F1 Prediction League - Awards 2013

And the winner of the £30 Amazon voucher is...Kim! It was a close run thing with Kiszol only one point behind and Michael only three points behind. All I can say is well done to Kim on a fantastic season!

Thanks to everyone for playing this year! It's been a lot of fun and I hope you come back for 2014.

2014 Discussion

Please have a look at this page (on the tab at the top of the site) - I decided against posting a survey as I would love for people to have a discussion about the changes we should make to the league next year, so please free to comment!

2013 Statistics

Also please see the following threads for 2013 stats and individual player stats. 

Awards

Moving onto the awards, which cover the ten categories announced earlier as well as a few more. Everyone has excelled in one way or another and I wanted to acknowlege it here. First I need to thank Michael for his help in defining the criteria behind the awards - this helped to make sure the whole process was as objective as possible. 

Best Qualifying Pick

1^st Rajaram (Rosberg at Brazil)

An inspired pick which allowed Rajaram to become the best qualifying picker of the season (jumping clear from Michael and Kim onto 113 points). Few guessed that Mercedes would have a chance to outqualify the peerless Red Bull. Perhaps it was the threat of rain which prompted the pick, perhaps there was some other insight. Regardless the stakes were high especially with third up for grabs in the championship and although third wasn't achieved, the pick still paid off as Rajaram defended fourth place.

2^nd Kiszol (Hamilton at China)

Kiszol was one of the first to take a risk on Hamilton early on in the season with the vast majority picking Vettel for China (after Australia and Malaysia). The beauty of this pick was Hamilton's former superiority in China was overlooked by others while the 0.3 second margin of victory made this pick even more satisfying.

3^rd Ediglo (Webber at Japan)

Ediglo was the only player to pick Webber for Japan, with everybody else sticking with Vettel. This pick turned out well after KERS problems for Vettel, which led to Webber outqualifying his teammate for the first time in the season. This race did spell the start of a succession of races where Webber challenged Vettel for pole so perhaps this was a bit prophetic.

Best Race pick

1^st Scott (Grosjean at US)

With the championship on the line and the threat of Kim taking it to the wire, Scott took a calculated risk. Webber was the safe pick but by choosing Grosjean, Scott made a decisive blow which secured a victory in the US which allowed Sauber to wrap up the constructors championship. This also allowed Scott to pull out a margin in the drivers championship which proved decisive.

2^nd Sangan and Scott (Vettel at Malaysia)

During this race, opinion was divided on who to pick between Alonso and Raikkonen. However, two pickers Scott and Sangan went different and it paid off with both taking the top and second steps of the podium. This was especially true after Alonso and Raikkonen's troubles.

3^rd Aled Lewis, Dead Jedi and Kiszol (Webber at Japan)

As the first race with Vettel banned the choice of pick opened up with Hamilton, Raikkonen, Alonso and Webber as favourite potential choices. Many would of avoided Webber after his run of bad luck and early season problems. In spite of this and noticing an upturn in both his form and luck Aled Lewis, Dead Jedi and Kiszol gambled on Webber. This proved decisive as Dead Jedi and Kiszol scored a podium. 

Best Constructors pick

1^st MetalGatherer (Lotus at US)
A brave decision by MetalGatherer to pick Lotus paid off. Bad luck befell both Kovalainen and Rosberg during the weekend which led to them both struggling to pick up big points. Romain Grosjean was dominant that weekend over the non-Red Bull cars and managed to secure 18 decisive points which gave Lotus top spot on the constructors table. This bold constructors pick also gave MetalGatherer a second place finish. 

2^nd Aled Lewis (Mercedes at Britain)
Aled Lewis' Mercedes pick at the Silverstone track was fantastic. Few expected them to succeed after difficulties in Canada with Hamilton in third and Rosberg down in fifth. Aled Lewis stuck bold with their conviction and went from an inspired pick. I feel like this pick was just as brave as the above however there are some question marks over whether Red Bull could have been the better pick that weekend.

3^rd Jasper94 (Ferrari at Australia) 
Jasper's Ferrari pick in Australia was inspired. Many expected the Red Bull to dominate from the offset however Jasper was keen to gamble. Ferrari was very strong with a 2-4 finish in the race giving them the most points overall. It's bold picks like this that are easy to admire. 

Best Random pick

1^st Sangan (Korea)
Sangan's random pick in Korea is probably the most amazing thing to happen in the picking game this year. For the three practice sessions, qualifying and race, players had to pick the driver who would finish first and last in that session out of a group of four drivers. Sangan got all 10 picks exactly right which is unprecedented. Their lead was four points over second and seven over the rest of the field.  

2^nd Joe and Aled Lewis (Bahrain)
Faced with the question of which number two driver (up to that point of the season) would be most dominant over their teammate, Joe and Aled Lewis were the only ones to vote Rosberg. Rosberg subsequently went on to beat Hamilton in every session that weekend so this random pick stands out as a particularly great one. 
 

3^rd Paul Smith (Japan)
In Japan pickers had to guess the qualifying and race finishing places of Gutierrez, Vergne and Rosberg. Paul Smith did a fantastic job and ended up winning the category by a long margin. It was great work especially as Paul Smith predicted Gutierrez to finish higher than most predicted and Rosberg to finish lower.    

 

No.1 Fan award

1^st Paul Smith – Alonso (picked on 15 occasions to Kiszol’s 10) 
Paul Smith and Kim both picked a driver five times more than anyone else however Paul Smith easily takes this award. Clearly Paul Smith valued Alonso consistency and ability to extract the maximum from the car more than anybody or perhaps Alonso is his favourite driver. Either way this was understandable earlier in the season although in the latter half Ferrari were weaker in pace compared to Lotus and Red Bull.

2^nd Kim – Vettel (picked on 23 occasions, compared to Dragan, Sangan, Dead Jedi and MG’s 18) 
Vettel was a popular pick among players due to his consistency and Red Bull’s ability to provide a quick car. Kim in particular trusted Vettel and this proved to be valuable in her finishing second overall in the league. Only two times did a Vettel pick backfire, in Spain which was the only time Vettel finished outside of the podium and in China in qualifying.

3^rd Aled Lewis – Hamilton (picked on 16 occasions, compared to Rajaram’s 13)

Aled Lewis picked Hamilton 9 times in the first 13 races for qualifying and continued to pick Hamilton for the race towards the end. Clearly a strong believer in his talents, these picks often didn't work out. This is often the case with Hamilton - high risks but potentially high reward. Brazil is a perfect example of how things can go wrong.

 

Hatred/No Confidence award

1^st Joe – Hamilton (picked once, compared to Paul Smith’s 6 times) 

Joe, either haunted by memories of Hamilton’s 2011 or not a fan of his aggressive style, rarely picked Hamilton and the one time he did in qualifying for Monza he lost out. Whilst it was understandable not to pick Hamilton for race refusing to pick him for qualifying didn’t help Joe in the championship. This was especially true as Hamilton was the best pick in over 25% of qualifying sessions. 

2^nd Ediglo – Vettel (only picked twice, compared to Paul Smith’s 6 times) 

Ediglo either on principal or a dislike picked Vettel only twice. It was admirable he stuck to his guns but during the second half of the season Red Bull and Vettel were the strongest picks by a margin. Refusing to pick Vettel led Ediglo to four consecutive last places which was unfortunate. Fingers crossed that next year is far more open for Ediglo's sake. 

3^rd Dead Jedi – Ferrari (never picked in constructors, compared to Kim and Dragan’s twice) 

Dead Jedi was overall very successful in constructors but it is rather surprising he didn’t pick Ferrari, even once. Ferrari often turned out to be the best pick, for example in Australia, China, Spain, Singapore or Brazil. However it was hard to class them as a reliable pick especially with Massa's race inconsistencies. 

Mark Webber award

“If Mark Webber didn’t have bad luck, he’d have no luck at all” – Martin Brundle

This award is given to the picker who has lost the most points through misfortune. This includes times when a driver has retired through mechanical difficulties, has been hit by another driver or was let down by a fundamental team operation.

1^st Michael (33 points)

Michael has been incredibly unlucky throughout the season and has rightfully earned the Mark Webber award. Three races in particular cost Michael - Alonso in Malaysia, Alonso in Bahrain and Hamilton in Japan. Not only this but bad luck continued throughout constructors (picking Ferrari in Bahrain) and qualifying (picking Rosberg in Germany). Without this bad luck Michael would have finished fourth in the drivers championship.

 

2^nd Kiszol (27 points)

Kiszol’s misfortune mainly surrounded two race picks, which in my opinion would have won had they not run into trouble. The most unlucky pick this year was Webber at India; he was dead set on scoring 8 points but retired towards the end of the race. The other race was Alonso at Bahrain, a DRS problem cost Alonso a highly likely win. Had this bad luck been reversed Kiszol would have extended his lead over fourth and closed on Kim in second.

3^rd Dragan (24 points) 
Dragan also scored their fair share of bad luck, picking Alonso in Malaysia, Hamilton in Japan and Webber in India. As fourth to ninth was so close in the final standings this bad luck had a highly negative effect on Dragan's eventual finishing position which probably deserved to be better. Hopefully next year the same individuals won't be hit with the same bad luck!

Please note this is purely subjective and based on reasonable values I’ve assigned to each misfortune. Lucky drivers include Ediglo (7), Rajaram (11) and Aled Lewis/Dead Jedi/Paul Smith (19).

Multi 21 award 

In honour of the infamous call in Malaysia the Multi 21 goes to the teammates who finished one position away from each other the most times.

1^st Mercedes (Aled Lewis + Paul Smith – 9 times)

This is an incredibly lucky but amazing feat, finishing so many times one position away. Most of these times were outside of the points or at the lower end of the points but the sheer quantity of times this occurred was the striking thing. Aled Lewis ended up winning five of the nine close finishes.

2^nd Sauber (Kiszol + Scott – 3 times)

The Sauber drivers finished next to each other three times. One time fighting for the lead in Spain, one time in Britain fighting for the podium, the last time just fighting for the points in Italy. Scott managed to win two of these three close battles. As Spain was the only time two teammates finished one-two on a weekend, this is the only true multi 21 situation.

3^rd Lotus (Sangan + Dragan – 2 times)

Most teammates had two instances of finishing close to each other however Lotus drivers Sangan and Dragan have taken third place as one of their finishes was a two-three in Italy so was the second most significant multi 21 event. Sangan and Dragan took one head-to-head victory each.

‘Hulk Smash’ Award

This award is given to the driver who beat their teammate the most comprehensively during the season, named after Hulkenberg who dominated Gutierrez throughout the 2013 season.

 

1^st Wander (Red Bull)

During Wander's and Jasper's time at Red Bull (both left mid-season, the team put it down to not allowing them to rally in their spare time) Wander finished 6-1 ahead of Jasper. This is clearly the most one-sided teammate battle throughout the season. Wander was definitely a leading contender for the title so it was a shame they left.

2^nd Dead Jedi (Force India)
Overall this comes down to having the greatest difference in constructors points (58 points) between the two drivers as well as the most skewed race weekend head-to-head at 11-6, that finished the season. Ediglo once was leading the battle 6-4 however lost seven races in row due to Dead Jedi's improved form and Ediglo's decision not to pick Vettel. This was a very competitive team battle up to the mid-season break so it might be unfair to write too much significance into this one. 

3^rd Kim (McLaren)
Kim's consistency and strength throughout the year was commendable which led McLaren to second in the constructors championship. Michael struggled at points, primarily through bad luck (see Mark Webber award) however towards the end of the season Michael's improved form and two podiums stopped the one-sided nature of this team battle. Without these two podiums, Kim may have scored the Hulk Smash award.

 

Nemesis 

The Nemesis award goes to the person who denied another player the most constructors points by finishing one place above them.

1^st Kim ‘Nemesis of Dragan’
Kim's uncanny ability to take wins off of Dragan is what stood between Lotus and an easy second place in the constructors championship. Overall Kim cost Dragan a second place in Bahrain and wins in Germany and Abu Dhabi (17 points) - truly extraordinary. Dragan will be cursing their luck and hoping to turn the tables next year.

2^nd Kiszol ‘Nemesis of Paul Smith’

Kiszol cost Paul Smith points on four separate occasions. The major damage was done in Brazil, where Kiszol denied Paul Smith a win, however three points were also taken in China as a result of Kiszol's excellent Hamilton qualifying pick. Overall Paul Smith could claim to be 13 points better off without Kiszol.
 

3^rd Sauber team ‘Nemesis of MetalGatherer’

Usually I wouldn't give this award to a team however there were several nemesis' tied on 10 points. The Sauber team overall cost MetalGatherer an outstanding 19 points so this deserves mentioning. Like Kim with Dragan, the Sauber team cost MetalGatherer two wins - one in Hungary (Kiszol) and one in the US (Scott). You can also add a second place in Korea (Scott) and two points in India (Kiszol). Next year MetalGatherer will be glad that Scott and Kiszol no longer are in the same team.

Originality award 

The originality award is given to the picker who picked the favourite pick the least times over the qualifying, race and constructors categories.

1^st Paul Smith  (19/57)
Paul Smith only posted the most common pick for 19 out of 57 categories across the season. Usually this revolved around picking Alonso for race. Amazingly Paul Smith only picked the most popular qualifying pick once in the first eleven races (Hamilton at Canada). Constructors was the category with the least conservative picks, only picking the favourite 5 times out of a potential 19.

2^nd Aled Lewis  (21/57)
Aled Lewis also picked very originally throughout the year. It's rumoured that the unorthodox and erratic picking of the Mercedes drivers is the reason for Ross Brawn's departure from the team. Others speculate that Ross' executive chair has been replaced at the factory with one of Toto's thrones. Aled Lewis picked against the crowd, often siding with Hamilton. There were only 5 times overall where Aled Lewis picked the most favourite race pick.

3^rd Ediglo (23/51)

Ediglo's originality mainly came from their Vettel aversion. This manifested in a low for qualifying, with only 5 favourite picks in typically the most conservative category (Kim picked the favourite qualifying pick in all 19 rounds). Ediglo was far less original in constructors (comparatively) only picking Red Bull four times to the average of seven. Originality should definitely be applauded and done well can lead to race wins e.g. in China where Ediglo scored their first win the F1 prediction league on their debut.

Conservative Picker award

This is the sister award to the originality award above.

1^st Michael (46/57)

Michael ends the year with the title of most conservative picker. Michael achieved the most or second most common picks in all three categories (Qualifying - 18 times, second to Kim; Race - 13 times, second to Kiszol; Constructors - 15 times, first). This led to a strong championship position of fifth. Going along with the favourite for the weekend can pay off but sometimes due to bad luck or another more unlikely candidate emerging during a weekend, this can't be guaranteed to be the best strategy.

2^nd Keba (14/18)
Keba often picked the most commonly picked driver however this was probably due to joining late in the league where the established pecking order was more apparent (e.g. Vettel for qualifying, Webber for race). Keba was definitely on to a winning strategy and has finished every single race in the points since joining the prediction league. Well done!

3^rd Wander (16/21)

Early doors, Wander was a very strong contender for potential F1 prediction league champion however a missed weekend caused a lot of problems. Wander often picked one of the few big favourites especially in qualifying and constructors with many Vettel and Räikkönen picks in general.

Most Similar pickers

1^st Michael and Scott
As we've been aware of from past picking games (2011 and 2012) playing together, we pick very similarly. Our battles are always quite tight and come down to a few differences. Over the course of the season the two of us picked differently on only 11 occasions with Scott coming out on top in 9 of those. These 9 differences explain 39 points differences (an average of 4.3 points per category) which is very high.

2^nd Keba and MetalGatherer
Keba and MetalGatherer (since Keba has joined with six races to go) have picked the same picks 14 times. This means they have the second highest percentage in the league. Again this mainly resulted in them picking Vettel/Webber for qualifying and Webber for race. Three of the four differences came within the constructors category. 

3^rd Kim and Michael
Kim and Michael, teammates at McLaren, picked very similarly especially in qualifying. If you want to see their individual head-to-head, check out the individual player stats thread here. Suffice to say, the differences turned out to be critical and costly, rather than a large quantity of differences splitting the two.

The least similar pickers were Paul Smith and Kim, Aled Lewis and Joe, and Dragan and Ediglo.

I hope everyone enjoyed the awards, please feel free to feedback or celebrate!