Title contenders Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button’s failure to score in Belgium meant we saw a very low-scoring round of the F1 Fanatic Predictions Championship.
But not for Athos Merkis who made the best prediction to claim 29 points plus a Lotus DVD boxset.
Runner-up Bullfrog tied with Richard Kost and Wheel Master on points but claims the prize of two T-shirts from Unlap having got closest to predicting the pole sitters’ time correctly.
Alonso’s pace in practice led over half of players to tip him for pole position and victory. If Athos had replaced Alonso with Mark Webber in his prediction he would have been the first person to score a maximum 50 points in one round.
Lewis Hamilton was the second-highest tip for victory, picked by 21% of players. But only 6% correctly named Webber as the pole sitter.
Arpi_ has edged back into the lead of the championship by a single point. He, scunnyman, ZanteX and Tom Hitchings are covered by just two points at the top of the table.
View the F1 Fanatic Predictions Championship standings in full
The prizes
This year we’re giving away a pair of prizes every race weekend.
On top of that at the end of the year the top 12 finishers all get prizes – and whoever scores the highest overall will be going to the 2011 British Grand Prix. Here are the prizes in full:
Grand prize: Two grandstands tickets to the 2011 British Grand Prix
The person who scores the most points in the 2010 F1 Fanatic Predictions Championship will win grandstand tickets to the 2011 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
This is the first time we’ve offered F1 race tickets as a prize at F1 Fanatic and I hope you all agree it’s a fitting reward for the F1 expert who can best predict who will be on top in 2010.
The grand prize winner will receive tickets to all three days of the 2011 British Grand Prix with reserved grandstand seating for the race.
Second place prize: An F1 painting of your choice
The second place finisher in the championship will win an F1 painting by Rob Ijbema.
You get to choose which F1 driver, present or past, will feature in the painting. Or you can pick one of the other motor racing paintings on Rob’s site Car-a-day.
Runners-up prizes: Autocourse 2010-2011
The ten players who finish in third to 12th positions in the championship will win a copy of the 2010-2011 edition of Autocourse.
The highly respected journal of Formula 1 and other major international four-wheeled racing series is published at the end of every season.
This year the publication marks its 60th anniversary edition.
NB. 2009 edition cover used for illustration
Race winners prize: The Lotus Story DVD Box Set
Duke Video are supplying the prize for the player who gets the highest score in each round.
With the Lotus name returning to F1 in 2010 what better prize than a DVD box set showing the history of this great team. This four-disc set “The Lotus Story” chronicles Lotus’s participation in F1 from the company’s beginning in 1948 up to its F1 withdrawal in 1994. (Please note this DVD is in PAL format).
Duke are also offering a special promotion exclusive to all F1 Fanatic readers – whenever you order from them you can get 15% off using the promotional code F1Fanatic at the checkout.
Race runners-up prize: Two F1 T-shirts
The second place finisher in each race will win a race winner’s T-shirt and Official F1 Fanatic T-shirt from Unlap.
This prize is supplied by Unlap.
How to enter
Entries will open in the week before every race. You have until the start of free practice three on Saturday to make your predictions.
You can post your predictions for the first race now below or wait until nearer the deadline. A reminder will be posted on the site after free practice two on Friday.
Each player may predict the pole sitter, the pole position lap time and the top five finishers in the race. See below for the rules in full.
Enter your pole position lap time prediction in the following format: MM:SS.ccc – e.g. for a lap of one minute, 25.386 seconds enter 01:25.386
Please try to pick an original and distinctive user name – something a bit more descriptive than just a first name and use the same name for every race you enter.
Competition terms and conditions
1. Maximum one entry per household.
2. The competition is not open to employees, friends or family of F1 Fanatic, Silverstone Circuit, Duke Video, Motorsport in Print, Car-a-Day or Icon Publishing Ltd.
3. Predictions will open up to one week before the start of final practice on the Saturday of a Grand Prix weekend and will be promoted on the front page of F1 Fanatic before closing prior to the start of final practice.
4. In each round players are invited to predict (a) who will be on pole position and (b) what the top five finishers will be (five different drivers).
5. Players accumulate points in each round as follows:
a. Correctly naming the pole sitter: 2 points
b. Correctly naming one/two/three/four/five driver/s who finish in the top five: 1/2/3/5/8 points
c. Correctly predicting where one/two/three/four/five driver/s finish: 2/6/14/24/40 points
6. Whoever scores the most points over the 19 races from round one (Bahrain) to 19 (Abu Dhabi) wins the grand prize.
7. In the event of a tie on points the winner will be determined by who came closest to predicting the pole position time correctly. If that fails to produce a winner the editor will choose a means of deciding who has won.
8. Predictions must be entered using the form below. If you have trouble submitting your entry via the form please email competition@f1fanatic.co.uk
9. Once a prediction has been made it cannot be altered.
10. In the event of a dispute the editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
11. No cash alternative is offered for any of the prizes.
12. Grand Prix tickets: Children must be accompanied by an adult. Accommodation and transport to the venue not included. Event date TBC.
13. Players who have won prizes will be notified by email within seven days of each Grand Prix. Lotus DVDs and F1 paintings will be despatched within 28 days of that email being sent. Grand Prix tickets will be despatched once they are available. Autocourse books will be despatched once they are published.
Don’t miss a single round of the F1 Fanatic Predictions Championship. Subscribe to F1 Fanatic using RSS, email or Twitter: Click here for more information.
Image (C) Bridgestone/Ercole Colombo
Steph (@)
31st August 2010, 12:37
I am never, ever paying attention to Ferrari’s form in practice again. They tricked me! I changed what I originally predicted for them! They better win the WDC now. :P
BasCB
31st August 2010, 14:55
I must admit they tricked me as well this time. Although i was thinking about predicting Webber for pole.
F1George
31st August 2010, 12:43
Predicted the pole position time exactly right and not even so much as a mention :(
Tango
31st August 2010, 13:03
I generally put Lewis for First. Damn my inconsistant fanboyism
MATEUSZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
31st August 2010, 13:21
The Lotus Story DVD Box Set is fantastic;]
scunnyman (@scunnyman)
31st August 2010, 13:31
It’s good to see the predictions championship is as close as the true championship. Just shows how competative it is, oh and fun too.
Ratboy (@ratboy)
31st August 2010, 19:34
and you dont have to worry about having your front wing being given to your team-mate ;)
scunnyman (@scunnyman)
31st August 2010, 20:33
Dunno Ratboy…… my wife may throw a spanner (monkey wrench) in the works and maybe take me away from a computer at the optimum time for a prediction lol
Icthyes (@icthyes)
31st August 2010, 13:38
I’m not sure how I got 4 points. I picked Webber for pole, Hamilton for the win, and I had Webber in the top 5 too. Shouldn’t that be 5? Alonso Vettel and Button let me down of course!
Enigma
31st August 2010, 13:39
Keith, can you check my prediction? I got 5 points but I think I should get 7. I think I predicted ALO-HAM-VET-KUB-SUT.
Enigma (@enigma)
1st September 2010, 15:13
Sorry, it should be 5 indeed. My mistake.
Steezy
31st August 2010, 13:59
i quit this prediction championship sport, gonna start focusing my efforts on next season cos i’m too good for this season, yeah
DaveW
31st August 2010, 14:48
At this stage I think I should concede and begin preparations for next season.
tobinen
31st August 2010, 15:26
Glad it was a low-scoring round, I’d have been in big trouble otherwise.
Cyclops
31st August 2010, 15:45
I didn’t even submit my prediction in this round, courtesy of my girlfriend :P Luckily the front runner didn’t have particularly good round either.
ZanteX
4th September 2010, 10:28
Me neither, I was on vacation and it popped up in my mind at 11:30 am saturday xD. Imagine my delight seeing 2-4-2-4-2 scores at the top of the board.
f1jobs.com
31st August 2010, 15:45
yes, what a season!
sato113 (@sato113)
31st August 2010, 16:16
i’d get the tshirt if it was a darker colour. maybe royal blue or green…
Damon
31st August 2010, 16:24
“we saw a very low-scoring round”
HUH!!! It was my best scoring round with 11 points. If not the bloody mistake by Kubica in the pits, I would’ve scored 19 points.
Bullfrog
31st August 2010, 21:07
Good old Spa, I’d been waiting for a low-scoring round since the championship began, it’s my only chance…thanks Keith, that’s made my day!
Joey-Poey
31st August 2010, 16:51
7 points! This is actually my second highest scoring round so far. If only I could get one high scoring round I could be up near the top because I’ve consistently scored at least 3 points every round.
Also, I managed to correctly call Webber, but my time was WAY off X). Anymore, it seems smart to call one of the Red Bulls because of their qualifying system they switch on. Even if they aren’t fast in practice, you’d think people would realize it doesn’t always reflect on their qualifying pace. Time and time again they’ve come from nowhere to be first or on the front row.
F1George
31st August 2010, 18:51
Well I was a bit hopeful and put Alonso on pole (because of his impressive practice times), I did guess 1:45.778 as the pole time though and nearly had a heart attack when I had got the pole time exactly right! Only managed 17 points this round but from everybody else’s scores it seems quite respectable. I think I would have been near the top if I had actually started the predictions at the start of the season instead of at Valencia. 52 points form 5 races (scored 0 at one) not bad eh.
HounslowBusGarage
31st August 2010, 16:54
Somehow I’ve managed to ascend to the giddy heights of 495th place and the altitude is making my nose bleed!
How on earth have I managed that? Apparently I scored 17 points in Hungary and I don’t even remember filling in the competition.
I’ll have to take no notice more often, I seem to be better than if I really think about it.
Gusto
31st August 2010, 22:01
Funny you should mention that, I scored my best of 24 points(cant remember which race) where I glanced at the pratice times for 20 seconds went to the predictions and filled it in, all within 2minutes. If Vettels gear box would of given way to let Webber through( might of been the other way around?) I would of got a perfect 50.
sumedh
31st August 2010, 17:23
Rank 33, hmm not bad.
I reviewed my scoring pattern. 2 of the 3 times I have scored more than 10 points have been in Shanghai and Canada, both Mclaren 1-2s. And one of the most terrible rounds was Hungary where I scored just 9, while everyone ahead of me scored 25-30, and would you believe it, Mclaren scored just 2 points in Hungary too!! Coincidence, I think not..
So from now on my support is, Lewis for Drivers, Mclaren for Constructors, and Sumedh for predictions!! :D :D
Guilherme Teixeira
31st August 2010, 17:55
Keith, can you please check my predictions? I’m sure as hell that I picked Hamilton for 2nd place, Webber for 3rd place and Sutil for 5th place, yet I have 0 points for Spa.
Maybe my predictions weren’t saved? =\
Guilherme Teixeira
1st September 2010, 2:43
Well, my predictions were entered, at least it says so in the main page of the championship…
Steph (@)
31st August 2010, 21:05
Ayrton I’m still condifent I can claw some points back! You’re going to be tough to beat but I refuse to give in :)
Ayrton
1st September 2010, 1:32
I am sure you will make it up! Poor scoring for both of us in this race! You are a formidable oppenent…I look forward to the next 6 races and the outcome ;o)
US Williams Fan
31st August 2010, 21:58
Soooooo close to top 50…. with 54 overall. Not bad – think that I was over 1000 at the start of the season.
Did anyone else pick KUB 3rd and SUT 5th :)
That was what helped me the most I think…… can’t wait for next round!
don knowles (@don-knowles)
1st September 2010, 2:17
Kudos to Keith!!
I submitted my predictions, as usual, well before free practice.
But this time, my screen said it would not accept my list, as someone else had done so with my name!
Well, what the heck, I sent Keith an email explaining what a great site this is and expressing how sorry I was to have missed this round.
Within a day, he replied that my predictions were accepted! Who knows, maybe I double clicked or some other dumb thing.
But the good news is that the is the site worked and Keith followed through with the goods! And a personal response.
Way to go, Keith, thanks again–don
Scalextric
1st September 2010, 2:18
Uuurgh, down to #22. But only 20 points from the top! I need a cliche’, like any F1 competitor worth his salt. Let’s see. We’re bringing some great updates to the next race and the boys back at the factory have been working really hard. We’re pushing for more points in the next round. That should do it.
Loni Cliffe
1st September 2010, 15:03
Hi I was looking for useful knowledge on ink for grand format printers. Your blog was listed on Alta Vista in this category, you have an interesting site.
Pink Peril
3rd September 2010, 1:38
I must admit I cheered when Vettel took Button out – mainly because I was glad Vettel spoiled his own race, but Button wasn’t in my top 5…
daykind (@)
4th September 2010, 17:22
I can’t believe I missed this at the start of the season, must begin preperations for 2011.
Gurpz (@gurpz)
5th September 2010, 1:12
I would like to know why I scored 0 for this round? I managed to predict WEB for 2nd and MAS for 3rd?? When I entered my prediction, I still had 2 or so minutes before FP3 started.
Gurpz (@gurpz)
5th September 2010, 1:13
Whoops, typo. Meant 4th for MAS.