium!!

12 August 2009

Form updated: Luca Badoer and Romain Grosjean added

Yep, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Michael Schumacher will not in fact be replacing Massa after the F2007 testing demonstrated that the neck injuries he suffered from a motorbike accident in February aren't healed enough for a race return. Long-time Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer will be taking the seat instead. Its a shame about Schumi, but after 11 years with the team I think its justified reward for Luca. Plus we potentially have an Italian racing for Ferrari at Monza. Special indeed.

Do we think he'll hold on to the seat until Felipe's return? Maybe a chance for Marc Gene to get back on the grid?

The other change to the driver line up is Renault finally ditching Nelson Piquet Jr. Its about damn time. GP2 and Renault development driver Romain Grosjean has not yet been confirmed to replace him (Renault are yet to find out if their race ban appeal is successful) but it seems a forgone conclusion.

The form is now updated and ready to use.

29 July 2009

Form updated: Michael Schumacher to stand in for injured Felipe Massa!

Today came the announcement that Ferrari will be drafting in some old bloke called Michael Schumacher to stand in for Felipe Massa at the European Grand Prix.

Of the speculated possible stand ins discussed on F1Fanatic, I thought Valentino Rossi would have been the most fun, but bloody hell, thats pretty damn exciting news!

Meanwhile, doctors have reported that Massa stands a good chance of returning to the grid. This is great news.

The entry form is now updated. Bring on Valencia!

28 July 2009

Hungary 2009: Round 10 Results

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Congratulations to Flutterfly, who takes his first career victory in Hungary after being the only player to correctly predict Hamilton for the win. Not bad for the guy who was last in the championship. The result is Force India's first win in a little over a year and also means that both newcomers to the game this season have reached the top spot. Grats bud.

An unusual result in F1 made for low scores all round and little movement in the standings. The highest climber was IceMan, who jumps from 9th to 5th after making it a British 1-2 in Hungary. Flutterfly moves from the wooden spoon slot to 18th, relegating the BMW Saubers to the bottom two positions. The big news however is Karan retaking the championship lead yet again from Wooze. The two runaway leaders are now tied on 84 points each, with Karan ahead by virtue of his higher win scores. Its going to be an epic battle over the last seven races.

The teams championship sees a similar situation with Brawn and Ferrari also level pegging with 150 points apiece. Brawn hold the top spot with three wins to two. Impressive recent results for both IceMan and Hollywood see Toyota closing in.

Flutterfly's dominant win has had a big impact on the nation's standings, with Great Britain going top once again. Of the ten races so far this year, Britain and Canada have won eight.

Roll on Europe!

PS. Fingers crossed for Felipe Massa. Here's hoping he makes a full recovery soon and his eyesight is not affected (early signs are good). In the meantime, Mr Schumacher as a stand-in, anybody?

18 July 2009

Form updated: Jaime Alguersuari replaces Sebastien Bourdais

I've updated the form to include Jaime Alguersuari, who replaces Sebastien Bourdais at Toro Rosso at next weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix and becomes F1's youngest ever driver.

Bit of a rough deal for Bourdais I think, but he really hasn't pulled out the results expected of a four time Champcar champion. A possible candidate for one of the new teams next year?

14 July 2009

Germany 2009: Round 9 Results

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Congratulations to super rookie Hollywood on taking his second victory in nine races at the German Grand Prix. This second win - also Toyota's second of the year - sees Hollywood draw level with Kai-Star and ForeverR5 in terms of bidding power for 2010 seats. Not bad for a newbie!

The other big news however is Wooze retaking the championship lead from arch rival Karan after the second highest score in Germany. I like to make a habit of slaying my team mates, but I've got to take my hat off to you mate, you're unstoppable this season! Karan lies a solitary point behind with Hollywood breaking free of the chasing pack in third.

LoudHoward goes from 9th, to 5th and back down to 10th in just three rounds, following his win last time out with another DNE.

In the team's championship, Brawn retake the lead from Ferrari, with Germany winners Toyota overtaking Toro Rosso for third.

Canada take their fourth win of the season and extend their lead over GBR to two points. As yet, no nation with a single player has won in 2009.

So, we're now heading into the second half of the season. Thanks again to everybody for their continued commitment, the entry levels so far this year are at an all time high. Cheers!

Roll on Hungary!

22 June 2009

Great Britain 2009: Round 8 Results

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Well done to LoudHoward on his first win of the 2009 season - his first since Turkey last year. He is also awarded for predictions of the weekend after being the only one of all of us to correctly predict Vettel to take the win. The result moves him up four places to fifth, a solitary point behind his team mate Bommer in third place. How costly will missing Monaco prove, come the end of the season?

Well done also to Hollywood - the rookie that continues to climb the standings - and last year's British GP winner AndySly88, who came close to repeating the feat and moves from 19th to 17th.

In the championship its still very much Karan and Wooze in command, with the gap to third now up to ten points. Wooze outscores Karan here by a point to close the deficit to three. It'll be fascinating to see which of these two is the first to make a mistake.

There's little change in the teams championship - Brawn put the squeeze on Ferrari and now sit just two points behind whilst McLaren's strongest result for some time sees them up two places to seventh.

Australia's first win of the season doesn't help them trouble the top three in the nation's championship - Canada, Great Britain and USA.

Roll on Germany!

9 June 2009

A note about Le Mans...

Just a quick one - as you might have guessed with the great race taking place this coming weekend and nothing posted about it here on the site, I'm not going ahead with the Le Mans 24hrs. There didn't seem to be enough interest in it - you lot are too damn quiet! Fingers crossed for Aston Martin though...

Might still do the Race of Champions at the end of the season, we'll see. Meantime, I've got a couple of ideas coming up to see if I can't get you guys talking...

Cheers!

Turkey 2009: Round 7 Results

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The Karan and Wooze show continues! A huge well done to Karan on taking his second victory of the season - the fifth of his career and one that sees him, Ferrari and Canada top their respective championships for the first time this year. Not a bad day at the office. Nice work!

As with his arch-rival Wooze, scoring a second win this year also means that no matter what happens in the rest of the season, he has secured the right to retain his Ferrari seat for 2010 should he wish to.

Its looking like becoming a bit of a two horse race in the championship, with Bommer still holding on to the 'best of the rest' spot in third place, ten points adrift. Well done also to Bahrain winner Hollywood, who is climbing the standings steadily and finds himself as the leading rookie in sixth.

Brawn lose the lead of the teams championship for the first time all year as Ferrari pull three points clear, with Toro Rosso, Toyota and Williams in a close scrap for third.

Canada take their third win of 2009 and jump from third to first, tied on points with Great Britain but ahead by dint of the highest win score.

Next up, Silverstone's swansong. With a quarter of the field residing in the UK, will we once again have a British winner on this legendary circuit?

Roll on Great Britain!

25 May 2009

Monaco 2009: Round 6 Results

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A big, big congratulations to my team mate Wooze on taking his second win of the season at Monaco. He was already leading the standings before this win and so now stands in a very strong position in the championship. This win is the fourth of his career, equalling UnclePeJay, IceMan and closest championship rival Karan.

This result also means that Wooze automatically secures an option on his Brawn seat for 2010, as he is a multiple winner this season.

Karan also scored heavily and is now part of a breakaway group of three at the top of the table, completed by Spain winner Bommer, who is also on an awesome run of form at the moment. Bahrain winner Hollywood climbs into the top eight whilst its good to see SGP move up off the bottom of the table after a tricky start to the year. Keep it up!

Ferrari put the squeeze on Brawn GP, reducing the leaders' cushion to two points while the big winners were Toyota, scoring more than everybody else and moving from 7th to 5th.

A third win of the season for Great Britain keeps them at the top of the nations standings by a slender three points. Both Germany and Belgium climb up a place.

Incidently, information on deciding winners in tied-points situations is covered by the rules.

Roll on Turkey!

16 May 2009

Spain 2009: Round 5 Results

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A big congratulations to Bommer on taking the win in Spain with an impressive 15 points. This victory is his first for new team Toro Rosso and his third overall, equalling the tallies of Fisichella and new championship leader Wooze.

Grats too to the missus on predicting a low points result for Nick Heidfeld - prediction of the weekend. Bommer also had an ace in the pack being the only one to predict Rubens taking fastest lap - probably the guess that sealed the win.

With 14 points from Spain Wooze returns to the head of the standings for the first time since Australia. As usual the return to Europe marked the first high scores of the season and plenty of movement in the 2009 standings. Bommer jumps six places to tuck in just behind team mate LoudHoward, after the Toro Rosso pairing scored heavily to take the team to third overall after Brawn and Ferrari.

The United States swap places with Canada yet again thanks to Bommer's score, jumping to second behind Great Britain.

Next up, its the big one - the battle to be the next Monte Carlo winner. Don't forget that the first day of practice is a day early so the deadline is Thursday 21st May 9am BST.

Roll on Monaco!

4 May 2009

Optional Bonus Events for 2009

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I'm planning on adding a couple of extra non-championship events for this season: The Le Mans 24hrs in June and the Race of Champions in November.

These two events do not count towards the main Formula 1 championship and as such are optional. Everybody is eligible to compete should they wish to but those that enter stand the chance to win extra trophies, or in other words, better bidding power for the 2010 F1 seats.

Le Mans 24hrs - June 13th - 14th 2009

This year Sebastien Bourdais will take on the legendary 24hr race, harking back to the 'good old days' when Formula 1 drivers would compete in various other events and series during the season.

This gave me the idea to incorporate the great endurance race into GPP to give players the chance to pick up another prize during their 'careers'.

(Actually, it was 10% that, 90% seeing the stunning new Aston Martin in the iconic Gulf livery and thinking 'I've got to get in on that'... but, I digress)

As with the real race, seats would be shared between three players, so the team of three that scores highest will be declared the winners of the 2009 Le Mans 24hrs. Of course, the nature of the race means a different scoring system will be needed, but I have a few ideas of how that might work.

Peugeot, Audi and Aston Martin are the big three manufacturers in the race and I'd hope to have at least one of each car. If more than nine sign up, then its up to you guys which additional LMP1 cars we use.

Race of Champions - November 3rd - 4th 2009

Just two days after the Formula 1 season comes to a close in Abu Dhabi, China's Bird's Nest olympic stadium will host the annual Race of Champions.

I thought we could also include this event as an end of season bonus so players who might not have faired so well in the F1 championship still have a shot at a big prize.

As in the real event, it would be split into two separate competitions - the Nation's Cup on the first day and the contest between individuals on the second to determine who is awarded the coveted 'Champion of Champions' title.

In real life, the competitors are proven winners from various series, so I think the day two event might be restricted to players who have finished, say, in the top three of the championship before.

As with Le Mans, this is a very different event from a Grand Prix - its a knockout competition - so again the scoring format will need to be different but I've come up with the bare bones of how the concept could work.

So what do you think? At present this is not set in stone and I'm posting this to gauge the level of interest so please do post in the comments and let me know what you think. Neither event needs a massive entry line up for it to go ahead so if there's a small group of players that would like to have a go at this then I'll go ahead with it.

Let me know. I think it could be fun.

27 April 2009

Bahrain 2009: Round 4 Results

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Congratulations to Hollywood for taking his first win in only his fourth Grand Prix. Am I cruel enough to mention it took his cousin Badboy 30 GPs to achieve the same feat? Apparently so - rub it in his face!

This result leaves just Luigi, Good Ol' JR and fellow rookie Flutterfly as the only non-winners on the grid.

Well done to Flutterfly and Fisichella for correctly predicting Trulli to take the pole. Nice pick.

At the top of the standings my lead has been cut from five points to three, as Revs scores well in Bahrain to move up to second. At this early stage of the season its a battle to become the first two-time champion - bring it on!

Its all to play for as its still incredibly tight with just one point covering eight players in the middle of the pack.

The scores were pretty close so there's little change in the teams championship. Toyota jump Renault by way of Hollywood's victory here.

In the nations standings its two-all for Great Britain and Canada victory-wise with USA keeping close company in third.

Not the most exciting race after the drama of the first three, but it was good to get a better picture of the pecking order in 2009, even if car updates in Spain mean its probably all changed anyway... Button vs Vettel for the title fight?

Roll on Spain!

20 April 2009

China 2009: Round 3 Results

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Well, this is working out quite nicely so far this season! Congratulations to me, I guess. Thats win number thirteen which is currently a record, although I am at the advantage of never having missed a round. If Rubens hangs up his racing boots at the end of the year I might do the same and see who can topple the record first.

As always, a quick reminder that all my entries are sent to Badboy before the deadline. Speaking of which, spare a thought for the Canadian, who took the time to submit an entry but seemed to forget to make any selections before hitting send. Nice work, Eric!

In the championship I lead from Wooze with a handy five point advantage, which is nothing at this early stage of the season but a handy springboard for the rest of the year. The lovely Good Ol' JR edges between the two Ferraris in fourth whilst Montie, IceMan and Bommer now complete the top eight.

There's little change in the teams championship with Brawn still heading the pack from Ferrari and Williams but McLaren drop to plum last after a double DNE in China.

Great Britain continue to hold a narrow lead in the nations standings, with USA gaining the upper hand over Canada in the battle for second.

The Chinese Grand Prix was pretty damn exciting by my reckoning. After all this rain its almost a shame we're heading to the desert next. It is however going to be very interesting to see how things pan out in a more straightforward, dry race. Have Red Bull emerged as Brawn's closest threat or would they not have had it so easy in the dry? Personally I'm pretty sure Vettel (and Webber for that matter) will win again this season and if the team can get a double-decker diffuser fitted to the car soon, we'll end up with a mid-90s style Britain vs Germany fight for the title.

Roll on Bahrain!

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Update: I've added Badboy's entry on to the results as it appears there was a problem with the form. Its amongst the lower scores anyway so I figured it would be ok.

5 April 2009

Malaysia 2009: Round 2 Results

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Congratulations to 2007 champion Karan on taking his fourth career win! Karan has doubled his win tally since Japan last year and after a highly chaotic and unusual shortened Malaysian Grand Prix, came away with the highest score so far this season. The result takes him up to third in the championship race.

Well done too to my missus on taking a close second - that win must be getting close!

In the standings its a battle of the champions, with three of the top four having taken the title before. Leading at the moment is me (Atomic) ahead of Australia winner and team mate Wooze, the two Ferraris and two Williams. Of course, at this stage of the season its still very tight and the top five are covered by just three points.

Logically, the Noah's ark style championship standings are reflected in the teams championship, with Brawn leading the pack from Ferrari and Williams. Red Bull have crept off the bottom after drawing a complete blank in round one.

Great Britain, Canada and USA have pulled ahead slightly in the nations standings, the three countries covered by a single point.

So what are your thoughts on the race today? Did the generous helping of action during the running make up for the early finish? Personally I think its a shame that this happened - even before we got to this weekend people were speculating that we could be looking at a red flag situation because of the new start time - this was totally avoidable. The actual racing though was great and even before the rain came, we saw some evidence that these new technical regs are making for better racing.

Roll on China!

4 April 2009

Australia 2009: Revised Round 1 Results

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Here's the updated results for the first round of the season, revised to reflect the FIA's decision to disqualify Lewis Hamilton and reinstate Jarno Trulli in third place.

Thankfully it hasn't affected Wooze's win and generally people have gained points more than they have lost them. Here is a round up of how the decision altered the scores:
+3 Badboy
+3 Flutterfly
+2 Fisichella
+2 Bommer
+2 Luigi
+1 Wooze
-1 SGP
-1 Hollywood
-1 Sandeep
-2 AndySly88
-3 UnclePeJay

+3 Williams
+2 Force India
+2 Renault
+1 Brawn
+1 Toro Rosso
+1 BMW Sauber
-1 Toyota
-2 McLaren
-3 Red Bull

Fingers crossed for a more straightforward weekend in Malaysia...

2 April 2009

And the Penalties World Championship rumbles on...

Yep, as several of you have pointed out in the comments, Lewis Hamilton has been excluded from the Australian Grand Prix results and Jarno Trulli has been re-instated in third place. Classic Formula 1, sadly.

As such there will be some minor effects on the GPP results. Hurrah, more work! Thanks FIA!

I'll post the amended results tomorrow. Apologies to anybody that loses out.

Meanwhile, don't forget that the deadline for Malaysian Grand Prix predictions is just hours away... Lets hope this weekend is more about what happens during the race than after it.

30 March 2009

Australia 2009: Round 1 Results

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Please note - these results are provisional and subject to change in the unlikely event that Toyota appeal Trulli's penalty and the appeal wins.

Congratulations to Wooze on taking his second successive win. Much the same as in real life, Brawn have hit the ground running in 2009 with high scores for both players, but Wooze's eight points beats his rivals as he had two correct top six positions, one more than anybody else with the same score.

Generally pretty low scores thanks to an unpredictable race - quite a few people were royally screwed when Vettel and Kubica collided - but spare a though for Kai-Star, scoring a rare zero in his home race. LoudHoward was the best of the home race entrants with six points.

Wooze now leads the championship for the first time since San Marino 2005, when he lead the chase for just one round.

Brawn also lead the teams championship, closely followed by Toro Rosso.

A victory for a UK player means Great Britain lead the nations championship, but Germany and USA are right up there, also with eight points.

So what did everybody think of the race? I think its great to see the cars really moving around again, they look more of a handful this season. I have to admit though, the decision to wait two laps to deploy the safety car after Nakajima's crash (allowing Button to pit) was, at best, highly dubious.

Roll on Malaysia!

27 March 2009

2009 Force India Mercedes-Benz Line up

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Force India combine rookie enthusiasm with experience for 2009.

Sandeep begins a second season flying the flag for his national team. He's one of the most experienced players the game has ever had, but despite his impressive win tally, has not tasted victory in over two and half years - tough times for the former Monaco winner. He'll head into the season dead set on reversing that trend. Alongside him is 11th hour signing Flutterfly, taking on the GP Predictions experience a mere 25 minutes before the season began.

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All team and player stats are based on the start of the season.

2009 Ferrari Line up

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Ferrari look a daunting prospect for their rivals in 2009, as the team sports the game's first ever all-champion pairing.

2007 champion Karan remained a force to be reckoned with in his title defence season and will no doubt pose a similar threat this year. Despite entering his fifth season, he has never missed a round and this relentless commitment will likely seem him among the front runners once again. Returning home to the Scuderia after a year with McLaren, Predictions veteran Revs takes on his eighth season in the team he is synonymous with - all four of Ferrari's titles came with the former champ at the helm.

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All team and player stats are based on the start of the season.

2009 Brawn Mercedes-Benz Line up

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Continuity is the name of the game for the team formerly known as Honda, following their 2008 double title success.

Brawn GP sport one of only two unchanged line ups in 2009 as Atomic and Wooze head the charge for a fourth successive year. With the title finally in the bag after seven years of trying, Atomic will be aiming to bring similar success to the newest team on the grid whilst fellow Briton Wooze can hope to carry his winning form from last year's season finale into the new season.

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All team and player stats are based on the start of the season.

2009 Williams Toyota Line up

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Despite having more wins than any other team, Williams are long overdue a top championship result.

Staying on for a third season with the team, Canadian Badboy has finished as high as fourth in the championship on three occasions. He's a Monaco winner and consistently strong, but can he break into the top three in 2009? Joining him from Super Aguri is Good Ol' JR, aka Mrs Atomic, who I'm contractually obliged to point out is the love of my life and is perfect in every way. Still chasing that first win though, eh Sweets?

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All team and player stats are based on the start of the season.