United States 2014 Results and Championship Standings (17/19)

The decisive moment

Hamilton does it again! The title is now out of Rosberg's hands but there may still be heartbreak at the last race if Mercedes encounter reliability problems or Hamilton puts in two sub par performances.

Other notable mentions in the race include the excellent Daniel Ricciardo, who once again put his teammate in the shadows, and Pastor Maldonado, who scored his first points of the season.

Ricciardo was particularly impressive as a series of brilliant overtakes and bursts of speed saw the young Aussie jump from 9th/10th on the first lap to the podium. Well done! This has huge implications for the prediction league too.

The crowd goes crazy as MICHAEL WINS THE US GP! 

A lot of silly season nonsense was ended with the following announcements:
Note: none concern Alonso and his involvement in the prediction league.

Ferrari

Ferrari have signed Joe Watson and Chris Grigson to lead their charge next season. In a bold press conference Marco Mattiacci stated both drivers had put the team ahead of their own needs and that he couldn't thank them enough. He also praised their skill in delivering three top four finishes in as many races. Mattiacci promised an improvement on Ferrari's worst year ever, currently in 7th in the constructors championship, building up to an onslaught on the title in 2016. 

Red Bull

Red Bull have signed Ediglo as number two driver to Kiszol, who is currently 5th in the drivers championship. Christian Horner was extremely critical of the Renault engines, stating only one word did justice to the disgrace they were and that word was cucumber! He also said they were considering replacing the engine with a couple of horses. The team expect to be challenging for both titles next year regardless of which animal they employ.

Mercedes

Finally Mercedes have signed Aled Lewis to accompany Metalgatherer into the 2015 season. Toto Wolff claimed Aled Lewis' two wins and a podium were instrumental in the decision but that he, Niki and Paddy wanted more consistency going forward. 

As mentioned before, Ricciardo's excellent race and utter ruthlessness in the face of Williams' inadequate strategy has given Michael a weekend to remember. The gap at the top of the championship is now paper thin and promises an extremely entertaining end to the season, also don't forget Sangan who is within touching distance. Good luck Michael and Sangan! 

Championship standings

Podium facts
Michael's 2nd win of the season and 2nd overall
Joe's 4th podium finish of the season (tied 3rd) and 7th overall (tied 6th)
Paul's 2nd podium finish of the season and 4th overall (tied 10th)

Current streaks
Nat - 9 points finishes (tied 1st, personal best)
Scott - 7 points finishes
Kiszol - 6 points finishes
Marussia - 14 points finishes
McLaren - 11 points finishes
Ferrari - 8 points finishes
Red Bull - 6 points finishes

Streaks ended
Scott - 2 win streak

More detailed results

 

Here is the team offers situation - teams will be assessing drivers from Singapore to the end of the United States GP. This has now been completed.

The different colours represent different seat battles - grey (first driver), brick (second driver). Handicap based on a specific formula which takes account of:

• Current year points
• Current year wins and podiums (minorly weighted as these are already included in points. A win or a podium definitely brings a little extra prestige to a team too)
• Average points per race (all-time - may later become last three years)
• Who the current driver is and loyalty

Finished results. See top of this post for annoncements. 

 

Inputs and random

Q1 - based on how many sessions Rosberg would beat Hamilton over the weekend
Q2 - risks vs. rewards about outcomes in Rosberg vs. Hamilton over the weekend
Q3 - which statements about Seb's comeback would be true (maximum of two statements)
Q4 - how many places would Seb finish away from Dan
Q5 - who would qualify last
Q6 - who would finish last in the race
Q7 - how many seconds away from the worst other finishing car would the leading Sauber or Lotus be (+ Sauber or Lotus behind, - values Sauber or Lotus above). 

Mid-season categories and stats

 

Overall midseason categories are provisional - category 1 in particular is only a guide due to the nature of the set-up of my workings.The large majority are unable to score points in category 1 now due to Alonso failing to score points and a few other items which failed.

Category 1 - risk vs. rewards

Category 2 - position of your driver

Category 3 - teammate domination (see below)

Category 4 - most improved constructors

Category 5 - most improved driver

Category 6 - most podiums

Category 7 - highest average qualifying position

Teammate domination

Most season session points

Please join the discussion in the random thread if you have any suggestions for the random categories for Abu Double. It would be amazing to get some more input from others to make randoms unique.

Take care until the Brazil! Hopefully I can post the thread in the next 24 hours.