- 31 Jul 09, 14:55#138766
All these stats are calculated with the points system as it exists now, so many drivers have more points in this system than they actually scored.
A few issues I've encountered so far:
Disqualifications - It can be quite difficult for some of the older results to figure out whether a disqualification is a black flag (i.e. the driver's fault) or a technical problem. If it's technical (such as Martin Brundle's 1984 results) should these results be credited to the driver or ignored altogether? Is plank wear a driver error, etc?
Shared drives - There are lots and lots of these in the late 50s, but the problem is the shared drive often arose because the driver used two cars in a race. Should the best of these results be counted, or each count half, or what? There are even occasions where a driver got two podiums in the same race, which must have been interesting when the came to give out the trophies...
Collisions - Obviously not all these are the driver's fault, but who's to say the best drivers aren't better at not being in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Physical retirements - i.e. the driver was unwell. Does that count as an error?
Thresholds - in cricket records only count after a player has played in 10 test matches or more, so on that basis 295 drivers would count.
Accidents - I'm unclear as to whether an accident as recorded in the official results is defined as a driver error or whether accidents caused by mechanical failure count. And don't even get started on what kind of accident Senna suffered at Imola in 1994.
Mechanical failure percentage - is this an indication of a driver's luck or his skill in not overdriving the car?
Ultimately the biggest problem is that I can only go by the results recorded by the FIA at the time, and the way these results can be accessed on Forix.
A few issues I've encountered so far:
Disqualifications - It can be quite difficult for some of the older results to figure out whether a disqualification is a black flag (i.e. the driver's fault) or a technical problem. If it's technical (such as Martin Brundle's 1984 results) should these results be credited to the driver or ignored altogether? Is plank wear a driver error, etc?
Shared drives - There are lots and lots of these in the late 50s, but the problem is the shared drive often arose because the driver used two cars in a race. Should the best of these results be counted, or each count half, or what? There are even occasions where a driver got two podiums in the same race, which must have been interesting when the came to give out the trophies...
Collisions - Obviously not all these are the driver's fault, but who's to say the best drivers aren't better at not being in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Physical retirements - i.e. the driver was unwell. Does that count as an error?
Thresholds - in cricket records only count after a player has played in 10 test matches or more, so on that basis 295 drivers would count.
Accidents - I'm unclear as to whether an accident as recorded in the official results is defined as a driver error or whether accidents caused by mechanical failure count. And don't even get started on what kind of accident Senna suffered at Imola in 1994.
Mechanical failure percentage - is this an indication of a driver's luck or his skill in not overdriving the car?
Ultimately the biggest problem is that I can only go by the results recorded by the FIA at the time, and the way these results can be accessed on Forix.
Jim Clark, Monza, one lap down...
by the way...) and was rather unhappy that while cricket has a whole range of statistics that are a very good indication of a player's worth raw F1 stats are largely useless.
