52 replies to this topic

[PayasYouRace]

I'd like to announce my fantasy championship for 2024. Given the huge number of races, I wanted to break it up into more manageable chunks to maintain interest. So I present to you the...

PaYR Formula One World Championship

The thirty one races (24 Grands Prix, 6 sprints and one special bonus) will be broken down into Formula One Regional Cups, plus a couple of other tweaks, into the following championship structure:

The Grandes Épreuves

These are the races that formed the first season of the World Championship for Drivers in 1950, and as such hold historical importance in modern F1. It helps that all these races are still held at the same circuits as they were at the birth of the championship. The races are of course the Monaco, British, Belgian and Italian Grands Prix, held in Monaco, Silverstone, Spa and Monza respectively, and mostly for my own amusement and to revive a historic tradition, the results of the Indianapolis 500 will also count towards the PaYR Formula One World Championship. These 5 historic races, by virtue of their historical significance, will be mandatory scores in the overall championship, and will also be free of something a gauche as title sponsorship. Scores will be 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 + FL as normal. As the Monaco Grand Prix and Indy 500 are held on the same day and it will be physically impossible to compete in both, it will be effectively the best four scores that count, just like in 1950. Had the French and Swiss Grands Prix still been extant, they would also be included in this group.

Regional Cups

The remaining Grands Prix are then grouped into regional cups by geographical location. They are as follows:

T-Minus* Formula One Middle-Eastern Cup

This cup will span the entire season and consist of the Bahrain, Saudi, Azerbaijan, Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix. Baku is grouped here by virtue of being further east than Jeddah, and I just felt it suited it better. The Middle-Eastern Cup will be awarded post race in Abu Dhabi, providing a bit of extra cause for celebration, even if the World Championship is already wrapped up. Scores will be 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 + FL as normal, and the best four scores will count.

Genii Capital* Formula One Asia-Pacific Cup

Consisting of the few races in the Far East, kicking off in Australia before taking in Japan, China and eventually Singapore. This shorter cup takes place mostly in the early season, but then concludes under the lights at one of F1's big prestige events at the Singapore Grand Prix. Consisting of only four races, all scores will count towards this Cup, and will be scored as normal: 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 + FL.

ROKiT* Formula One Americas Cup

The Grands Prix in the Americas, Miami, Canada, USA, Mexico City, Sao Paulo and Las Vegas, will form this longer and high profile Cup. For consistency, the best four scores count and scoring will be as normal with 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 + FL. This cup will be awarded at F1's latest glitz and glamour event, the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Eyetime* Formula One European Cup

The remaining European Grands Prix, the Emilia-Romagna, Spanish, Austrian, Hungarian and Dutch Grands Prix complete the Regional Series for the year. As always, the best four results of the five count towards the European Cup. This will be considered and extension of the old AIACR European Championship, so the winner will join the likes of Rudolf Caracciola and Bernd Rosemeyer on the winners trophy. Scores will be 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 + FL as normal. The cup will be awarded at fan favourite Zandvoort.

The reason for each Regional Cup scoring four races is because, on completion of the season, each driver will only carry the points of their best three cups into the World Championship standings. By having each series score four races, they are all equally weighted.

Rich Energy* Formula One Sprint Cup

Let's face it, Sprints aren't going away this year, and with six on the calendar, it seems like they should have some bearing on the title chase. The PaYR F1 committee has decided on the following system. The Sprints will form their own series, separate to the championship. Races will be scored 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 for the top eight, as per normal. However, in keeping with the Rule of Four, only the best four scores for each driver will count. At the conclusion of the Sprint Cup in Qatar, not only will the Sprint Cup be awarded to the driver with the highest score, but the top ten Sprint Cup drivers will be awarded World Championship points as per the normal system for a Grand Prix: 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1.

The spreadsheet is ready to go:





In summary, each driver will finish the season with up to 17 scores, a nice proper number for an F1 season. 4 from the Grandes Épreuves, 12 from the best 3 Regional Cups, and 1 from the Sprint Cup.

My plan is to simply update this after each race, though if there's enough interest I might consider managing it in a separate thread. I'm not planning on doing a No Red Bull Championship next year. Call it romantic optimism, but I think we'll get a closer season and I don't think there's going to be a need to exclude them again.

*All title sponsorship subject to payment up front and in full.

[F1 Mike]

I'd like to announce my fantasy championship for 2024. Given the huge number of races, I wanted to break it up into more manageable chunks to maintain interest. So I present to you the...

PaYR Formula One World Championship

The thirty one races (24 Grands Prix, 6 sprints and one special bonus) will be broken down into Formula One Regional Cups, plus a couple of other tweaks, into the following championship structure:

The Grandes Épreuves

These are the races that formed the first season of the World Championship for Drivers in 1950, and as such hold historical importance in modern F1. It helps that all these races are still held at the same circuits as they were at the birth of the championship. The races are of course the Monaco, British, Belgian and Italian Grands Prix, held in Monaco, Silverstone, Spa and Monza respectively, and mostly for my own amusement and to revive a historic tradition, the results of the Indianapolis 500 will also count towards the PaYR Formula One World Championship. These 5 historic races, by virtue of their historical significance, will be mandatory scores in the overall championship, and will also be free of something a gauche as title sponsorship. Scores will be 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 + FP as normal. As the Monaco Grand Prix and Indy 500 are held on the same day and it will be physically impossible to compete in both, it will be effectively the best four scores that count, just like in 1950. Had the French and Swiss Grands Prix still been extant, they would also be included in this group.

Regional Cups

The remaining Grands Prix are then grouped into regional cups by geographical location. They are as follows:

T-Minus* Formula One Middle-Eastern Cup

This cup will span the entire season and consist of the Bahrain, Saudi, Azerbaijan, Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix. Baku is grouped here by virtue of being further east than Jeddah, and I just felt it suited it better. The Middle-Eastern Cup will be awarded post race in Abu Dhabi. providing a bit of extra cause for celebration, even if the World Championship is already wrapped up. Scores will be 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 + FP as normal, and the best four scores will count.

Genii Capital* Formula One Asia-Pacific Cup

Consisting of the few races in the Far East, kicking off in Australia before taking in Japan, China and eventually Singapore. This shorter cup takes place mostly in the early season, but then concludes under the lights at one of F1's big prestige events at the Singapore Grand Prix. Consisting of only four races, all scores will count towards this Cup, and will be scored as normal: 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 + FP.

ROKiT* Formula One Americas Cup

The Grands Prix in the Americas, Miami, Canada, USA, Mexico City, Sao Paulo and Las Vegas, will form this longer and high profile Cup. For consistency, the best four scores count and scoring will be as normal with 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 + FP. This cup will be awarded at F1's latest glitz and glamour event, the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Eyetime* Formula One European Cup

The remaining European Grands Prix, the Emilia-Romagna, Spanish, Austrian, Hungarian and Dutch Grands Prix complete the Regional Series for the year. As always, the best four results of the five count towards the European Cup. This will be considered and extension of the old AIACR European Championship, so the winner will join the likes of Rudolf Caracciola and Bernd Rosemeyer on the winners trophy. Scores will be 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 + FP as normal. The cup will be awarded at fan favourite Zandvoort.

The reason for each Regional Cup scoring four races is because, on completion of the season, each driver will only carry the points of their best three cups into the World Championship standings. By having each series score four races, they are all equally weighted.

Rich Energy* Formula One Sprint Cup

Let's face it, Sprints aren't going away this year, and with six on the calendar, it seems like they should have some bearing on the title chase. The PaYR F1 committee has decided on the following system. The Sprints will form their own series, separate to the championship. Races will be scored 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 for the top as, as per normal. However, in keeping with the Rule of Four, only the best four scores for each driver will count. At the conclusion of the Sprint Cup in Qatar, not only will the Sprint Cup be awarded to the driver with the highest score, but the top ten Sprint Cup drivers will be awarded World Championship points as per the normal system for a Grand Prix: 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1.

The spreadsheet is ready to go:





In summary, each driver will finish the season with up to 17 scores, a nice proper number for an F1 season. 4 from the Grandes Épreuves, 12 from the best 3 Regional Cups, and 1 from the Sprint Cup.

My plan is to simply update this after each race, though if there's enough interest I might consider managing it in a separate thread. I'm not planning on doing a No Red Bull Championship next year. Call it romantic optimism, but I think we'll get a closer season and I don't think there's going to be a need to exclude them again.

*All title sponsorship subject to payment up front and in full.

Excellent choice of sponsors

[Benchulo]

I'd like to announce my fantasy championship for 2024. Given the huge number of races, I wanted to break it up into more manageable chunks to maintain interest. So I present to you the...

PaYR Formula One World Championship

The thirty one races (24 Grands Prix, 6 sprints and one special bonus) will be broken down into Formula One Regional Cups, plus a couple of other tweaks, into the following championship structure:

The Grandes Épreuves

These are the races that formed the first season of the World Championship for Drivers in 1950, and as such hold historical importance in modern F1. It helps that all these races are still held at the same circuits as they were at the birth of the championship. The races are of course the Monaco, British, Belgian and Italian Grands Prix, held in Monaco, Silverstone, Spa and Monza respectively, and mostly for my own amusement and to revive a historic tradition, the results of the Indianapolis 500 will also count towards the PaYR Formula One World Championship. These 5 historic races, by virtue of their historical significance, will be mandatory scores in the overall championship, and will also be free of something a gauche as title sponsorship. Scores will be 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 + FP as normal. As the Monaco Grand Prix and Indy 500 are held on the same day and it will be physically impossible to compete in both, it will be effectively the best four scores that count, just like in 1950. Had the French and Swiss Grands Prix still been extant, they would also be included in this group.

Regional Cups

The remaining Grands Prix are then grouped into regional cups by geographical location. They are as follows:

T-Minus* Formula One Middle-Eastern Cup

This cup will span the entire season and consist of the Bahrain, Saudi, Azerbaijan, Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix. Baku is grouped here by virtue of being further east than Jeddah, and I just felt it suited it better. The Middle-Eastern Cup will be awarded post race in Abu Dhabi. providing a bit of extra cause for celebration, even if the World Championship is already wrapped up. Scores will be 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 + FP as normal, and the best four scores will count.

Genii Capital* Formula One Asia-Pacific Cup

Consisting of the few races in the Far East, kicking off in Australia before taking in Japan, China and eventually Singapore. This shorter cup takes place mostly in the early season, but then concludes under the lights at one of F1's big prestige events at the Singapore Grand Prix. Consisting of only four races, all scores will count towards this Cup, and will be scored as normal: 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 + FP.

ROKiT* Formula One Americas Cup

The Grands Prix in the Americas, Miami, Canada, USA, Mexico City, Sao Paulo and Las Vegas, will form this longer and high profile Cup. For consistency, the best four scores count and scoring will be as normal with 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 + FP. This cup will be awarded at F1's latest glitz and glamour event, the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Eyetime* Formula One European Cup

The remaining European Grands Prix, the Emilia-Romagna, Spanish, Austrian, Hungarian and Dutch Grands Prix complete the Regional Series for the year. As always, the best four results of the five count towards the European Cup. This will be considered and extension of the old AIACR European Championship, so the winner will join the likes of Rudolf Caracciola and Bernd Rosemeyer on the winners trophy. Scores will be 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 + FP as normal. The cup will be awarded at fan favourite Zandvoort.

The reason for each Regional Cup scoring four races is because, on completion of the season, each driver will only carry the points of their best three cups into the World Championship standings. By having each series score four races, they are all equally weighted.

Rich Energy* Formula One Sprint Cup

Let's face it, Sprints aren't going away this year, and with six on the calendar, it seems like they should have some bearing on the title chase. The PaYR F1 committee has decided on the following system. The Sprints will form their own series, separate to the championship. Races will be scored 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 for the top as, as per normal. However, in keeping with the Rule of Four, only the best four scores for each driver will count. At the conclusion of the Sprint Cup in Qatar, not only will the Sprint Cup be awarded to the driver with the highest score, but the top ten Sprint Cup drivers will be awarded World Championship points as per the normal system for a Grand Prix: 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1.

The spreadsheet is ready to go:





In summary, each driver will finish the season with up to 17 scores, a nice proper number for an F1 season. 4 from the Grandes Épreuves, 12 from the best 3 Regional Cups, and 1 from the Sprint Cup.

My plan is to simply update this after each race, though if there's enough interest I might consider managing it in a separate thread. I'm not planning on doing a No Red Bull Championship next year. Call it romantic optimism, but I think we'll get a closer season and I don't think there's going to be a need to exclude them again.

*All title sponsorship subject to payment up front and in full.

This could turn out to be more interesting than the actual season.

Edited by Benchulo, 11 December 2023 - 07:58.

[PayasYouRace]

This could turn out to be more interesting than the actual season.

I wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t.

[KWSN - DSM]

I wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t.

 

I think it deserve it's own thread.

[PayasYouRace]

I think it deserve it's own thread.

 

And so it came to pass.

[Beri]

How modest of yourself by including your name in the thread title 😜

Other than that; this is absolutely gold. I really wonder what the end results will be.

[midgrid]

The most important question is of course.......how did you determine the initial driver order??

[PayasYouRace]

The most important question is of course.......how did you determine the initial driver order??

That should be really obvious.

[Broekschaap]

That should be really obvious.

Well you do need some grasp of the underlying concept of numbers you used, otherwise one is never gonna get to the same results as you did

[midgrid]

That should be really obvious.

 

I forgot Verstappen is #1 instead of #33! 

[PayasYouRace]

I forgot Verstappen is #1 instead of #33! 

 

As is right and proper for a true world champion.

[KWSN - DSM]

As is right and proper for a true world champion.

 

Preach it!!1

[F1 Mike]

I really like it, it gives an extra dimension to the championship and it's something completely different and intriguing

[PayasYouRace]

My main hope is that by splitting into more manageable chunks it’s easier to remember individual races. This season is now a big blur for me.

[F1 Mike]

My main hope is that by splitting into more manageable chunks it’s easier to remember individual races. This season is now a big blur for me.

I always wonder if it's the number of races or just my age. I remember races from the 90s and early 2000s but not from last year!

[PayasYouRace]

I always wonder if it's the number of races or just my age. I remember races from the 90s and early 2000s but not from last year!

Might be an age thing. I find 2011/12 or so is the last season where I can remember more than one race in any sort of detail.

[IrvTheSwerve]

Might be an age thing. I find 2011/12 or so is the last season where I can remember more than one race in any sort of detail.

A lot of people are saying the same. It’s certainly the case for me…as the V8 era came to an end, so too did my memory of races it seems!

[PayasYouRace]

A lot of people are saying the same. It’s certainly the case for me…as the V8 era came to an end, so too did my memory of races it seems!

It annoys me because I’ve enjoyed so many races since that time.

[lustigson]

Any post with Grandes Épreuves in it has my approval! 

[PayasYouRace]

If PAYR's post has revealed that the dominant McLaren was really a Red Bull then all he has done is given himself extra work over the holidays recalculating the 1988 championship.

 

 

Not wishing to take over Henri's thread, but I did once recalculate the 1988 season with 1 minute added to the race time of each McLaren driver. It would have been an epic season, and the championship implications of Rene Arnoux taking Gerhard Berger out of the lead in Adelaide would have seen this forum in meltdown.

 

As something to ponder while we wait for the new season, Columbin reminded me of my artifically tightened 1988 season. All I did was add 1 minute to the race time for Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna for each race, and recalculate the points with the new results. For the sake of argument, we'll say that the MP4/4 turned out to be more of a rush job, more of a compromise, more like the Lotus 100T that it was in reality. I chose 1 minute arbitrarily, but the resulting championship would have gone down in history. Tighten your seatbelts, this is going to be good.

 

Rd.1 Brazil

 

So it turned out Ferrari could build on their promise from pre-season testing. The McLaren MP4/4, while late, still showed immense promise. Senna was disqualified after switching to the spare car after the start of the parade lap. Berger wins in commanding style, while Prost showed his customary panache to finish second. Piquet, the defending champion, came home third at home.

 

Rd.2 San Marino

 

McLaren have clearly dialled their new car in well at Imola. Senna leads Prost home in a 1-2 for the Woking team. Piquet again comes in third, while Berger struggles to fifth in front of the Tifosi. Suddenly the pundits are saying the season is over. Can anyone stop McLaren?

 

Rd.3 Monaco

 

Senna's looking imperious at Monaco, but then crashes at the Portier all by himself. He's clearly distressed by the mistakes and he disappears off to his hotel room for hours. Berger, looking stronger again, is the chief beneficiary, taking his second win of the season. Alboreto makes it a 1-2 for Ferrari, and suddenly the championship looks open again. Prost continues his consistent run and takes third.

 

Rd.4 Mexico

 

In the altitude of Mexico City, the turbos have it all their own way. Ferrari and McLaren are locked in an epic battle for supremecy, and it's ulimately won by Berger, who takes his third win out of four this year. People are beginning to talk about the next Austrian champion since Niki Lauda. Prost, ever quick, comes second, with Senna third and Alboreto fourth. Arrows with their Megatrons complete the points.

 

Rd.5 Canada

 

Montreal showed that the turbos wouldn't be having things their own way this season. It was Boutsen, in the aerodynamically advanced Benetton who took his first Grand Prix win on the island, only his second points finish of the year so far. Senna though, bounces back and this time beats Prost as both McLarens complete the podium. Berger went out with electrical problems.

 

Rd.6 USA

 

In Detroit, McLaren again looked ominous, but on the tight Motown streets, it was again Boutsen, fresh off his win a week earlier, who split Ayrton and Alain to grab second place. Once again, Berger failed to finish, due to a puncture after a mere six laps.

 

Rd.7 France

 

At home, nobody could stop The Professor. On the podium at every race so far, he finally grabs his first win of the year, a mere 6 seconds ahead of Alboreto in a thrilling finish. Berger adds to his tally in third, while Senna struggles with gearbox issues for most of the race and scores a solitary point in sixth.

 

Rd.8 Great Britain

 

At a very wet Silverstone, it was time for a new winner. Nigel Mansell, ever inspired on home turf and winner of the last three Grands Prix on British soil, finally managed to bring the quick but unreliable Williams-Judd home, and of course he brought it home first after a wild comeback drive. Also new to the podium was Benetton's Alessandro Nannini, bringing it home second on a day when the rain made having a normally aspirated engine the thing to have on what was normally a power circuit. Senna, as ever inspired in the wet, came home third. Prost retired with "handling" issues, while polesitter Berger simply couldn't compete and ended up ninth.

 

Rd.9 Germany

 

Another damp day, but on the long straights of Hockenheim the turbos would not be denied this time. Berger, after a string of retirements, got a much needed win to get his title challenge back on track. Senna was second and Prost third.

 

Rd.10 Hungary

 

Back to atmo territory, and it was the new Benetton star, Boutsen, who mastered the twists of the Hungaroring to get his second win of the year. McLaren repeated their 2-3 from Germany, and Berger came home fourth.

 

Rd.11 Belgium

 

At the classic power track that is Spa, we saw one of the closest finishes ever, as Boutsen held off the charging Senna to win by a mere 0.319 seconds in a photo finish. The sight of both cars scrabbling through the Bus Stop Chicane on the final lap will forever be one of the classic moments in F1 history. Nannini was 9 seconds behind in third. However, Benetton's great day was soured when both their cars were disqualified for fuel irregularities. This gave Senna his third win of the season, promoting the also impressive Ivan Capelli to second and Nelson Piquet getting third. Berger went out with fuel injection problems, while Prost could only manage fifth after the Benettons were excluded.

 

Rd.12 Italy

 

More controversy at Monza, but this time for backmarker trouble. Both McLarens were struggling with fuel mileage. Prost went out with a rare engine failure, while Berger and Alboreto, at the first Italian Grand Prix since Enzo Ferrari's death, passed the struggling Senna with about 10 leaps to go and brought home a popular 1-2. However, while lapping Schlesser, subbing for the unwell Nigel Mansell in the Williams, Senna was taken out as the Frenchman got his line all wrong at the Variante Goodyear, and earned himself a notorious place in F1 history. It wouldn't be the last bit of backmarker trouble in 1988. Third was Eddie Cheever, making the most of Megatron power.

 

Rd.13 Portugal

 

On the long sweeping bends of Estoril, it was aerodynamics that came to the fore. Adrian Newey's sublime March 881 proved suited to the task and Ivan Capelli, driving a calculated and determined race, came through for his first Grand Prix win, and the first for March since 1976. The other "aero car" of 1988, the Benetton 188, was second in Boutsen's hands. Prost, after a couple of off weekends, brought it home for another third place. Both championship protagonists had a bad day. Senna had handling issues which burned through his tyres, and he finished outside the points, while Berger spun off in what could have been a title deciding mistake.

 

Rd.14 Spain

 

Jerez was the scene of Mansell mania, winner the previous year and nearly winner the year before, Nigel controlled this one from the get-go, and for once, his Judd-FW12 didn't let him down. He won convincingly, and it was both his second win, and second finish of the season. Nannini brought it home second, as he had at Silverstone, and Williams had extra reason to be happy with Patrese making it a 1-3. Berger could only manage fourth, Prost fifth, and Senna again out of the points. The two championship challenger were struggling, and Prost's consistency kept him with an outside chance.

 

Rd.15 Japan

 

Once again, the "aero cars" were on top form at Suzuka's fast sweeps. Capelli lead but was let down by his electrics, and Boutsen brought it home first. This time he kept it, for his third actual win of the season. Senna, trailing Berger going into the race by a mere 3 points, stalled at the start, but restarted his engine and produced a magical comeback driver to take a much needed second. Prost was third, and it wasn't quite enough to stay in championship contention. He was already dropping scores, his consistency not being enough to match the top two. Meanwhile Berger was fourth, and his three points meant he and Senna went to the final race in Adelaide with 60 points apiece. It would be winner takes all Down Under.

 

Rd.16 Australia

 

For the second time in three years, Adelaide would be hosting a gripping title decider. Berger and Senna went in 60-60 on points, and with 10 scores each, it was truly a winner takes all situation. Berger, confident and relaxed, looked like a champion in waiting, while Senna, intense as usual, seemed a little off the boil. At the start, Berger took the lead and was looking in control until lap 25, when this happened:

 

 

Arnoux somehow became even more unpopular as his ineptitude meant Senna only needed a points finish to become world champion. This he duly did, in fourth. Meanwhile, Nelson Piquet took full advantage and saved himself from a winless title defence, taking a much needed win for Lotus. Prost came second, not enough for the championship, and it was incredible to think that he'd only won a single race all year. Patrese capped off a difficult year for Williams with a third, and the Renault engines couldn't come soon enough.

 

The final points standing:

 

 

 

The great this about this one was that it required very little manipulation. Just adding 1 minute delivered an excellent season. If only McLaren and Honda hadn't got it so right that year.

 

Oh, and if Matt Kev steals this one, I'm going to kick off.

[eab]

Are you sure Prost came in 3rd in Detroit and Senna in 6th in France? I have them one place up. It still wouldn't change anything in the final ranking, but at least Alain would've still been in mathematical contention in Adelaide.

 

Could be wrong though, I went by one source only.

[PayasYouRace]

God it's been years since I worked it all out. I can't remember how I worked it out for drivers who were a lap down.

 

Can you please show your working?

 

Edit: Not that I'm changing it either way.

[eab]

Yes, I have Senna finishing his last and 80th lap 4.3s after Nannini finished his last and 79th at the French GP. As the fastest lap of the race was a 1:11.737, Senna must've had more than a minute on Nannini.

 

In Detroit, Boutsen finished only 0.5s behind Senna, 1 lap down. As Prost finished 38.7s behind Senna in the lead lap and the fastest lap was a 1:44.836, Prost must've had over a minute on Boutsen.

[cpbell]

I always wonder if it's the number of races or just my age. I remember races from the 90s and early 2000s but not from last year!

I'm the same.

[PayasYouRace]

I’m on holiday so don’t have access to my spreadsheet, so you’ll get an update during the week.

 

However, The PaYR Racing Board has decided to award Red Bull Racing a permanent 30 second penalty for each car for each race this season, in the interests of good competition and maintaining interest.

[KWSN - DSM]

I’m on holiday so don’t have access to my spreadsheet, so you’ll get an update during the week.

 

However, The PaYR Racing Board has decided to award Red Bull Racing a permanent 30 second penalty for each car for each race this season, in the interests of good competition and maintaining interest.

 

Enjoy your vacation, I hope you are a little bit inebriated and are not going to ruin your great Championship with that 30 second penalty.

[PayasYouRace]

Enjoy your vacation, I hope you are a little bit inebriated and are not going to ruin your great Championship with that 30 second penalty.

I feel pretty safe. Things look quite competitive behind Red Bull.

[KWSN - DSM]

I feel pretty safe. Things look quite competitive behind Red Bull.

 

I have never been in favor of BoP.

[PayasYouRace]

I have never been in favor of BoP.

This isn't BoP. It’s just penalising Red Bull for being too good.

[KWSN - DSM]

This isn't BoP. It’s just penalising Red Bull for being too good.

 

And that is not exactly what BoP is?

[KWSN - DSM]

In any event, I think you are doing your Championship a huge disservice, your game, your rules.

[PayasYouRace]

And that is not exactly what BoP is?

No because BoP is a balance of performance, and sadly I can’t slow RBR down.

[KWSN - DSM]

No because BoP is a balance of performance, and sadly I can’t slow RBR down.

 

30 seconds added to a finish time is not 'slowing a car down'.

 

In any event, I think you are doing your Championship a huge disservice, your game, your rules. No need to explain or justify, I have many dislikes over the actual Championship, I encouraged this one becoming a Championship we could follow over the season, now it is as nonsensical as building difference in qualifying while adjusting arbitrarily which times to use, and which not.

 

Your Championship will do fine without my comments over the season, I honestly thought you were joking when you posted.

[PayasYouRace]

Exactly, adding 30 seconds isn’t slowing a car down. It’s a penalty to make my championship more interesting. Should Red Bull prove closer to the rest the penalty may be rescinded. If you’re not happy with it, the FIA have a points table.

[KWSN - DSM]

Exactly, adding 30 seconds isn’t slowing a car down. It’s a penalty to make my championship more interesting. Should Red Bull prove closer to the rest the penalty may be rescinded. If you’re not happy with it, the FIA have a points table.

 

As I say your Championship, your rules - Not really any reason getting pissy about it.

[Heyli]

Exactly, adding 30 seconds isn’t slowing a car down. It’s a penalty to make my championship more interesting. Should Red Bull prove closer to the rest the penalty may be rescinded. If you’re not happy with it, the FIA have a points table.

I understand the idea, but I think 30 sec is quite heavy. how often did Verstappen finish 30 seconds ahead of the first non RB car last season? And of course any late SC or Red Flag very heavily penalizes them. Throws in quite the random factor.

 

And I also think it takes Perez out of the running for a GP win (or possibly even podium) as I rarely see him finishing 30 secs ahead.

 

Maybe just better to then exclude them again .

[PayasYouRace]

Following an appeal that the 30 second penalty was too arbitrary and too harsh, the Court of Appeal has decided that the penalties would be the average gap between the best Red Bull and best other car for the 2023 season. Thus, for every Grand Prix this year, Red Bull drivers will be penalised 15 seconds (rounded up from 14.284), and for every sprint race they will be penalised by 8 seconds (rounded up from 7.685).

 

This penalty remains fluid. Should Red Bull Racing turn out to not have a dominant advantage this year, the penalty may be rescinded altogether. Should either Red Bull driver appear to be in the position to seal the championship prior the the last race, the penalty will retroactively be increased. Checo can pull his finger out if he wants to win. This season shall go down to the wire whatever happens.

 

Current standings are therefore as follows:

 

 

 

Obviously no difference between the two series at the moment, but both tables included for completeness.

[PayasYouRace]

OK, I'm considerably less grumpy after Saudi, even though the fight at the front is looking non-existent, there was plenty to get exciting about during the race. So I've decided to revert to my original plan and stick with the actual results. Also, I don't want to have to be checking and revising results just to cook the numbers throughout the season. The whole point was to just trial this interesting dropped scores format.

 

So, after the second round of both the Middle Eastern Cup and the World Championship, things are very much the same. Strong points finish for Ollie Bearman was no doubt the highlight of Saudi, and a bit of a stealthy but strong result for Piastri. A Hulkenberg gets Haas on the board too.

 

 

 

Note: I'm not doing any tiebreaks just in case I break Excel's formulae. I'm leaving the drivers on "=" and in the order Excel decides. Even though, for example, Alonso would actually be ahead of Norris on countback.

 

Next time out things get a bit more interesting, because we begin the Asia-Pacific championship in Melbourne. We'll start seeing differences in the tables.

[JimmyClark]

Oh I thought the point of this was to have a total non-Red Bull championship? (Sorry, first time I've checked this thread). Although I have a feeling Charles will run away with that one. I think the Verstappen-Perez-Leclerc podium is going to be repeated a lot this year.

[PayasYouRace]

Really, the point was to break the season up into chunks in an interested way to make individual races easier to remember. Last season became a bit of a blur and Singapore is the only race that stands out in my memory (wonder why that is?). 

 

I didn’t set out to exclude Red Bull this year.

 

I think Leclerc and Sainz will have a good battle with each other on their hands this year.

[PayasYouRace]

Well, after the Australian Grand Prix, we have our first main deviation from the FIA's method of determining the championship, and an interesting result on top.

 

Australia was the first round of the Asia-Pacific Cup, and Max Verstappen's shock retirement with brake failure means he's not featured on the scoreboard for this cup. Additionally, with only four rounds and all of them counting, he's seriously on the back foot for this one. He's got 3 races to make up 25 points on race winner Carlos Sainz. Can he do it?

 

 

Meanwhile, the overall world championship still looks as you'd expect. After three rounds, just 11 points separate the top four.

 

 

See you in Japan. I'll be on holiday that weekend so my update will be delayed a few days.

[PayasYouRace]

Japan Update

 

With "normal service" resumed at Suzuka, things are closed up in the Asia Pacific Cup. It's still a Ferrari 1-2, and Perez leads Verstappen in a Red Bull 3-4. But with Red Bull's form, we can expect things to switch up with half the series complete. China is next, so can we expect another closing of the top four?

 

 

Meanwhile, with no dropped scores yet, we're still seeing a direct copy of the FIA standings for the World Championship.

 

 

Things will diverge in China next week. It will be the first round of the Sprint Cup, which unlike in the FIA system, does not count directly for points. It will be a separate series with a final points allocation after Qatar.

[balmybaldwin]

I'm wondering if the European cup would be better named the Europa cup as all the best tracks in europe don't count?

[PayasYouRace]

I'm wondering if the European cup would be better named the Europa cup as all the best tracks in europe don't count?

Sorry I don’t understand your question. Those mean the same thing for a start.

[Collombin]

It's a European Cup (Champions' League) v Europa League related comment I think.

[PayasYouRace]

My European Cup also has some of the best European circuits. So I'm still at a loss.

[Collombin]

Dunno then. In real life the Dutch GP used to have Grande Épreuve status, presumably right up to 1985. Can it ever earn that status in your championship? If so that might make the point more valid.

[PayasYouRace]

Dunno then. In real life the Dutch GP used to have Grande Épreuve status, presumably right up to 1985. Can it ever earn that status in your championship? If so that might make the point more valid.

 

We'll see what the calendar looks like next year. My criteria for this one was being present in the 1950 championship season, and the numbers worked quite well. But Spain also used to have that status, going back to before WW2, so anything is possible.

[Collombin]

I think the rule was that if the race wasn't held for 2 straight years it would lose its status. But yes, your current championship setup works well. Certainly way more potential to be interesting than the Cut and Shut, anyway.