Guess The Podium: Australia

Let's open the Australia's thread.

It's a terrible confession but I'm looking for Melbourne's race. Alonso looks as the overall favourite, he is quick, he is smart, he has regularity, and obviously it doesn't harm that he has a good car.

But how Fisi will do? He is fast *in his day* but how many "days" he is going to have in 2006? Will Macs at last perform without "bad luck"? And how fast against Renaults they ultimately will be?

And Ferrari, was Bahrain a fluke or they are going to be a third invited in the party? Williams: they are quick, although they smoke too much, another potential option for glory in Albert Park. Even Button/Honda has an apriori bet for a win, but I'm not so sure it can be yet just by merit but by other's fault.

Enough of sillinesses. But the former paragraphs have the point that AUS is going to be difficult to guess, and it is good for our game. Apparently we are not in one of those dreadful F1 seasons with a superdominant car.

==============================================

The rules are:

It consists in guessing the three firsts (podium positions) in F1 races. You do an ordered guess (i.e. msch-mont-rsch) and a score is given according to real podium results. The scoring system is as explained here:

Suppose you do the guess msch-mont-rsch.

If msch is 1st, 3 points
if msch is 2nd, 2 points
if msch is 3rd, 1 point

If mont is 1st, 2 points
if mont is 2nd, 2 points
if mont is 3rd, 1 point

If rsch is 1st, 2nd or 3rd, 1 point

It another driver makes a podium position, it doesn't give any points.

All points for msch, mont and rsch are added and then 2 is subtracted. So final score range from -2 to +4.

Another additional rules are:

Any guess can be done before one hour before the official first start of the race. We will use the "official" Atlas Forum clock to resolve timming issues. Any editing after the start of the race will result in a -2 score.

Podium positions will be considered those celebrated in the official podium ceremony , notwithstanding any posterior modification due to application of FIA rules.

Ties in general classification are resolved favouring who is "best" classified in the previous classification.

To win one of the final three first prizes at the end of the season it is required to participate in more than 50% of rounds of this game.

In case of official classification is altered BEFORE the next F1 race, we will change our results accordingly. If alteration happens AFTER the next F! race it will not have any effect in our results.

In order to have a reference I will enter two "dummy" players: Bernie and Max (the names were chosen randomly ). Bernie always guesses the firsts three qualifyers, and Max always guesses the firsts three classified in WDC current points table. Can you outscore B&M?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Due to "popular" demand now our format of naming drivers will go along other games in this forum:

xxxx / yyyy / zzzz

where xxxx is the four letter name of the first classified, yyyy is for the second classified and zzzz is the third classified. The four letter name is the four first letters of the surname except Michael Schumacher=msch, Ralf Schumacher=rsch, Tiago Monteiro=tmon. Note that Montoya is mont. Obviously Ide is... ide.

In case of any error entering guesses in a different format, I'll do my best to resolve the guess if there are not indeterminations.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Guess example: (don't put your nick!)

msch/barr/butt

It means you bid to Micheal being 1st, Barry 2nd and Button 3rd.

===============================================

#1 Schummy

#2 KWSN - DSM

#3 Schummy

#4 an1res

#5 shays

#6 Makarias

#7 sek

#8 gerry nassar

#9 Costaz

#10 fisichella_2001

#11 Jimmino

#12 Apex

#13 WillieF1

#14 estoril85

#15 D82

#16 LB

#17 Ric Bol

#18 dworsham

#19 Punisher6

#20 d_view7

#21 Zawed

#22 Alapan

#23 armonico

#24 scheivlak

#25 SkorbiF1

#26 SeanValen

#27 magicalonso

#28 Ghostrider

#29 dnbn

#30 Schummy

#31 kismet

#32 Estwald

#33 windsok

#34 AcuraF1

#35 panzani

#36 Schummy

#37 panzani

#38 Schummy