As promised, FIFA's ranks were updated today. I was probably a bit optimistic with some of my predictions. Here's what actually happened:
Biggest movers upwards:
Liechtenstein - this tiny nation were massively boosted over the last month, jumping 10 places to 148. This is still seven places lower than where they were in August, and comes thanks to their draw with Estonia.
Bosnia and Herzegovina - up 7 places thanks to a win over Slovakia and a draw with Poland. They're now ranked 44 in the world, and 13 places over their August rank.
Up five - Belgium (57), Georgia (73), Israel (50) and Malta (164). Georgia are continuing their rise from the bottom of the table, rather more sedately than Montenegro's. Israel, Malta and Belgium, however, all have lower positions than their August ranks.
Up four - Finland (83), which is still rubbish when you consider they were 32 positions higher in August.
Up three - Austria (46), Cyprus (90) and France (18). France, having beaten England, are starting to get back in order and returning to their usual position. Austria have also done well, rising 14 positions since August. Cyprus... well, their 2010 has been all over the place, with dramatic rises and falls.
Biggest movers downwards:
Lithuania - they've been up slightly, but now have lost out, returning to approximately their August position. In their game over the last month, they were beaten by Hungary.
Estonia - down 8, a disappointing drop for the Estonians who drew with Liechtenstein. But they're still up on their August position.
Azerbaijan - they had some good rises in position since August, but have now started dropping again. They're down 8, but still up overall.
Albania - much like Azerbaijan, it's the first drop after a run of rises. So they're still up on their August ranking.
Down 5 - Latvia (78) and Faroe Islands (136). It's just another drop in the series for unlucky Latvia, who were 49 in August. As for the Faroes, they didn't play in November/December as their friendly was just before the previous calculation.
Down 4 - Ireland (36), Romania (56). Ireland's is no change overall since August, but Romania continue to drop.
15/12/2010
10/12/2010
FIFA Rankings December 2010 (prediction)
There were a whole bunch of friendlies plus two qualifiers just after the November rankings were released, plus a friendly between Poland and Bosnia&Herzegovina on 10th December. Looking at the results of these games, I predict:
Poland and Bosnia-Herzegovina drew 2-2, but won their earlier friendlies against Ivory Coast (19) and Slovakia (18) respectively, so both teams should gain. Their opponents will lose out.
England will probably fall in points, though maybe not position, as will Germany. France should gain after beating England.
Portugal beat first-placed Spain 4-0, incredibly. That gets them the maximum possible points for a friendly game - 600 - and may result in them even overtaking England (dare I say it). The Netherlands, who beat their opponents Turkey (29), might even go top. But that's less likely.
Expect Luxembourg, Romania, Northern Ireland and Belgium to do well after draws. Northern Ireland's was with a poorer team, but they maintain good form.
Finally, Georgia beat much better opponents in the form of Slovenia (15), and will also gain.
Poland and Bosnia-Herzegovina drew 2-2, but won their earlier friendlies against Ivory Coast (19) and Slovakia (18) respectively, so both teams should gain. Their opponents will lose out.
England will probably fall in points, though maybe not position, as will Germany. France should gain after beating England.
Portugal beat first-placed Spain 4-0, incredibly. That gets them the maximum possible points for a friendly game - 600 - and may result in them even overtaking England (dare I say it). The Netherlands, who beat their opponents Turkey (29), might even go top. But that's less likely.
Expect Luxembourg, Romania, Northern Ireland and Belgium to do well after draws. Northern Ireland's was with a poorer team, but they maintain good form.
Finally, Georgia beat much better opponents in the form of Slovenia (15), and will also gain.
02/12/2010
World Cup 2018 and 2022
Now we know:
Russia will host the 2018 World Cup, and Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup. If I make it to 2022, that will be 12 years of this blog and I'll probably be out of touch - everyone will have moved on from blogging.
England, naturally, are disappointed. Still, we do get the Olympics in 2012 - which I hope to be volunteering at - so we're not completely bereft of sport. But as a country we are so able to host the competition, with our fantastic stadiums! In the last world cup, England had a greater proportion of players in our leagues than any other country - including Spain and Germany, who have fantastic leagues too.
Other countries that missed out are Japan, South Korea, the USA, Australia (all 2022), Spain/Portugal and Netherlands/Belgium (2018 - joint bids). It will be interesting to see how these countries handle the cup. Qatar should do well, but Russia... could be interesting.
No international football over the next months for Europe, but FIFA will be updating the rankings on December 15th.
Russia will host the 2018 World Cup, and Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup. If I make it to 2022, that will be 12 years of this blog and I'll probably be out of touch - everyone will have moved on from blogging.
England, naturally, are disappointed. Still, we do get the Olympics in 2012 - which I hope to be volunteering at - so we're not completely bereft of sport. But as a country we are so able to host the competition, with our fantastic stadiums! In the last world cup, England had a greater proportion of players in our leagues than any other country - including Spain and Germany, who have fantastic leagues too.
Other countries that missed out are Japan, South Korea, the USA, Australia (all 2022), Spain/Portugal and Netherlands/Belgium (2018 - joint bids). It will be interesting to see how these countries handle the cup. Qatar should do well, but Russia... could be interesting.
No international football over the next months for Europe, but FIFA will be updating the rankings on December 15th.
17/11/2010
European Friendlies 17/11/2010
European Games
A lot of friendlies and two Euro 2012 qualifiers today. Here are the more surprising results:
Germany only scraped a draw against much weaker opponents, but at least they did better than England who lost to rivals France. It was also disappointing for Northern Ireland to lose against African team Morocco.
More happily, Poland beat Ivory Coast, Belgium beat Russia, Georgia beat Slovenia, Bulgaria beat Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina beat Slovakia. In each of these games, the lower-ranked side won.
Similarly, there were draws for Luxembourg, Romania and Liechtenstein against much higher-ranked Algeria, Italy and Estonia respectively.
In the Euro 2012 qualifiers there were no surprises, with Finland destroying San Marino as Croatia beat Malta.
A lot of friendlies and two Euro 2012 qualifiers today. Here are the more surprising results:
Germany only scraped a draw against much weaker opponents, but at least they did better than England who lost to rivals France. It was also disappointing for Northern Ireland to lose against African team Morocco.
More happily, Poland beat Ivory Coast, Belgium beat Russia, Georgia beat Slovenia, Bulgaria beat Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina beat Slovakia. In each of these games, the lower-ranked side won.
Similarly, there were draws for Luxembourg, Romania and Liechtenstein against much higher-ranked Algeria, Italy and Estonia respectively.
In the Euro 2012 qualifiers there were no surprises, with Finland destroying San Marino as Croatia beat Malta.
FIFA/Coca-Cola Rankings Adjustment November 2010
No real change
The updates today to the FIFA rankings are minimal in Europe. This is because only Cyprus, Scotland and the Faroe Islands have played since the last update, although Italy and Serbia's game has now been taken into account. There are a lot of friendly matches and two Euro 2012 qualifying matches tonight, which will be considered on December 15th.
Biggest risers: Albania are up seven to 58th. They have not lost any places since August, when I first started tracking things. Nobody else has gained more than three places in the world rankings. However, Greece rise one place to 11th. Italy gain two places.
Biggest fallers: Wales fall seven to 111th. They're by far the worst of the British teams. Moldova and Macedonia each lose six places, and Cyprus lose five despite their draw with Jordan yesterday. Russia, who were briefly in the top 10, fall to thirteenth as Egypt get the number 10 slot. Serbia lose 3 places.
The updates today to the FIFA rankings are minimal in Europe. This is because only Cyprus, Scotland and the Faroe Islands have played since the last update, although Italy and Serbia's game has now been taken into account. There are a lot of friendly matches and two Euro 2012 qualifying matches tonight, which will be considered on December 15th.
Biggest risers: Albania are up seven to 58th. They have not lost any places since August, when I first started tracking things. Nobody else has gained more than three places in the world rankings. However, Greece rise one place to 11th. Italy gain two places.
Biggest fallers: Wales fall seven to 111th. They're by far the worst of the British teams. Moldova and Macedonia each lose six places, and Cyprus lose five despite their draw with Jordan yesterday. Russia, who were briefly in the top 10, fall to thirteenth as Egypt get the number 10 slot. Serbia lose 3 places.
15/11/2010
Formula 1 2010 Season Summary Two
Here are some of the stats I have collected over 2010:
Qualifying Stats
The best qualifiers were Sebastian Vettel with an average position of second, and Mark Webber with an average position of 2.5.
The worst were Karun Chandhok on an average of 23.4, and Sakon Yamamoto on 22.9. I wonder if either would have had a better average if they'd been allowed to race more?
The best driver at outqualifying his teammate is Robert Kubica, who has started ahead of Vitaly Petrov seventeen times in 2010.
The worst is thus Petrov in percentage terms, but in their fewer races Yamamoto and Nick Heidfeld have each only won the qualifying battle once.
Race Stats
Obviously Vettel had the best results, with his winning the championship. However, Fernando Alonso has the best average finish on 5.1, with Webber second on 5.6 and Vettel third on 5.9.
The worst finishers were Christian Klien with an average of 21, Lucas Di Grassi on 18.4, and Jarno Trulli on 18.2. This is rather surprising, but Trulli has had a lot of bad finishes and retirements in 2010.
The best driver for retirements in-race is Felipe Massa, with only one race retirement in the nineteen. Yamamoto, Klien and Heidfeld have also had only one retirement each, but over fewer races.
The worst driver for retirements is Trulli, who has only finished eight of the races this year. He did not even start in Australia.
Team-wise, the best for retirements has been Ferrari. Despite unreliability in practice and qualifying, they have only had three DNFs all year. One was for Massa, and two were for Alonso of which one was classified.
The worst team for retirements was Lotus, with 18 non-finishes. Virgin only have one less, on 17. This makes Hispania the most reliable of the new teams, and indeed over the last four races Hispania have had both cars finish each time.
Position Changing Stats
In terms of positions gained or lost from start to finish, the best and worst are surprising. Basically, take the qualifying winners and losers, then switch them around!
In his 10 races, Chandhok was the best driver at gaining positions, with an average of more than five per race.
The worst, by contrast, was Vettel, who lost an average of four positions per race. Webber was the next-worst. Presumably it's easier to lose positions if you always start well, and vice-versa, but Trulli's low-starting Lotus tended to lose positions while Alonso's high-starting Ferrari tends to gain them.
Outside of the new teams, Jaime Alguersuari was the best at gaining positions. Outside the big three, Nico Hulkenberg was the worst.
Other Stats
The youngest team was Toro Rosso, with the only two drivers younger than me. Excluding Hispania and Sauber with their extra drivers, the oldest team are Mercedes, where Michael Schumacher's age is combined with a younger Nico Rosberg.
The youngest Team Principal is Christian Horner, who isn't quite 37. The eldest is Frank Williams, who has the same birthday as me and is doing well for 68.
Qualifying Stats
The best qualifiers were Sebastian Vettel with an average position of second, and Mark Webber with an average position of 2.5.
The worst were Karun Chandhok on an average of 23.4, and Sakon Yamamoto on 22.9. I wonder if either would have had a better average if they'd been allowed to race more?
The best driver at outqualifying his teammate is Robert Kubica, who has started ahead of Vitaly Petrov seventeen times in 2010.
The worst is thus Petrov in percentage terms, but in their fewer races Yamamoto and Nick Heidfeld have each only won the qualifying battle once.
Race Stats
Obviously Vettel had the best results, with his winning the championship. However, Fernando Alonso has the best average finish on 5.1, with Webber second on 5.6 and Vettel third on 5.9.
The worst finishers were Christian Klien with an average of 21, Lucas Di Grassi on 18.4, and Jarno Trulli on 18.2. This is rather surprising, but Trulli has had a lot of bad finishes and retirements in 2010.
The best driver for retirements in-race is Felipe Massa, with only one race retirement in the nineteen. Yamamoto, Klien and Heidfeld have also had only one retirement each, but over fewer races.
The worst driver for retirements is Trulli, who has only finished eight of the races this year. He did not even start in Australia.
Team-wise, the best for retirements has been Ferrari. Despite unreliability in practice and qualifying, they have only had three DNFs all year. One was for Massa, and two were for Alonso of which one was classified.
The worst team for retirements was Lotus, with 18 non-finishes. Virgin only have one less, on 17. This makes Hispania the most reliable of the new teams, and indeed over the last four races Hispania have had both cars finish each time.
Position Changing Stats
In terms of positions gained or lost from start to finish, the best and worst are surprising. Basically, take the qualifying winners and losers, then switch them around!
In his 10 races, Chandhok was the best driver at gaining positions, with an average of more than five per race.
The worst, by contrast, was Vettel, who lost an average of four positions per race. Webber was the next-worst. Presumably it's easier to lose positions if you always start well, and vice-versa, but Trulli's low-starting Lotus tended to lose positions while Alonso's high-starting Ferrari tends to gain them.
Outside of the new teams, Jaime Alguersuari was the best at gaining positions. Outside the big three, Nico Hulkenberg was the worst.
Other Stats
The youngest team was Toro Rosso, with the only two drivers younger than me. Excluding Hispania and Sauber with their extra drivers, the oldest team are Mercedes, where Michael Schumacher's age is combined with a younger Nico Rosberg.
The youngest Team Principal is Christian Horner, who isn't quite 37. The eldest is Frank Williams, who has the same birthday as me and is doing well for 68.
14/11/2010
Formula 1 2010 Season Summary One
In the style of 11 points, here are the eleven things that I feel really defined the 2010 season:
1. Someone other than a Red Bull, Ferrari or McLaren getting a pole. Nico Hulkenberg gets the number one spot for his incredible pole position in Interlagos.
2. The tyres working too well. Kamui Kobayashi's late pit stop in Valencia was exciting, and it's a shame it wasn't really tried by other teams. However, it is a risky strategy as you can end up losing a position you don't really want to at the end of the race. Quite a few managed it in Abu Dhabi, including Button on the super-softs for more than 40 laps!
3. The tyres doing what they ought to. The Canadian Grand Prix was a brilliant demonstration of what unpredictable tyres can do in a race, and was what persuaded the FIA to go with Pirelli tyres next season.
4. Cars under suspicion. Red Bull's front wing looked like it wasn't doing what it ought to, bending closer than permitted to the road. But they maintained their innocence, and were proved right in FIA tests. Then they were proved awesome by winning everything in sight.
5. Innovative speed. McLaren pioneered the F-duct, which they managed to protect for several races. It helped them to victories in Australia and |China, and was soon adopted by most of the other teams.
6. Team orders. Ferrari in Germany had Massa and Alonso swap places. They were massively fined, but people were still talking about it to the end of the season. Their strategy backfired again in Abu Dhabi when it cost Alonso the championship as he got stuck behind Petrov.
7. The return of an old name. Lotus Racing brought the historical name of Lotus back to F1. Then they managed to get the rights to the 'Team Lotus' name, but were challenged by Group Lotus. Next year they probably won't have the name, but they will get the black and gold. They were the best of the three new teams in 2010.
8. The championship challengers. Alonso, Webber, Vettel, Hamilton and Button all with the ability, mathematically, to win the championship with only two races to go, and all but Button still able to do so in the final race – a Formula One first. And then the winner was not only the youngest, but also the only one who hadn't led the championship during the year.
9. A successful new track. The Korean Grand Prix was slightly spoiled by the rain, but practice and qualifying hinted that in dry conditions it could be a fantastic race.
10. Rain, rain, rain. It affected a lot of races, including Canada where it kept washing clean the track, and Japan where qualifying had to be postponed. It even rained in Abu Dhabi!
11. Can't decide on a driver. Hispania chopped and changed their drivers throughout the year. Senna did all-but-one race, with Chandhok starting the season and Sakon Yamamoto doing most of the end. Christian Klien was their fourth driver, who raced as a replacement for Yamamoto in Singapore, Brazil and Abu Dhabi.
1. Someone other than a Red Bull, Ferrari or McLaren getting a pole. Nico Hulkenberg gets the number one spot for his incredible pole position in Interlagos.
2. The tyres working too well. Kamui Kobayashi's late pit stop in Valencia was exciting, and it's a shame it wasn't really tried by other teams. However, it is a risky strategy as you can end up losing a position you don't really want to at the end of the race. Quite a few managed it in Abu Dhabi, including Button on the super-softs for more than 40 laps!
3. The tyres doing what they ought to. The Canadian Grand Prix was a brilliant demonstration of what unpredictable tyres can do in a race, and was what persuaded the FIA to go with Pirelli tyres next season.
4. Cars under suspicion. Red Bull's front wing looked like it wasn't doing what it ought to, bending closer than permitted to the road. But they maintained their innocence, and were proved right in FIA tests. Then they were proved awesome by winning everything in sight.
5. Innovative speed. McLaren pioneered the F-duct, which they managed to protect for several races. It helped them to victories in Australia and |China, and was soon adopted by most of the other teams.
6. Team orders. Ferrari in Germany had Massa and Alonso swap places. They were massively fined, but people were still talking about it to the end of the season. Their strategy backfired again in Abu Dhabi when it cost Alonso the championship as he got stuck behind Petrov.
7. The return of an old name. Lotus Racing brought the historical name of Lotus back to F1. Then they managed to get the rights to the 'Team Lotus' name, but were challenged by Group Lotus. Next year they probably won't have the name, but they will get the black and gold. They were the best of the three new teams in 2010.
8. The championship challengers. Alonso, Webber, Vettel, Hamilton and Button all with the ability, mathematically, to win the championship with only two races to go, and all but Button still able to do so in the final race – a Formula One first. And then the winner was not only the youngest, but also the only one who hadn't led the championship during the year.
9. A successful new track. The Korean Grand Prix was slightly spoiled by the rain, but practice and qualifying hinted that in dry conditions it could be a fantastic race.
10. Rain, rain, rain. It affected a lot of races, including Canada where it kept washing clean the track, and Japan where qualifying had to be postponed. It even rained in Abu Dhabi!
11. Can't decide on a driver. Hispania chopped and changed their drivers throughout the year. Senna did all-but-one race, with Chandhok starting the season and Sakon Yamamoto doing most of the end. Christian Klien was their fourth driver, who raced as a replacement for Yamamoto in Singapore, Brazil and Abu Dhabi.
Formula 1 Race Nineteen: Race
For once, no drivers had penalties. All started in the positions they qualified in, even Lewis Hamilton, who only got a reprimand for his close call against Massa in Q2.
Button and Hamilton: Button jumped Alonso right at the start, and that defined the whole race. When the Ferrari pitted, the three at the top stayed out. It was to their benefit, as they didn't stuck in traffic. Hamilton pitted then came out behind Kubica while Button remained behind Vettel. After the Red Bull pit, Button led for a while. He tried to get ahead enough of Kubica, but it didn't work and he eventually came out behind his team mate. They finished second and third.
Kubica and Petrov: Good races for both of them. After the safety car on the first lap, Petrov pitted. Kubica stayed out. Petrov ended up holding Alonso up from lap thirteen until the end of the race, and Kubica held back Hamilton. It's one of Petrov's best drives of the season, and he finished sixth just behind Kubica.
Alonso, Webber, Alguersuari and Massa: It began well for the Ferraris, though Alonso lost a place to Button. But then Webber pitted, and Ferrari responded mistakenly by following the Red Bull. They got stuck in traffic when they should have kept at least Alonso out. Those who pitted under the safety car kept these three back, with Alguersuari letting his sister car through but holding back Massa. It was equally a good ride for the Toro Rosso, who did some great defending. He gets two points from today's race.
Schumacher and Liuzzi: Schumacher spun right on the first lap, and Liuzzi just couldn't avoid crashing into him and going part way up the car. Both drivers were out. However, it didn't stop Rosberg doing well and finishing fourth for Mercedes.
Vettel: Well, what can you say? Pole to flag he led almost all the way. With Alonso and Webber's bad luck, he easily clinched the championship. Well done to the young German! It's his first championship, and probably not his last. Next year he's in the number one car for Red Bull.
Well, the season is over. Next year there are a few rule changes that will make things interesting. Hopefully we'll see better from Hispania, Lotus and Virgin, too.
Button and Hamilton: Button jumped Alonso right at the start, and that defined the whole race. When the Ferrari pitted, the three at the top stayed out. It was to their benefit, as they didn't stuck in traffic. Hamilton pitted then came out behind Kubica while Button remained behind Vettel. After the Red Bull pit, Button led for a while. He tried to get ahead enough of Kubica, but it didn't work and he eventually came out behind his team mate. They finished second and third.
Kubica and Petrov: Good races for both of them. After the safety car on the first lap, Petrov pitted. Kubica stayed out. Petrov ended up holding Alonso up from lap thirteen until the end of the race, and Kubica held back Hamilton. It's one of Petrov's best drives of the season, and he finished sixth just behind Kubica.
Alonso, Webber, Alguersuari and Massa: It began well for the Ferraris, though Alonso lost a place to Button. But then Webber pitted, and Ferrari responded mistakenly by following the Red Bull. They got stuck in traffic when they should have kept at least Alonso out. Those who pitted under the safety car kept these three back, with Alguersuari letting his sister car through but holding back Massa. It was equally a good ride for the Toro Rosso, who did some great defending. He gets two points from today's race.
Schumacher and Liuzzi: Schumacher spun right on the first lap, and Liuzzi just couldn't avoid crashing into him and going part way up the car. Both drivers were out. However, it didn't stop Rosberg doing well and finishing fourth for Mercedes.
Vettel: Well, what can you say? Pole to flag he led almost all the way. With Alonso and Webber's bad luck, he easily clinched the championship. Well done to the young German! It's his first championship, and probably not his last. Next year he's in the number one car for Red Bull.
Well, the season is over. Next year there are a few rule changes that will make things interesting. Hopefully we'll see better from Hispania, Lotus and Virgin, too.
Formula 1 2010 Season Finish
The season is over. We have a new World Champion: Sebastian Vettel! He is the youngest ever World Champion, at 23 years, 4 months and 11 days, and he stole that title from Fernando Alonso. Seb is also less than a year older than me, which also makes it exciting.
[[ Help, I'm calling him Seb! ]]
Congratulations especially to Christian Horner, the Team Principal of Red Bull, who has led the team fantastically. Well done. I get four cans of Red Bull now! Race summary to come.
For the 2011 season, you'll have to visit F11, my dedicated Formula One blog.
Congratulations especially to Christian Horner, the Team Principal of Red Bull, who has led the team fantastically. Well done. I get four cans of Red Bull now! Race summary to come.
For the 2011 season, you'll have to visit F11, my dedicated Formula One blog.
13/11/2010
Formula 1 Race Nineteen: Qualifying
Q1 – Kubica and Kobayashi, who both had good practice sessions, the last to come out. Alonso, who with his team mate didn't come out at the end of practice 3 to set a final fast lap, was going well. Good news for Alguersuari, as he managed to outqualify Buemi – the Toro Rosso cars are the only old team without an F-duct. It's the fifth race in a row that he's done so. Also, Bruno Senna beat Christian Klien for the first time.
Q2 – Dusk fell in the desert. This is where things really get competitive. Hamilton and Massa had a bad incident that saw Hamilton take out one of the bollards and the camera on it. The incident presumably to be investigated by the stewards. Hamilton struggled to get into the top 10. Meanwhile, Petrov gets into Q3 and beats Kubica for the second time this season. Kubica is out of Q3 for the first time this season. Rosberg and Schumacher both do well.
Q3 – Petrov was the last man out, and Vettel took a while to get out too. In the end, in this critical session, Alonso got ahead of Webber. Vettel was on pole, with Hamilton second – a good place for the challenger who needs a lot of luck. Alonso third and Button fourth, with Webber fifth. This is a vital result for all the challengers. Alonso will win if it finishes like this.
We are still waiting to see what the stewards have to say about the Massa/Hamilton incident.
Q2 – Dusk fell in the desert. This is where things really get competitive. Hamilton and Massa had a bad incident that saw Hamilton take out one of the bollards and the camera on it. The incident presumably to be investigated by the stewards. Hamilton struggled to get into the top 10. Meanwhile, Petrov gets into Q3 and beats Kubica for the second time this season. Kubica is out of Q3 for the first time this season. Rosberg and Schumacher both do well.
Q3 – Petrov was the last man out, and Vettel took a while to get out too. In the end, in this critical session, Alonso got ahead of Webber. Vettel was on pole, with Hamilton second – a good place for the challenger who needs a lot of luck. Alonso third and Button fourth, with Webber fifth. This is a vital result for all the challengers. Alonso will win if it finishes like this.
We are still waiting to see what the stewards have to say about the Massa/Hamilton incident.
12/11/2010
Formula 1 Race Nineteen: Preview
The first session started damp. Apart from installation laps, most drivers didn't get out until the sun had dried up the rain – yes, the rain – from earlier in the day. It looks like Abu Dhabi's four days of rain are coming on Formula One weekend, which is typical of this entire season. Almost every weekend has been affected by rain in some way.
The only excitement in the first session was the McLarens splitting Vettel and Webber, with Vettel six tenths faster than Hamilton. Right at the end, Barrichello stopped as he was heading back to the pits.
In the second session, Karun Chandhok was up in the BBC commentary box. The softer tyres were showing severe graining, and most teams were switching onto the harder tyres by the end. This should improve by race day.
Alguersuari was the first retirement of the session. He spun after contacting with the astroturf and stopped. Then it was Massa, who had fuel problems – not on low fuel, but having trouble getting it to the engine. He coasted to a stop.
Hamilton was the fastest before they changed to heavy fuel loads, then Vettel, Alonso and Webber. Kubica was fifth fastest, with Button down in eighth.
Meanwhile, there was an incident between Senna and Hamilton, as Hamilton went off the track behind the back of Senna, who had slowed down, and came back on the track perhaps not in enough control of the car, as he was very close to the side of the Hispania driver. It was right by the entrance to the pit lane, and Senna had to work hard to stay out of the McLaren's way as Hamilton decided to pit right then. The incident will be looked at after the session.
Although the 107 percent rule will not apply until next season, it is interesting to see how close the back cars - the Hispanias, naturally - come to breaching it. In session one, Christian Klien didn't make it within the time, and nor did Fauzy deputizing for Kovalainen. However, in session two all the drivers were within the required time.
The only excitement in the first session was the McLarens splitting Vettel and Webber, with Vettel six tenths faster than Hamilton. Right at the end, Barrichello stopped as he was heading back to the pits.
In the second session, Karun Chandhok was up in the BBC commentary box. The softer tyres were showing severe graining, and most teams were switching onto the harder tyres by the end. This should improve by race day.
Alguersuari was the first retirement of the session. He spun after contacting with the astroturf and stopped. Then it was Massa, who had fuel problems – not on low fuel, but having trouble getting it to the engine. He coasted to a stop.
Hamilton was the fastest before they changed to heavy fuel loads, then Vettel, Alonso and Webber. Kubica was fifth fastest, with Button down in eighth.
Meanwhile, there was an incident between Senna and Hamilton, as Hamilton went off the track behind the back of Senna, who had slowed down, and came back on the track perhaps not in enough control of the car, as he was very close to the side of the Hispania driver. It was right by the entrance to the pit lane, and Senna had to work hard to stay out of the McLaren's way as Hamilton decided to pit right then. The incident will be looked at after the session.
Although the 107 percent rule will not apply until next season, it is interesting to see how close the back cars - the Hispanias, naturally - come to breaching it. In session one, Christian Klien didn't make it within the time, and nor did Fauzy deputizing for Kovalainen. However, in session two all the drivers were within the required time.
10/11/2010
Formula 1 Championship part three
I wish more teams were like Red Bull. They could manipulate the race by swapping their drivers, if it was Vettel, Webber, Alonso, say and then swapping Webber and Vettel to get first. But neither the owner Dietrich Mateschitz nor the principal Christian Horner (who’s a Warwickshire local, like me) will employ team orders during the race. This will make for a cracking finale to the season. Of course, it puts the onus on Vettel, in this situation, to decide whether he’d rather see Red Bull win the driver’s championship with Webber, or just push himself and the car to the limits, and let Webber fight it out and risk coming second.
Vettel definitely has what it takes to win race. He’s consistently had pole positions throughout the season, and when his car hasn’t had problems – or had his teammate take him out – he’s won. But he is also young. He knows that he has seasons ahead of him to win championships. For Webber, who is older, he doesn’t have many seasons left.
Will Red Bull have such a consistent, unbeatable car in 2011? Another team – Ferrari or McLaren, most likely – could beat them then.
But the constructor’s championship has given Red Bull the confirmation that this young team has got what it takes to compete with the greats. And with solid British ingenuity from Adrian Newey and the rest of the team, I have to say that I support them. It would be amazing to see Alonso win, but having such a close final makes it all the better.
Now, who’s up for Alonso, Vettel and Webber dropping out and Hamilton winning?
Vettel definitely has what it takes to win race. He’s consistently had pole positions throughout the season, and when his car hasn’t had problems – or had his teammate take him out – he’s won. But he is also young. He knows that he has seasons ahead of him to win championships. For Webber, who is older, he doesn’t have many seasons left.
Will Red Bull have such a consistent, unbeatable car in 2011? Another team – Ferrari or McLaren, most likely – could beat them then.
But the constructor’s championship has given Red Bull the confirmation that this young team has got what it takes to compete with the greats. And with solid British ingenuity from Adrian Newey and the rest of the team, I have to say that I support them. It would be amazing to see Alonso win, but having such a close final makes it all the better.
Now, who’s up for Alonso, Vettel and Webber dropping out and Hamilton winning?
08/11/2010
Formula 1 Championship part two
Hamilton must win. Vettel must come first or second. Webber must come fifth or above. Even then, they still depend on other results:
Alonso is guaranteed the championship if he comes first or second. If he comes third or fourth, he will get the championship if Webber does not win. If he comes fifth it gets complicated. A victory for Vettel and a second for Webber here puts them on equal points. Webber will have one less win, but Alonso and Vettel will share the number of first, second and third places. Vettel, with one more fourth place, will win the championship.
However, Red Bull have been consistent in 2010. Vettel first and Webber second in qualifying is almost guaranteed. If they finish the race like this, we could see Vettel get the championship despite never having actually led it during the year. That would be a novelty!
Here, then, is Red Bull's race strategy should they be in first and second: if Alonso is third or fourth, Webber should be first; if Alonso is fifth or below, the two drivers can fight it out. Personally, though, I'd like to see Vettel in front with Alonso fifth.
So Jake Humphrey, that's your figures all done for you. It's also Christian Horner's race strategy all sorted. I'd love to see a situation where Alonso goes from fifth to fourth for whatever reason, and the Red Bulls have to switch places. They've fought all the way to the end of the season, which was great, but if they want that win they'll have to play it as a team.
Interestingly, Alonso will come second in this strategy should he finish third or fourth, or fifth with Vettel winning.
Alonso is guaranteed the championship if he comes first or second. If he comes third or fourth, he will get the championship if Webber does not win. If he comes fifth it gets complicated. A victory for Vettel and a second for Webber here puts them on equal points. Webber will have one less win, but Alonso and Vettel will share the number of first, second and third places. Vettel, with one more fourth place, will win the championship.
However, Red Bull have been consistent in 2010. Vettel first and Webber second in qualifying is almost guaranteed. If they finish the race like this, we could see Vettel get the championship despite never having actually led it during the year. That would be a novelty!
Here, then, is Red Bull's race strategy should they be in first and second: if Alonso is third or fourth, Webber should be first; if Alonso is fifth or below, the two drivers can fight it out. Personally, though, I'd like to see Vettel in front with Alonso fifth.
So Jake Humphrey, that's your figures all done for you. It's also Christian Horner's race strategy all sorted. I'd love to see a situation where Alonso goes from fifth to fourth for whatever reason, and the Red Bulls have to switch places. They've fought all the way to the end of the season, which was great, but if they want that win they'll have to play it as a team.
Interestingly, Alonso will come second in this strategy should he finish third or fourth, or fifth with Vettel winning.
07/11/2010
Formula 1 Race Eighteen: Race
It was hot and sunny in Brazil. Nico Hulkenberg's pole was hoping to set the standards for a typically crazy Interlagos race. But it wasn't to be.
The two Red Bulls quickly passed Hulkenberg, with Alonso overtaking Hamilton for fourth. Button was barely in it. On lap 7, Alonso overtook Hulkenberg. It was an early pit stop for Button on lap 12, switching to the harder tyre, and he came out behind a large pack of cars. Then Massa also pitted, coming out behind Button, and then but was forced to pit again after a mistake by the crew. In the pit stops that followed, Button made it up to fifth behind Hamilton in lap 30, as Hulkenberg fell backwards.
At first, Alonso was slower than the Red Bulls, but he got to their pace around lap 18. But he wasn't able to catch up, and there was a large gap between them. Hamilton was struggling to make his car work for him, and pitted in lap 21 with Schumacher. Meanwhile, Alonso pitted in lap 24 without losing position, and Vettel and Webber temporarily switch places. The two Red Bulls battled it out for first and second, but Webber couldn't quite reach his team mate.
On lap 51, there was the one and only retirement of the race: Liuzzi, going too wide into turn 2, hit the wall. The safety car came out, bunching up the track into three races: the leaders of Vettel, Webber, Alonso, Hamilton, Button, Rosberg and Schumacher; the people a lap behind with Hulkenberg leading them and Barrichello at the back; and the new team drivers.
After the safety car came in, the drivers struggled to overtake the back markers because they were all mixed up, but Alonso didn't lose too much on Vettel and Webber. Unfortunately, he didn't quite make it back on them, and finished third.
The best news was with Hulkenberg, who finished eighth and got four vital points for Williams to overtake Force India. Otherwise, Kobayashi and Sutil were both 'doing Kobayashis' and waiting until late in the race to pit. With Kobayashi's tyres causing him havoc, this wasn't a good thing. Interlagos was wearing on the tyres, and most drivers did multiple pit stops.
Alonso still leads the championship by 8 points on Webber, and 15 on Vettel. Red Bull, however, have the constructor's championship.
In the new teams, Christian Klien came out late and was always at least three laps behind. He didn't lose too much, and by the end of the race he was close enough to be classified. Di Grassi, however, also lost a lot of laps in the pits, and was not classified despite finishing the race.
See you in one week for Abu Dhabi, the last race of the season!
The two Red Bulls quickly passed Hulkenberg, with Alonso overtaking Hamilton for fourth. Button was barely in it. On lap 7, Alonso overtook Hulkenberg. It was an early pit stop for Button on lap 12, switching to the harder tyre, and he came out behind a large pack of cars. Then Massa also pitted, coming out behind Button, and then but was forced to pit again after a mistake by the crew. In the pit stops that followed, Button made it up to fifth behind Hamilton in lap 30, as Hulkenberg fell backwards.
At first, Alonso was slower than the Red Bulls, but he got to their pace around lap 18. But he wasn't able to catch up, and there was a large gap between them. Hamilton was struggling to make his car work for him, and pitted in lap 21 with Schumacher. Meanwhile, Alonso pitted in lap 24 without losing position, and Vettel and Webber temporarily switch places. The two Red Bulls battled it out for first and second, but Webber couldn't quite reach his team mate.
On lap 51, there was the one and only retirement of the race: Liuzzi, going too wide into turn 2, hit the wall. The safety car came out, bunching up the track into three races: the leaders of Vettel, Webber, Alonso, Hamilton, Button, Rosberg and Schumacher; the people a lap behind with Hulkenberg leading them and Barrichello at the back; and the new team drivers.
After the safety car came in, the drivers struggled to overtake the back markers because they were all mixed up, but Alonso didn't lose too much on Vettel and Webber. Unfortunately, he didn't quite make it back on them, and finished third.
The best news was with Hulkenberg, who finished eighth and got four vital points for Williams to overtake Force India. Otherwise, Kobayashi and Sutil were both 'doing Kobayashis' and waiting until late in the race to pit. With Kobayashi's tyres causing him havoc, this wasn't a good thing. Interlagos was wearing on the tyres, and most drivers did multiple pit stops.
Alonso still leads the championship by 8 points on Webber, and 15 on Vettel. Red Bull, however, have the constructor's championship.
In the new teams, Christian Klien came out late and was always at least three laps behind. He didn't lose too much, and by the end of the race he was close enough to be classified. Di Grassi, however, also lost a lot of laps in the pits, and was not classified despite finishing the race.
See you in one week for Abu Dhabi, the last race of the season!
06/11/2010
Formula 1 Race Eighteen: Qualifying
An amazing shock: pole for Williams!
Sutil and Buemi have five-place grid penalties after Korea. It's wet, but cars are in full-dry specs because the weather tomorrow for the race is expected to be good. This is not a good situation for the drivers. With a limited number of intermediate tyres, they had to be especially careful.
With rain expected early, everyone was queuing up at the start of Q1 to get out. Buemi, who was fast in practice three, was at the front. All 24 cars went out, giving a similar feeling to Monaco. Times continually improved as the track dried out. It was Sutil who went out with the usual six, and no rain came until just after the session. Alonso, meanwhile, was the first man under 1:19 seconds, with Button faster than Hamilton. Timo Glock had a good session, outqualifying both Lotus drivers. Poor old last-placed Bruno Senna didn't make it back to the pits, and had to walk. Not good for his first Brazilian Grand Prix.
Q2, and the track was drying. It was close for Button and Massa, but in the end the Ferrari just managed to push the McLaren out with tyres failing. Alguersuari outqualified Buemi for the fourth race in a row, but Liuzzi had a slow one. However, both Renaults, Williams, Ferraris and Red Bulls got through, as well as Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.
Finally it was Q3. Half-way through the session, it was all in for soft tyres as the intermediates struggled. It was touch and go, with all the drivers struggling for grip especially on the final sector. But it was Nico Hulkenberg who surprised everyone, with his last two laps both good enough for pole position. Williams get their first pole of the season, over a second faster than the field! Even more amazing, Hulkenberg is only a rookie.
Vettel was only second, with Webber, Hamilton, Alonso, Barrichello, Kubica, Schumacher, Massa and Petrov.
Sutil and Buemi have five-place grid penalties after Korea. It's wet, but cars are in full-dry specs because the weather tomorrow for the race is expected to be good. This is not a good situation for the drivers. With a limited number of intermediate tyres, they had to be especially careful.
With rain expected early, everyone was queuing up at the start of Q1 to get out. Buemi, who was fast in practice three, was at the front. All 24 cars went out, giving a similar feeling to Monaco. Times continually improved as the track dried out. It was Sutil who went out with the usual six, and no rain came until just after the session. Alonso, meanwhile, was the first man under 1:19 seconds, with Button faster than Hamilton. Timo Glock had a good session, outqualifying both Lotus drivers. Poor old last-placed Bruno Senna didn't make it back to the pits, and had to walk. Not good for his first Brazilian Grand Prix.
Q2, and the track was drying. It was close for Button and Massa, but in the end the Ferrari just managed to push the McLaren out with tyres failing. Alguersuari outqualified Buemi for the fourth race in a row, but Liuzzi had a slow one. However, both Renaults, Williams, Ferraris and Red Bulls got through, as well as Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.
Finally it was Q3. Half-way through the session, it was all in for soft tyres as the intermediates struggled. It was touch and go, with all the drivers struggling for grip especially on the final sector. But it was Nico Hulkenberg who surprised everyone, with his last two laps both good enough for pole position. Williams get their first pole of the season, over a second faster than the field! Even more amazing, Hulkenberg is only a rookie.
Vettel was only second, with Webber, Hamilton, Alonso, Barrichello, Kubica, Schumacher, Massa and Petrov.
Formula 1 Championship part one
Alonso is the only one who can win the championship in Brazil. Button is the only one whose hopes hang by a fraying thread.
If Button finishes below second in this race, he is definitely out of the running. If he finishes second and Alonso gets any points at all, or Webber gets a win, he is out. If he wins and Alonso gets more than 7 points in this race then he is out.
Under the old points system, this championship would be closer. Under a 'medals' system, which is effectively what is used when points are equal, Button would already be out.
He might think he's still got a chance, but under the current system and after a bad performance in wet conditions that he is supposed to prefer in Yeongam, I can't see it.
Everyone else should be able to continue to challenge for the title in Abu Dhabi next weekend, so long as Webber doesn't finish too low:
A win for Alonso gets him 256 points. If Webber comes second he will have 238, which is one second place off Alonso's total. If he comes third he will have 235, or fourth would give 232, which means he'd need to win the next race and have Alonso do very badly indeed. A fifth place with Alonso winning puts Webber out of the running, and even if Hamilton comes second he will be too far off Alonso to challenge.
If Alonso comes second, he will have 249 points, and it gets more complicated as Hamilton's result will affect whether he can win the championship as well as Webber's. In this situation, a win for Vettel keeps him in the running.
Realistically, Vettel has a good chance of winning both races. Red Bull lock out the front row in most of them. However, the Red Bulls have been plagued with problems, with five race retirements to Ferrari's two. The only other team with less are Mercedes.
Outside the top five, what else is going on? Williams and Force India are three points apart in the constructors championship, on 65 and 68 respectively, and the only teams who can really challenge each other. Although Force India had a better start to the season, Williams have been catching up. Apart from that, if we have a horrible race for crashing out then the new teams are still fighting for places and that elusive point.
If Button finishes below second in this race, he is definitely out of the running. If he finishes second and Alonso gets any points at all, or Webber gets a win, he is out. If he wins and Alonso gets more than 7 points in this race then he is out.
Under the old points system, this championship would be closer. Under a 'medals' system, which is effectively what is used when points are equal, Button would already be out.
He might think he's still got a chance, but under the current system and after a bad performance in wet conditions that he is supposed to prefer in Yeongam, I can't see it.
Everyone else should be able to continue to challenge for the title in Abu Dhabi next weekend, so long as Webber doesn't finish too low:
A win for Alonso gets him 256 points. If Webber comes second he will have 238, which is one second place off Alonso's total. If he comes third he will have 235, or fourth would give 232, which means he'd need to win the next race and have Alonso do very badly indeed. A fifth place with Alonso winning puts Webber out of the running, and even if Hamilton comes second he will be too far off Alonso to challenge.
If Alonso comes second, he will have 249 points, and it gets more complicated as Hamilton's result will affect whether he can win the championship as well as Webber's. In this situation, a win for Vettel keeps him in the running.
Realistically, Vettel has a good chance of winning both races. Red Bull lock out the front row in most of them. However, the Red Bulls have been plagued with problems, with five race retirements to Ferrari's two. The only other team with less are Mercedes.
Outside the top five, what else is going on? Williams and Force India are three points apart in the constructors championship, on 65 and 68 respectively, and the only teams who can really challenge each other. Although Force India had a better start to the season, Williams have been catching up. Apart from that, if we have a horrible race for crashing out then the new teams are still fighting for places and that elusive point.
05/11/2010
Formula 1 Race Eighteen: Preview
One driver change for Brazil. Christian Klien is in again for Hispania, replacing Sakon Yamamoto. I guess Hispania aren't trying to show off Senna, then, because Klien's experience in Formula One means he will probably qualify higher. Senna has almost always outqualified Yamamoto, although he did less well against Chandhok.
With only two hours difference to the UK with Brazil on summer time, it was good for me watching the race. No middle-of-the-night sessions with the TV! The exit of the pit lane here is long, and follows the Senna S at the start of the track before the lanes merge.
The first practice session went well for the most part. The only real incidents were at the end, with Petrov and Kobayashi, who had a puncture, coming off the track. Alonso's engine ran out of life, and he pulled off the track right at the end.
Mercedes were running a new diffuser – a single channel, rather than the loophole-permitted double design that will be outlawed next year.
In the second session, Alonso had a new engine. The Ferraris have no unused spares from their eight permitted, unlike both Renaults, Barrichello and the Hispanias. Good news there for Cosworth's reliability.
Massa had the only incident, with initial reports from Ferrari suggesting it was a hydraulics problem. Unfortunately, it was just after switching to the softer 'option' tyres. Despite this he still set the fifth-fastest time.
With the shortness of the track, the atmosphere matched Monaco by the end of the session, with all 23 remaining drivers fighting for clear air as they loaded up on fuel to see their race pace. Grip seemed to be going off the tyres much faster here than on most tracks in 2010, although it's still a 'green' circuit, so we could see more pit stops in the race depending on how much it rubbers in.
Vettel was fastest in both sessions from Webber. After a slow first session, Alonso was third-fastest in the second. Both McLarens did reasonably well. Interestingly, Senna beat Klien's time in the second session. Maybe Hispania are going to be able to show Senna's skill after all.
A prediction from the BBC is that Lewis Hamilton will win. His first race at Interlagos, in 2007, he came seventh. In 2008 he came fifth, and in 2009 he came third. Should this coincidental run of finishes continue, Hamilton will win. Then again, where will he come in 2011? -1 is not a viable position!
Post to come later today about the championship competition. Visit F11, my Formula One blog for 2011 and beyond, for news on next season.
With only two hours difference to the UK with Brazil on summer time, it was good for me watching the race. No middle-of-the-night sessions with the TV! The exit of the pit lane here is long, and follows the Senna S at the start of the track before the lanes merge.
The first practice session went well for the most part. The only real incidents were at the end, with Petrov and Kobayashi, who had a puncture, coming off the track. Alonso's engine ran out of life, and he pulled off the track right at the end.
Mercedes were running a new diffuser – a single channel, rather than the loophole-permitted double design that will be outlawed next year.
In the second session, Alonso had a new engine. The Ferraris have no unused spares from their eight permitted, unlike both Renaults, Barrichello and the Hispanias. Good news there for Cosworth's reliability.
Massa had the only incident, with initial reports from Ferrari suggesting it was a hydraulics problem. Unfortunately, it was just after switching to the softer 'option' tyres. Despite this he still set the fifth-fastest time.
With the shortness of the track, the atmosphere matched Monaco by the end of the session, with all 23 remaining drivers fighting for clear air as they loaded up on fuel to see their race pace. Grip seemed to be going off the tyres much faster here than on most tracks in 2010, although it's still a 'green' circuit, so we could see more pit stops in the race depending on how much it rubbers in.
Vettel was fastest in both sessions from Webber. After a slow first session, Alonso was third-fastest in the second. Both McLarens did reasonably well. Interestingly, Senna beat Klien's time in the second session. Maybe Hispania are going to be able to show Senna's skill after all.
A prediction from the BBC is that Lewis Hamilton will win. His first race at Interlagos, in 2007, he came seventh. In 2008 he came fifth, and in 2009 he came third. Should this coincidental run of finishes continue, Hamilton will win. Then again, where will he come in 2011? -1 is not a viable position!
Post to come later today about the championship competition. Visit F11, my Formula One blog for 2011 and beyond, for news on next season.
31/10/2010
Happy Birthday to... 31/10/10
Bernie Ecclestone was 80 this week. But today an F1 driver has his birthday. Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi is twenty-two. Welcome to the 22 club, Sebastien.
Out of the two Toro Rosso drivers, Buemi is the eldest. Jaime Alguersuari by comparison is a mere whippersnapper at 20 years old. Buemi started off with a better 2010 season, outqualifying his teammate most of the time (race 4 in China was the only one of the first 10 races where Alguersuari qualified better). Although Alguersuari was first to get points, Buemi has gained more over the season, and is a steady sixteenth in the championship.
Best finish so far: 8th (Canada) [Alguersuari: 9th (Malaysia)]
Worst finish: 24th (Germany) [Alguersuari: 24th (Hungary)]
Retirements: 5 [Alguersuari: 2]
Points: 8 [Alguersuari: 3]
Position: 16th [Alguersuari: 19th]
Unfortunately for the Swiss, his last race didn't go so well. He's got a demotion of five places in Brazil for colliding with Timo Glock, although he did apologise. Buemi will definitely be racing alongside Alguersuari with Toro Rosso next year. Looking forward to it!
Out of the two Toro Rosso drivers, Buemi is the eldest. Jaime Alguersuari by comparison is a mere whippersnapper at 20 years old. Buemi started off with a better 2010 season, outqualifying his teammate most of the time (race 4 in China was the only one of the first 10 races where Alguersuari qualified better). Although Alguersuari was first to get points, Buemi has gained more over the season, and is a steady sixteenth in the championship.
Best finish so far: 8th (Canada) [Alguersuari: 9th (Malaysia)]
Worst finish: 24th (Germany) [Alguersuari: 24th (Hungary)]
Retirements: 5 [Alguersuari: 2]
Points: 8 [Alguersuari: 3]
Position: 16th [Alguersuari: 19th]
Unfortunately for the Swiss, his last race didn't go so well. He's got a demotion of five places in Brazil for colliding with Timo Glock, although he did apologise. Buemi will definitely be racing alongside Alguersuari with Toro Rosso next year. Looking forward to it!
29/10/2010
Euro 2012 Qualification: Italy vs Serbia follow-up
The decision has been made. Italy get a default 3-0 win against Serbia. There were also various fines and punishments against the teams. To summarize:
Italy - Win the game 3-0. They also receive a fine of 100,000 Euros for not keeping the Serbian fans from bringing dangerous items into the stadium. They have a deferred ban on playing one match behind closed doors, which means they have to behave for the next two years or it will come into effect.
Serbia - As well as losing, they receive a 120,000 Euro fine. Their next game, against Northern Ireland, will definitely be played behind closed doors, and the one after that against Estonia probably will. They also have a ban against bringing fans to their remaining away games in the Euro 2012 qualifiers. Finally, they have a deferred one-match ban for the next two years.
Both the Italian and Serbian football associations have three days to lodge an appeal (not six days, as the BBC claim)
Italy - Win the game 3-0. They also receive a fine of 100,000 Euros for not keeping the Serbian fans from bringing dangerous items into the stadium. They have a deferred ban on playing one match behind closed doors, which means they have to behave for the next two years or it will come into effect.
Serbia - As well as losing, they receive a 120,000 Euro fine. Their next game, against Northern Ireland, will definitely be played behind closed doors, and the one after that against Estonia probably will. They also have a ban against bringing fans to their remaining away games in the Euro 2012 qualifiers. Finally, they have a deferred one-match ban for the next two years.
Both the Italian and Serbian football associations have three days to lodge an appeal (not six days, as the BBC claim)
24/10/2010
Formula 1 Race Seventeen: Race
Wow, what a Grand Prix this turned out to be! It started in rain and treacherous conditions, with a few laps under the safety car before red flags appeared to pause the race. The cars must have been sitting on the home straight for about an hour. The commentary team were wondering if we'd even be able to have a full race, or even a seventy-five percent race (to get full points) with sunset at quarter to six local time.
But eventually things got going under the safety car again, and on lap seventeen it went in while the drivers continued on full wets. Then again, it was less than two laps before we had a serious crash demanding a safety car, and it was championship leader Mark Webber who spun out, and took Nico Rosberg with him.
Vettel continued in the lead, with Alonso and Hamilton behind him. The safety car went in on lap twenty-three, and the race returned to normal operations.
Trulli and Senna were the next to collide, with Trulli losing his front wing. Senna continued while Trulli pitted, attempted to continue, then retired. After an investigation by the stewards, no action was taken. Senna eventually finished the race in fourteenth place, which puts him above the two Virgins in the championship (but still behind Karun Chandhok).
Jenson Button had a bad race, thanks to a poorly-timed pit stop. He came out behind a bunch of drivers including Sutil, Kobayashi, Hulkenberg and Alguersuari, and was unable to overtake them. He eventually finished twelfth, putting him out of the running for the championship. Now he will have to support Lewis Hamilton.
The third safety car was for Buemi and Glock, who collided and went out. Buemi has a five-place grid penalty in Brazil for this.
Vettel, Alonso and Hamilton were first, second and third after Webber went out. A poor pit stop for Alonso where the wheel nut went off and they had to replace it delayed him to come out behind Hamilton. Then Hamilton went wide in the first corner after a restart from the third safety car, and Alonso retook second. He held second until Vettel's engine blew up, and then had the lead. He maintained this lead right to the end, with Hamilton second and Massa third. This puts Alonso first in the championship, with Webber second, Hamilton a close third (21 points behind), and Vettel fourth (25 points behind).
Sutil's race was bad too. He was also stuck at the back, unlike his teammate Liuzzi who came in sixth! Sutil collided with Kobayashi, and although the Japanese was able to continue, Sutil has a five-place grid penalty in Brazil, as well as a $10,000 fine for admitting his awareness of brake problems he had during the race.
The race finished in almost darkness, but with every one of the 55 laps complete.
The Red Bulls gained no points from the race, and Alguersuari was the only Toro Rosso to finish. McLaren are now only 27 points from their rivals, and still have a chance at the constructor's championship.
See you in Brazil in two weeks' time!
But eventually things got going under the safety car again, and on lap seventeen it went in while the drivers continued on full wets. Then again, it was less than two laps before we had a serious crash demanding a safety car, and it was championship leader Mark Webber who spun out, and took Nico Rosberg with him.
Vettel continued in the lead, with Alonso and Hamilton behind him. The safety car went in on lap twenty-three, and the race returned to normal operations.
Trulli and Senna were the next to collide, with Trulli losing his front wing. Senna continued while Trulli pitted, attempted to continue, then retired. After an investigation by the stewards, no action was taken. Senna eventually finished the race in fourteenth place, which puts him above the two Virgins in the championship (but still behind Karun Chandhok).
Jenson Button had a bad race, thanks to a poorly-timed pit stop. He came out behind a bunch of drivers including Sutil, Kobayashi, Hulkenberg and Alguersuari, and was unable to overtake them. He eventually finished twelfth, putting him out of the running for the championship. Now he will have to support Lewis Hamilton.
The third safety car was for Buemi and Glock, who collided and went out. Buemi has a five-place grid penalty in Brazil for this.
Vettel, Alonso and Hamilton were first, second and third after Webber went out. A poor pit stop for Alonso where the wheel nut went off and they had to replace it delayed him to come out behind Hamilton. Then Hamilton went wide in the first corner after a restart from the third safety car, and Alonso retook second. He held second until Vettel's engine blew up, and then had the lead. He maintained this lead right to the end, with Hamilton second and Massa third. This puts Alonso first in the championship, with Webber second, Hamilton a close third (21 points behind), and Vettel fourth (25 points behind).
Sutil's race was bad too. He was also stuck at the back, unlike his teammate Liuzzi who came in sixth! Sutil collided with Kobayashi, and although the Japanese was able to continue, Sutil has a five-place grid penalty in Brazil, as well as a $10,000 fine for admitting his awareness of brake problems he had during the race.
The race finished in almost darkness, but with every one of the 55 laps complete.
The Red Bulls gained no points from the race, and Alguersuari was the only Toro Rosso to finish. McLaren are now only 27 points from their rivals, and still have a chance at the constructor's championship.
See you in Brazil in two weeks' time!
23/10/2010
Formula 1 Race Seventeen: Qualifying.
Penalties: Petrov 5 places for crashing out Hulkenberg at Suzuka.
Q1: It was the Force Indias who struggled to qualify today. Heidfeld kept having to pull himself out of danger, but as Liuzzi failed to get a fast-enough lap right at the end of the session, he ended up out in eighteenth. Senna failed to qualify ahead of Yamamoto for the first time, but the Japanese's time was very close to the Virgin of Di Grassi. The two ex-Toyota drivers, Trulli and Glock, were best of the new drivers, with Glock just behind his old teammate, while Kovalainen was further back.
Q2: No real surprises. The BBC commentators predicted that the McLarens, Red Bulls, Ferraris, Mercedes, Barrichello and Kubica would go through, and they were right. Alguersuari outqualifies Buemi for the third race in a row. Petrov qualifies fifteenth, dropping him down to twentieth after the penalty.
Q3: After some tense racing, the two Red Bulls get it together. Vettel, who had in past races been uncomfortable with his car, scrapes P1 by less than a tenth of a second, with Webber next to him on the front row. Alonso is P3 with a disappointed Hamilton in fourth. Button only manages seventh behind Rosberg and Massa.
It might rain tomorrow, so if that happens everything could change. There's also plenty of opportunity for overtaking early in the race.
Q1: It was the Force Indias who struggled to qualify today. Heidfeld kept having to pull himself out of danger, but as Liuzzi failed to get a fast-enough lap right at the end of the session, he ended up out in eighteenth. Senna failed to qualify ahead of Yamamoto for the first time, but the Japanese's time was very close to the Virgin of Di Grassi. The two ex-Toyota drivers, Trulli and Glock, were best of the new drivers, with Glock just behind his old teammate, while Kovalainen was further back.
Q2: No real surprises. The BBC commentators predicted that the McLarens, Red Bulls, Ferraris, Mercedes, Barrichello and Kubica would go through, and they were right. Alguersuari outqualifies Buemi for the third race in a row. Petrov qualifies fifteenth, dropping him down to twentieth after the penalty.
Q3: After some tense racing, the two Red Bulls get it together. Vettel, who had in past races been uncomfortable with his car, scrapes P1 by less than a tenth of a second, with Webber next to him on the front row. Alonso is P3 with a disappointed Hamilton in fourth. Button only manages seventh behind Rosberg and Massa.
It might rain tomorrow, so if that happens everything could change. There's also plenty of opportunity for overtaking early in the race.
22/10/2010
Formula 1 Race Seventeen: Preview
Red Bull can't quite get ahead
The inaugural Korean Grand Prix started today. The initial predicted times of 1 minute 44 seconds turned out to be false, with faster times coming up in practice 1 and 2.
It was hard for the Red Bulls to take advantage of the sectors of the track that really suited their car – the bendy sectors two and three – because they lost out a lot on sector one's two long straights, which suit the McLarens.
Hispania had the worst of the weekend, with Senna out in practice 1 after some kind of car failure that Hispania will not confirm as a suspension failure. Yamamoto also had problems, losing control of his car into a 360 degree spin and stalling in practice 2. The session was red-flagged. However, Hispania did get both cars going again, although Senna only managed a few minutes right at the end of the second practice session.
The track started slippery because of its freshness, but rubbered up over time. There was a lot of dust on the track, and especially in the pit lane, that was making visibility difficult for some teams. Tyres were wearing out quickly on the new tarmac, so if this continues we could see a lot of tyre changes in the race... except for the 60% chance of rain on Sunday thanks to a typhoon heading China's way.
Jenson Button, on this Grand Prix, is now joint with Nigel Mansell as England's most experienced Formula One drivers with 187 races. In the whole of Britain, David Coulthard is the most experienced on 246.
The inaugural Korean Grand Prix started today. The initial predicted times of 1 minute 44 seconds turned out to be false, with faster times coming up in practice 1 and 2.
It was hard for the Red Bulls to take advantage of the sectors of the track that really suited their car – the bendy sectors two and three – because they lost out a lot on sector one's two long straights, which suit the McLarens.
Hispania had the worst of the weekend, with Senna out in practice 1 after some kind of car failure that Hispania will not confirm as a suspension failure. Yamamoto also had problems, losing control of his car into a 360 degree spin and stalling in practice 2. The session was red-flagged. However, Hispania did get both cars going again, although Senna only managed a few minutes right at the end of the second practice session.
The track started slippery because of its freshness, but rubbered up over time. There was a lot of dust on the track, and especially in the pit lane, that was making visibility difficult for some teams. Tyres were wearing out quickly on the new tarmac, so if this continues we could see a lot of tyre changes in the race... except for the 60% chance of rain on Sunday thanks to a typhoon heading China's way.
Jenson Button, on this Grand Prix, is now joint with Nigel Mansell as England's most experienced Formula One drivers with 187 races. In the whole of Britain, David Coulthard is the most experienced on 246.
20/10/2010
FIFA/Coca-Cola Rankings Adjustment October 2010
Armenia are amazing!
There is only one team in Europe that really stands out as improving, and one team that have really lost places. Here's the summary of what happened:
1. Armenia: +45 places following their two victories. They're up to 60th, and only just behind Scotland. This is their highest ever FIFA ranking!
2. Russia: +15 places thanks to their defeats of Israel and Macedonia. Up to 10th!
3. Montenegro: Montenegro: +14 places to 26th. They did fantastically well in group G, having defeated all their opponents except England. Once England have played against Wales then they should be equal top of the group.
4. Azerbaijan: They defeated Turkey, and so deserve an 11 place improvement to 91st. Turkey, meanwhile, fall 8 places to 29th, as they gained no points over the qualifiers.
5. France and Italy: France finally start to rise in rank again. They've stopped losing, and that's helping change their average points back where they should be. Italy have dropped points after a draw with Northern Ireland, and the abandoned match gives no points.
6. Greece: This team seems attached to twelfth. They have not moved at all since I started keeping track of the ranks, and the last time they changed position was in June when they came up one place from thirteenth.
7. Scotland: They were the UK's second team, but luck for Northern Ireland has lost the Scots position. It's entirely unfair for them to be drawn against Spain, and they played a good game. But playing well doesn't count for any points, so they remain third in the UK (fourth including Ireland).
8. Wales: At least Scotland aren't Wales, who finally start losing position. They're down into the 100s now, having lost 20 places to go 105th.
9. Israel: They've gone down 20 places as well. Israel have strange form, sometimes being better and sometimes worse. Their home league isn't that bad, so it's hard to know what's up internationally.
10. Cyprus: Who knows what is happening with Cyprus? They drew 4-4 with Portugal, but now have such bad form they drop 45 places to 88th! Their performance is even less understandable than Israel's.
11. Central African Republic: Not a European team, which is why I saved them till last. I predicted they'd rise, but not by this much! Sixty places up to 112th makes them the fastest-rising team in the world. Fellow Africans Niger also rose well, with 54 places, to go 100th.
There is only one team in Europe that really stands out as improving, and one team that have really lost places. Here's the summary of what happened:
1. Armenia: +45 places following their two victories. They're up to 60th, and only just behind Scotland. This is their highest ever FIFA ranking!
2. Russia: +15 places thanks to their defeats of Israel and Macedonia. Up to 10th!
3. Montenegro: Montenegro: +14 places to 26th. They did fantastically well in group G, having defeated all their opponents except England. Once England have played against Wales then they should be equal top of the group.
4. Azerbaijan: They defeated Turkey, and so deserve an 11 place improvement to 91st. Turkey, meanwhile, fall 8 places to 29th, as they gained no points over the qualifiers.
5. France and Italy: France finally start to rise in rank again. They've stopped losing, and that's helping change their average points back where they should be. Italy have dropped points after a draw with Northern Ireland, and the abandoned match gives no points.
6. Greece: This team seems attached to twelfth. They have not moved at all since I started keeping track of the ranks, and the last time they changed position was in June when they came up one place from thirteenth.
7. Scotland: They were the UK's second team, but luck for Northern Ireland has lost the Scots position. It's entirely unfair for them to be drawn against Spain, and they played a good game. But playing well doesn't count for any points, so they remain third in the UK (fourth including Ireland).
8. Wales: At least Scotland aren't Wales, who finally start losing position. They're down into the 100s now, having lost 20 places to go 105th.
9. Israel: They've gone down 20 places as well. Israel have strange form, sometimes being better and sometimes worse. Their home league isn't that bad, so it's hard to know what's up internationally.
10. Cyprus: Who knows what is happening with Cyprus? They drew 4-4 with Portugal, but now have such bad form they drop 45 places to 88th! Their performance is even less understandable than Israel's.
11. Central African Republic: Not a European team, which is why I saved them till last. I predicted they'd rise, but not by this much! Sixty places up to 112th makes them the fastest-rising team in the world. Fellow Africans Niger also rose well, with 54 places, to go 100th.
16/10/2010
Africa!
What's with the Central African Republic? Two months ago they were on 0 points in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings. A draw with Morocco shot them up 30 places to 172nd in the world, and now they look to be shooting higher when the new ranks come out on Wednesday. Just as the Euro 2012 qualifiers were taking place, so were the Africa Cup of Nations 2012 qualifiers. Algeria, who qualified for South Africa 2010, were playing CAR and lost!
In total, CAR (or, to use FIFA's lettering, CTA) got 1051.35 points from that match. Don't forget that FIFA take an average over the matches for the whole year to calculate points, so that's not how many points they will go up in the table, but since they've only played two games over the last year, the total of this plus their draw against Morocco will be divided by five. In other words, that's 260.78 points for 2010.
This win puts CAR at the top of their group for the Africa Cup of Nations 2012 qualifiers.
And that ends the interesting non-F1, non-Euro 2012 world news.
In total, CAR (or, to use FIFA's lettering, CTA) got 1051.35 points from that match. Don't forget that FIFA take an average over the matches for the whole year to calculate points, so that's not how many points they will go up in the table, but since they've only played two games over the last year, the total of this plus their draw against Morocco will be divided by five. In other words, that's 260.78 points for 2010.
This win puts CAR at the top of their group for the Africa Cup of Nations 2012 qualifiers.
And that ends the interesting non-F1, non-Euro 2012 world news.
13/10/2010
Euro 2012 Qualification: 13/10/2010 Results
The best UK team this weekend was Northern Ireland, with two draws, although they should have done better against the Faroe Islands. The worst team was Wales, who had two losses - to Montenegro and Switzerland. Scotland also had two losses, but they did too well against Spain to be the worst UK team this weekend. England barely scrape ahead of Scotland, as they should have done better against Montenegro.
Most unexpected result: Azerbaijan 1 – 0 Turkey. Surprising because Azerbaijan are 102nd in the world to Turkey's 21st. This is Azerbaijan's first win of Euro 2012 qualifying after losses against Germany and Austria. Turkey are suffering their second loss this weekend after Germany on Friday, but beat Begium and Kazakhstan previously.
Most predictable result: Armenia 4 – 0 Andorra. I'd have gone for the San Marino game, but they didn't get quite as bad a score as usual, since they were playing against Moldova. Actually, since the gap is smaller for Armenia and Andorra, San Marino are doing better than their fellow poor-scorers.
Most embarrassing result: Estonia 0 – 1 Slovenia. The only goal in this game was an Estonian own goal. Funnily enough, Serbia scored an own goal against Estonia on Friday, which got them the most embarrassing result for that round of qualification matches.
Most promising result: France 2 – 0 Luxembourg. France are winning again. Okay, Luxembourg are easy, but they also beat Romania. Perhaps they can start rising in the ranks again.
Most unusual result: Italy – Serbia. They're taking two of the 'awards tonight'. An abandonment counts as an unusual result in anyone's book. For completed games. This goes to Belgium 4 – 4 Austria, who are only one place apart in the FIFA rankings. This pair of Western European countries kept their fans excited to the end, with first one then the other team getting ahead. Two goals were scored in extra time – one by each team!
Cleanest game: Netherlands 4 – 1 Sweden. It was a toss-up between three games, but the Netherlands got it because of their improved form since the World Cup final.
Dirtiest game: Italy - Serbia. And it was the fans, not the players, who made this game dirty. Serbian fans, to be precise. They had already clashed with Italian police, and continued their poor behaviour at the stadium. As the players were emerging onto the pitch, some Serbian hooligans set off fireworks and threw flares onto the pitch. The players had to return to their dressing rooms as Italian riot cops confronted the fans. The match eventually started 40 minutes late, after a nasty booing of the Serbian national anthem by the Italian fans. After a mere seven minutes it was abandoned by the Scottish referee. Terrible! Why do British referees always get the bad games?
Most unexpected result: Azerbaijan 1 – 0 Turkey. Surprising because Azerbaijan are 102nd in the world to Turkey's 21st. This is Azerbaijan's first win of Euro 2012 qualifying after losses against Germany and Austria. Turkey are suffering their second loss this weekend after Germany on Friday, but beat Begium and Kazakhstan previously.
Most predictable result: Armenia 4 – 0 Andorra. I'd have gone for the San Marino game, but they didn't get quite as bad a score as usual, since they were playing against Moldova. Actually, since the gap is smaller for Armenia and Andorra, San Marino are doing better than their fellow poor-scorers.
Most embarrassing result: Estonia 0 – 1 Slovenia. The only goal in this game was an Estonian own goal. Funnily enough, Serbia scored an own goal against Estonia on Friday, which got them the most embarrassing result for that round of qualification matches.
Most promising result: France 2 – 0 Luxembourg. France are winning again. Okay, Luxembourg are easy, but they also beat Romania. Perhaps they can start rising in the ranks again.
Most unusual result: Italy – Serbia. They're taking two of the 'awards tonight'. An abandonment counts as an unusual result in anyone's book. For completed games. This goes to Belgium 4 – 4 Austria, who are only one place apart in the FIFA rankings. This pair of Western European countries kept their fans excited to the end, with first one then the other team getting ahead. Two goals were scored in extra time – one by each team!
Cleanest game: Netherlands 4 – 1 Sweden. It was a toss-up between three games, but the Netherlands got it because of their improved form since the World Cup final.
Dirtiest game: Italy - Serbia. And it was the fans, not the players, who made this game dirty. Serbian fans, to be precise. They had already clashed with Italian police, and continued their poor behaviour at the stadium. As the players were emerging onto the pitch, some Serbian hooligans set off fireworks and threw flares onto the pitch. The players had to return to their dressing rooms as Italian riot cops confronted the fans. The match eventually started 40 minutes late, after a nasty booing of the Serbian national anthem by the Italian fans. After a mere seven minutes it was abandoned by the Scottish referee. Terrible! Why do British referees always get the bad games?
Euro 2012 Qualification: Italy vs Serbia
There are worse fans than the English
Italy vs Serbia was a fiasco, with Serbian fans causing havoc by throwing flares on the pitch and lighting fireworks. The Scottish referee Chris Thomson had to abandon the match after just six minutes, and that was after a 40 minute delay before kickoff.
Here's how the FIFA rules go about abandoning matches:
Under the section about 'authority of the referee' and his 'powers and duties':
“The referee: … stops, suspends or abandons the match because of outside interference of any kind”
FIFA rules about abandoned matches: “An abandoned match is replayed unless the competition rules provide otherwise.”
UEFA rules about abandoned matches in the Euro Cup: “Si un match est arrêté avant la fin de la durée réglementaire de la rencontre ou lors d’une éventuelle prolongation en raison de l'état du terrain ou pour d’autres raisons, il doit être rejoué intégralement le lendemain ou à une autre date convenue par l’association organisatrice et l’association visiteuse, sous réserve de l’approbation de l’Administration de l’UEFA. Un accord correspondant doit intervenir dans les deux heures qui suivent la décision de l’arbitre d’annuler le match. En cas de désaccord, l’Administration de l’UEFA fixe la date et l’heure du coup d’envoi du match. Sa décision est définitive.”
As best I can translate it in my poor French (and with Google's help): “If a match is stopped before the end of normal time or any extra time during the meeting due to ground conditions or for any other reason, it must be replayed in full the next day or on another convenient date for the organising [home team] association and the visiting [away team] association, subject to approval by the UEFA administration. An agreement must occur within the two hours that follow the arbiter's [in this case, the referee's] decision to cancel the match. In case of disagreement, the UEFA administration will fix the date and time of the match's kickoff. Their decision is final.”
From the official UEFA website: “UEFA now awaits the receipt of the official UEFA delegate's match report before deciding whether to open a disciplinary case.”
The match could be reorganised, or Italy could simply be awarded a 3-0 win by UEFA.
Italy vs Serbia was a fiasco, with Serbian fans causing havoc by throwing flares on the pitch and lighting fireworks. The Scottish referee Chris Thomson had to abandon the match after just six minutes, and that was after a 40 minute delay before kickoff.
Here's how the FIFA rules go about abandoning matches:
Under the section about 'authority of the referee' and his 'powers and duties':
“The referee: … stops, suspends or abandons the match because of outside interference of any kind”
FIFA rules about abandoned matches: “An abandoned match is replayed unless the competition rules provide otherwise.”
UEFA rules about abandoned matches in the Euro Cup: “Si un match est arrêté avant la fin de la durée réglementaire de la rencontre ou lors d’une éventuelle prolongation en raison de l'état du terrain ou pour d’autres raisons, il doit être rejoué intégralement le lendemain ou à une autre date convenue par l’association organisatrice et l’association visiteuse, sous réserve de l’approbation de l’Administration de l’UEFA. Un accord correspondant doit intervenir dans les deux heures qui suivent la décision de l’arbitre d’annuler le match. En cas de désaccord, l’Administration de l’UEFA fixe la date et l’heure du coup d’envoi du match. Sa décision est définitive.”
As best I can translate it in my poor French (and with Google's help): “If a match is stopped before the end of normal time or any extra time during the meeting due to ground conditions or for any other reason, it must be replayed in full the next day or on another convenient date for the organising [home team] association and the visiting [away team] association, subject to approval by the UEFA administration. An agreement must occur within the two hours that follow the arbiter's [in this case, the referee's] decision to cancel the match. In case of disagreement, the UEFA administration will fix the date and time of the match's kickoff. Their decision is final.”
From the official UEFA website: “UEFA now awaits the receipt of the official UEFA delegate's match report before deciding whether to open a disciplinary case.”
The match could be reorganised, or Italy could simply be awarded a 3-0 win by UEFA.
10/10/2010
Formula 1 Race Sixteen: Race
Post number 100!
Pre Race: Since qualifying was delayed I made no post. However, to summarize: Red Bull one-two. Massa didn't even make it into qualifying 3. However, Kubica went third after Hamilton was demoted five grid places to eighth. On the warm-up lap, Di Grassi's Virgin failed and he didn't even make it to the start.
Start: Four cars went out before the first corner: Petrov crashed into Hulkenberg, and Massa hit Liuzzi. Petrov's incident means he has a five-place grid penalty on the next race, but Massa's had no further action taken. The safety car was immediately sent out, and then it was worse luck for Renault as they lost Kubica when his right rear tyre came off.
Red Bull and Alonso: This is Red Bull's seventh one-two, and Vettel's eighth pole position. He maintained it throughout the race, and although they did not get as far ahead from the field as they used to do they completed the race as they had started, with Webber setting the fastest lap right at the end. He now has 220 points, with Vettel second on 206 and equal with Alonso. Alonso went third after Kubica stopped, and stayed there.
MacLaren: They qualified better than expected, especially Lewis Hamilton with his lack of practice time over the weekend (practice three was a washout). Button started fifth on different tyres to Hamilton. After Kubica went out he went into fourth, and was first for a time after the others did their pit stops. After his stop, Button went fifth, and he would have stayed there if Hamilton hadn't lost third gear. This really affected his ability to accelerate, so he allowed Button to overtake him and it finished Button fourth, Hamilton fifth. In the championship, Hamilton has 192 points and Button has 189. It would take a lot of luck for them to win this now.
Kobayashi: Or, as he's been dubbed, 'Kobaybashi'. He raced very aggressively in front of a home crowd, overtaking four times on the hairpin – three of those on the inside. His overtakes were Alguersuari twice (after pitting); Sutil, which would have been twice if the Force India hadn't had problems; Barrichello; and his teammate Nick Heidfeld who outqualified him. Kobayashi finished an impressive seventh (Heidfeld was eighth).
Mercedes: Rosberg was able to spend most of the race holding up his older teammate Schumacher. However, a car failure right at the end of the race caused him to crash out, and Schumacher finished sixth. It was a good performance from both drivers, and especially from Schumacher compared to previous races.
The new teams: Apart from Di Grassi there were no retirements. Other drivers crashing out got Lotus their desperately-desired twelfth place from Kovalainen, almost certainly guaranteeing them tenth place in the driver's championship – worth a lot of money. There was also some good competition between Yamamoto and Glock, although in the end the Virgin got ahead.
Tuesday: Euro 2012 continues with more qualification matches.
Pre Race: Since qualifying was delayed I made no post. However, to summarize: Red Bull one-two. Massa didn't even make it into qualifying 3. However, Kubica went third after Hamilton was demoted five grid places to eighth. On the warm-up lap, Di Grassi's Virgin failed and he didn't even make it to the start.
Start: Four cars went out before the first corner: Petrov crashed into Hulkenberg, and Massa hit Liuzzi. Petrov's incident means he has a five-place grid penalty on the next race, but Massa's had no further action taken. The safety car was immediately sent out, and then it was worse luck for Renault as they lost Kubica when his right rear tyre came off.
Red Bull and Alonso: This is Red Bull's seventh one-two, and Vettel's eighth pole position. He maintained it throughout the race, and although they did not get as far ahead from the field as they used to do they completed the race as they had started, with Webber setting the fastest lap right at the end. He now has 220 points, with Vettel second on 206 and equal with Alonso. Alonso went third after Kubica stopped, and stayed there.
MacLaren: They qualified better than expected, especially Lewis Hamilton with his lack of practice time over the weekend (practice three was a washout). Button started fifth on different tyres to Hamilton. After Kubica went out he went into fourth, and was first for a time after the others did their pit stops. After his stop, Button went fifth, and he would have stayed there if Hamilton hadn't lost third gear. This really affected his ability to accelerate, so he allowed Button to overtake him and it finished Button fourth, Hamilton fifth. In the championship, Hamilton has 192 points and Button has 189. It would take a lot of luck for them to win this now.
Kobayashi: Or, as he's been dubbed, 'Kobaybashi'. He raced very aggressively in front of a home crowd, overtaking four times on the hairpin – three of those on the inside. His overtakes were Alguersuari twice (after pitting); Sutil, which would have been twice if the Force India hadn't had problems; Barrichello; and his teammate Nick Heidfeld who outqualified him. Kobayashi finished an impressive seventh (Heidfeld was eighth).
Mercedes: Rosberg was able to spend most of the race holding up his older teammate Schumacher. However, a car failure right at the end of the race caused him to crash out, and Schumacher finished sixth. It was a good performance from both drivers, and especially from Schumacher compared to previous races.
The new teams: Apart from Di Grassi there were no retirements. Other drivers crashing out got Lotus their desperately-desired twelfth place from Kovalainen, almost certainly guaranteeing them tenth place in the driver's championship – worth a lot of money. There was also some good competition between Yamamoto and Glock, although in the end the Virgin got ahead.
Tuesday: Euro 2012 continues with more qualification matches.
08/10/2010
Euro 2012 Qualification: 8/10/2010 results
UEFA have drastically updated their MatchCentre to display the matches far more sensibly. I won't go into the changes, but let's just say it is much simpler to use and has much less scrolling! It also now displays team statistics, including results and averages of previous games between the two sides.
My complaints would be first that it is still not updated very well as the match goes on. It can take some time to get the 'live' results appearing, and corrections often have to be made so you can't trust what it says. [Portugal's own goal was originally credited to one of the Danish players]
Secondly, in the statistics section there are red (home) and blue (away) bars to show how many goals, cards, shots etc. each team has had. But while some of these are positive, others are negative. It can therefore be hard to see which team is dominating a game – if a team has a good number of shots but a low number of cards, it looks like an even game, but a good number of shots and high number of cards looks like a dominated game.
Most Unexpected Result: Armenia 3 – 1 Slovakia. Surprising because Armenia are 89 points lower in rank than Slovakia, who were in the World Cup!
Most Expected Result: Hungary 8 – 0 San Marino. Because San Marino are... one of the worst international football teams in the world.
Most Embarrassing Result: Serbia 1 – 3 Estonia. Serbia helped Estonia to their victory with an own goal in extra time at the end of the second half. This was the first of two own goals scored today.
Most Promising Result: Northern Ireland 0 – 0 Italy. Holding Italy to a scoreless draw is fantastic for any team. Northern Ireland would have no shame in losing to Italy, but drawing shows that their victory against Slovenia was not a fluke result. More importantly, Northern Ireland are the only team in the British Isles who didn't lose tonight! (England weren't playing; Ireland lost to Russia; Wales lost to Bulgaria; Scotland lost to the Czech Republic)
Most Unusual Result: Portugal 3 – 1 Denmark. Why Unusual? Portugal scored all the goals! At least they managed to win despite this.
Cleanest Game: Spain 3 – 1 Lithuania; Moldova 0 – 1 Netherlands; Northern Ireland 0 – 0 Italy. No cards of any kind. Spain continue the way they were going in the World Cup before the final (they were the only team to get no cards in the group stages). However, it's a very clean game for the Dutch. And Northern Ireland earn more kudos for not getting any cards against Italy, who have been known in the past to dive.
Dirtiest Game: Wales 0 – 1 Bulgaria. In this awful game one Welsh player – defender Chris Gunter (Nottingham Forest) – got a straight red card. His teammate Sam Ricketts (Bolton) got a yellow, as did four Bulgarian players including another Bolton player.
My complaints would be first that it is still not updated very well as the match goes on. It can take some time to get the 'live' results appearing, and corrections often have to be made so you can't trust what it says. [Portugal's own goal was originally credited to one of the Danish players]
Secondly, in the statistics section there are red (home) and blue (away) bars to show how many goals, cards, shots etc. each team has had. But while some of these are positive, others are negative. It can therefore be hard to see which team is dominating a game – if a team has a good number of shots but a low number of cards, it looks like an even game, but a good number of shots and high number of cards looks like a dominated game.
Most Unexpected Result: Armenia 3 – 1 Slovakia. Surprising because Armenia are 89 points lower in rank than Slovakia, who were in the World Cup!
Most Expected Result: Hungary 8 – 0 San Marino. Because San Marino are... one of the worst international football teams in the world.
Most Embarrassing Result: Serbia 1 – 3 Estonia. Serbia helped Estonia to their victory with an own goal in extra time at the end of the second half. This was the first of two own goals scored today.
Most Promising Result: Northern Ireland 0 – 0 Italy. Holding Italy to a scoreless draw is fantastic for any team. Northern Ireland would have no shame in losing to Italy, but drawing shows that their victory against Slovenia was not a fluke result. More importantly, Northern Ireland are the only team in the British Isles who didn't lose tonight! (England weren't playing; Ireland lost to Russia; Wales lost to Bulgaria; Scotland lost to the Czech Republic)
Most Unusual Result: Portugal 3 – 1 Denmark. Why Unusual? Portugal scored all the goals! At least they managed to win despite this.
Cleanest Game: Spain 3 – 1 Lithuania; Moldova 0 – 1 Netherlands; Northern Ireland 0 – 0 Italy. No cards of any kind. Spain continue the way they were going in the World Cup before the final (they were the only team to get no cards in the group stages). However, it's a very clean game for the Dutch. And Northern Ireland earn more kudos for not getting any cards against Italy, who have been known in the past to dive.
Dirtiest Game: Wales 0 – 1 Bulgaria. In this awful game one Welsh player – defender Chris Gunter (Nottingham Forest) – got a straight red card. His teammate Sam Ricketts (Bolton) got a yellow, as did four Bulgarian players including another Bolton player.
Formula 1 Race Sixteen: Preview
In Practice One MacLaren had a bad time, with Lewis Hamilton crashing out half-way through after clipping the kerb. Jenson Button almost made the same mistake, but recovered. The fastest drivers were (unsurprisingly) the Red Bulls with less than 5 hundredths of a second between them, and then Kubica, Sutil and Hamilton – who had set a fast time before his crash.
Practice Two had equally good results for Webber, Vettel and Kubica, with Alonso and Massa fourth and fifth fastest. After a very long wait while his car was fixed, Hamilton managed to get a few laps in but no fast times. Schumacher managed a faster time than his teammate for a change, and Petrov and Sutil also set good times. Right at the end of the session, Rubens Barrichello had an engine problem, but if he needs a change it's okay as he's only used six engines so far this season.
So it looks good for Red Bull here, and Webber could extend his lead over Alonso if things go well in qualifying and the race. Renault and Ferrari should get a good amount of points, and if MacLaren can get their act together after a bad Friday then they might also do reasonably well. I think Sutil for Force India should get a couple of points too. The Williams of Barrichello and Hulkenberg seem to be struggling.
Weather-wise, it looks to be soaking wet tomorrow for Practice Three and Qualifying, which means the grid could be completely mixed up. It will probably be dry on Sunday.
On Karun Chandhok watch: he's at home in England as he informed the BBC commentary boys by text during practice two! So no race and no commentating for him, and it looks like no racing for the rest of the season with Hispania, who will be racing Senna and Yamamoto for the rest of the season.
Practice Two had equally good results for Webber, Vettel and Kubica, with Alonso and Massa fourth and fifth fastest. After a very long wait while his car was fixed, Hamilton managed to get a few laps in but no fast times. Schumacher managed a faster time than his teammate for a change, and Petrov and Sutil also set good times. Right at the end of the session, Rubens Barrichello had an engine problem, but if he needs a change it's okay as he's only used six engines so far this season.
So it looks good for Red Bull here, and Webber could extend his lead over Alonso if things go well in qualifying and the race. Renault and Ferrari should get a good amount of points, and if MacLaren can get their act together after a bad Friday then they might also do reasonably well. I think Sutil for Force India should get a couple of points too. The Williams of Barrichello and Hulkenberg seem to be struggling.
Weather-wise, it looks to be soaking wet tomorrow for Practice Three and Qualifying, which means the grid could be completely mixed up. It will probably be dry on Sunday.
On Karun Chandhok watch: he's at home in England as he informed the BBC commentary boys by text during practice two! So no race and no commentating for him, and it looks like no racing for the rest of the season with Hispania, who will be racing Senna and Yamamoto for the rest of the season.
07/10/2010
Euro 2012 Qualification: 8/10/2010-12/10/2010 part 2
Here are the predictions and matches for groups F to I.
Group F
This has been one of the more interesting groups, with Georgia forcing unexpected draws. It also features Greece, who are always unpredictable, and Israel, who aren't in UEFA. With Malta, this is probably the most Mediterranean of the 9 groups.
8-9/10/10
Georgia (89) play Malta (150) and Greece (12) play Latvia (68) on the Friday, but for religious reasons Israel (36) play Croatia (11) on the Saturday. Georgia and Greece should win, but Israel-Croatia is worth paying attention to.
12/10/10
Latvia (68) play Georgia (89), and Greece (12) play Israel (36). With their recent performance Georgia could win, and Israel may hold Greece to a draw. Malta and Croatia play on November 17.
Group G
My favourite group, because it features my country England! It also includes Wales, Bulgaria – whose coach has resigned after they lost to Montenegro – and Switzerland. With their good wins in September, I expect England to easily win this group.
8/10/10 [England not playing]
Wales (84) play Bulgaria (54) and Montenegro (41) play Switzerland (21). Both games could go any way, although – and I hate to say this – Wales will probably lose.
12/10/10 [Bulgaria not playing]
Switzerland (21) play Wales (84) and England (6) play Montenegro (41). Switzerland and England are my predictions to win.
Group H
Iceland have done poorly in their games and are by far the worst team in the group, but Cyprus held Portugal to a 4-4 draw that makes things interesting. Denmark and Norway are the two Scandinavian teams. This is very much a Western Europe group.
8/10/10 [Iceland not playing]
Cyprus (43) play Norway (14), and Portugal (8) play Denmark (29). I honestly cannot say who will win, although I expect Portugal win if they can get over their draw.
12/10/10 [Norway not playing]
Denmark (29) play Cyprus (43), and Iceland (100) play Portugal (8). Cyprus might be able to beat Denmark, or it could go the other way. However, Portugal have a chance of an easy win against Iceland.
Group I
Poor old Scotland were demoted despite some reasonable football, to become the UK's third team. And now they have Spain to contend with. But with Liechtenstein, the Czech Republic and Lithuania this should still be an interesting group for them.
8/10/10 [Liechtenstein not playing]
The Czech Republic (37) play Scotland (47) and Spain (1) play Lithuania (42). While Spain should win, Scotland have a challenge I hope they will rise to and at least draw.
12/10/10 [Lithuania not playing]
Liechtenstein (149) play the Czech Republic (37), and Scotland (47) play Spain (1). I forsee a loss for Scotland, and a victory for the Czech Republic.
Group F
This has been one of the more interesting groups, with Georgia forcing unexpected draws. It also features Greece, who are always unpredictable, and Israel, who aren't in UEFA. With Malta, this is probably the most Mediterranean of the 9 groups.
8-9/10/10
Georgia (89) play Malta (150) and Greece (12) play Latvia (68) on the Friday, but for religious reasons Israel (36) play Croatia (11) on the Saturday. Georgia and Greece should win, but Israel-Croatia is worth paying attention to.
12/10/10
Latvia (68) play Georgia (89), and Greece (12) play Israel (36). With their recent performance Georgia could win, and Israel may hold Greece to a draw. Malta and Croatia play on November 17.
Group G
My favourite group, because it features my country England! It also includes Wales, Bulgaria – whose coach has resigned after they lost to Montenegro – and Switzerland. With their good wins in September, I expect England to easily win this group.
8/10/10 [England not playing]
Wales (84) play Bulgaria (54) and Montenegro (41) play Switzerland (21). Both games could go any way, although – and I hate to say this – Wales will probably lose.
12/10/10 [Bulgaria not playing]
Switzerland (21) play Wales (84) and England (6) play Montenegro (41). Switzerland and England are my predictions to win.
Group H
Iceland have done poorly in their games and are by far the worst team in the group, but Cyprus held Portugal to a 4-4 draw that makes things interesting. Denmark and Norway are the two Scandinavian teams. This is very much a Western Europe group.
8/10/10 [Iceland not playing]
Cyprus (43) play Norway (14), and Portugal (8) play Denmark (29). I honestly cannot say who will win, although I expect Portugal win if they can get over their draw.
12/10/10 [Norway not playing]
Denmark (29) play Cyprus (43), and Iceland (100) play Portugal (8). Cyprus might be able to beat Denmark, or it could go the other way. However, Portugal have a chance of an easy win against Iceland.
Group I
Poor old Scotland were demoted despite some reasonable football, to become the UK's third team. And now they have Spain to contend with. But with Liechtenstein, the Czech Republic and Lithuania this should still be an interesting group for them.
8/10/10 [Liechtenstein not playing]
The Czech Republic (37) play Scotland (47) and Spain (1) play Lithuania (42). While Spain should win, Scotland have a challenge I hope they will rise to and at least draw.
12/10/10 [Lithuania not playing]
Liechtenstein (149) play the Czech Republic (37), and Scotland (47) play Spain (1). I forsee a loss for Scotland, and a victory for the Czech Republic.
06/10/2010
Euro 2012 Qualification: 8/10/2010-12/10/2010 part 1
This weekend there are more Euro 2012 games. Here are the match previews for groups A to E.
Group A
This is really a group of two halves: three Western Europe countries with a Christian history, very close together and sharing (in some parts) the same language; and three Euro-Asian countries of an Islamic background
8/10/2010
Kazakhstan (126) play Belgium (62), Austria (61) play Azerbaijan (102) and Germany (3) play Turkey (21). It seems obvious that Belgium, Austria and German should each win their games.
12/10/10
Azerbaijan (102) play Turkey (21), Kazakhstan (126) play Germany (3), and Belgium (62) play Austria (61). While Turkey and Germany are likely to win their games, it's too hard to predict – from the numbers – who will win out of Belgium and Austria.
Group B
This group features Andorra – on their way to 0 points since their last draw was in September 2007 (now worth a mere 2 points) – and 'geographically in Asia' Armenia, as well as World Cup team Slovakia, Ireland, Russia and Macedonia.
8/10/10
Armenia (105) play Slovakia (16), Andorra (202) play Macedonia (71), and Ireland (33) play Russia Slovakia and Macedonia are set to win, but Ireland have a chance against their opponents.
12/10/10
Armenia (105) play Andorra (202), Slovakia (16) play Ireland (33), and Macedonia (71) play Russia (25). Armenia should win their game, and Russia theirs. Ireland have a stronger opponent, but may prove a challenge.
Group C
Here we find Northern Ireland – now the UK's second-best team after Scotland's performance and beating Slovenia. We also have Italy, Serbia and Slovenia, who are ranked similarly by FIFA, and the rather poorer teams of Faroe Islands and Estonia who kicked off the Euro 2012 qualifiers.
8/10/10
Serbia (15) play Estonia (85), Northern Ireland (45) play Italy (13), and Slovenia (16) play the Faroe Islands (138). Serbia, Italy and Slovenia should each win, since Italy have picked themselves up after the World Cup.
12/10/10
Faroe Islands (138) play Northern Ireland (45), Estonia (85) play Slovenia (16) and Italy (13) play Serbia (15). So while it's wins likely for Northern Ireland and Slovenia, Italy have a challenge on their hands.
Group D
A low-morale France are here, but none of the other teams played in the World Cup. Still, after France's last two matches they will struggle.
8-9/10/10
Luxembourg (130) play Belarus (55) and Albania (67) play Bosnia and Herzegovina (59) on the Friday, then France (27) play Romania (46) on the Saturday. While Belarus have an easy win to claim, the Albania-B&H match should be a challenge. Meanwhile, France may well struggle against Romania.
12/10/10
Belarus (55) play Albania (67) and France (27) play Luxembourg (130). It will be disappointing if France fail to win, and the other match will be tricky for either team to win. Bosnia-Herzegovina and Romania are not playing.
Group E
San Marino haven't won any points in a game since they beat Liechtenstein 1-0 in 2004! This group also features a competitive Northern European group of Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands (who came second in the World Cup).
8/10/10
Hungary (51) play San Marino (203), and Moldova (80) play the Netherlands (2). There's no game for Sweden and Finland. So two simple wins for Hungary and the Netherlands.
12/10/10
Finland (64) play Hungary (51), Netherlands (2) play Sweden (32), and San Marino (203) play Moldova (80). I'd expect Netherlands and Moldova to win, but Finland and Hungary have a struggle on their hands.
Group A
This is really a group of two halves: three Western Europe countries with a Christian history, very close together and sharing (in some parts) the same language; and three Euro-Asian countries of an Islamic background
8/10/2010
Kazakhstan (126) play Belgium (62), Austria (61) play Azerbaijan (102) and Germany (3) play Turkey (21). It seems obvious that Belgium, Austria and German should each win their games.
12/10/10
Azerbaijan (102) play Turkey (21), Kazakhstan (126) play Germany (3), and Belgium (62) play Austria (61). While Turkey and Germany are likely to win their games, it's too hard to predict – from the numbers – who will win out of Belgium and Austria.
Group B
This group features Andorra – on their way to 0 points since their last draw was in September 2007 (now worth a mere 2 points) – and 'geographically in Asia' Armenia, as well as World Cup team Slovakia, Ireland, Russia and Macedonia.
8/10/10
Armenia (105) play Slovakia (16), Andorra (202) play Macedonia (71), and Ireland (33) play Russia Slovakia and Macedonia are set to win, but Ireland have a chance against their opponents.
12/10/10
Armenia (105) play Andorra (202), Slovakia (16) play Ireland (33), and Macedonia (71) play Russia (25). Armenia should win their game, and Russia theirs. Ireland have a stronger opponent, but may prove a challenge.
Group C
Here we find Northern Ireland – now the UK's second-best team after Scotland's performance and beating Slovenia. We also have Italy, Serbia and Slovenia, who are ranked similarly by FIFA, and the rather poorer teams of Faroe Islands and Estonia who kicked off the Euro 2012 qualifiers.
8/10/10
Serbia (15) play Estonia (85), Northern Ireland (45) play Italy (13), and Slovenia (16) play the Faroe Islands (138). Serbia, Italy and Slovenia should each win, since Italy have picked themselves up after the World Cup.
12/10/10
Faroe Islands (138) play Northern Ireland (45), Estonia (85) play Slovenia (16) and Italy (13) play Serbia (15). So while it's wins likely for Northern Ireland and Slovenia, Italy have a challenge on their hands.
Group D
A low-morale France are here, but none of the other teams played in the World Cup. Still, after France's last two matches they will struggle.
8-9/10/10
Luxembourg (130) play Belarus (55) and Albania (67) play Bosnia and Herzegovina (59) on the Friday, then France (27) play Romania (46) on the Saturday. While Belarus have an easy win to claim, the Albania-B&H match should be a challenge. Meanwhile, France may well struggle against Romania.
12/10/10
Belarus (55) play Albania (67) and France (27) play Luxembourg (130). It will be disappointing if France fail to win, and the other match will be tricky for either team to win. Bosnia-Herzegovina and Romania are not playing.
Group E
San Marino haven't won any points in a game since they beat Liechtenstein 1-0 in 2004! This group also features a competitive Northern European group of Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands (who came second in the World Cup).
8/10/10
Hungary (51) play San Marino (203), and Moldova (80) play the Netherlands (2). There's no game for Sweden and Finland. So two simple wins for Hungary and the Netherlands.
12/10/10
Finland (64) play Hungary (51), Netherlands (2) play Sweden (32), and San Marino (203) play Moldova (80). I'd expect Netherlands and Moldova to win, but Finland and Hungary have a struggle on their hands.
03/10/2010
Mark Lawrenson Predictions: Episode 7
Depression for Liverpool
Predictions here
There were no Monday matches this week, but I'm still late - sorry!
Correct predictions are in bold.
Mark's winner prediction success: 6/10 (over all seven weeks: 49.9%)
Mark's score prediction success: 3/10 (over all seven weeks: 15.7%)
This is ML's best week yet, with the most correct scores that he's ever had. Unfortunately, however, this hasn't helped Liverpool, who are down at the bottom of the league. They have 31 more games to get themselves back in shape. Also, Fulham and Man Utd are the only teams to have not lost a game this season.
Next weekend: Euro 2012 qualifiers are on Friday/Saturday and Tuesday. Previews and after-match posts to come. Also, it's the Japanese Grand Prix for Formula 1, also known as stupidly early racing (that I might get up for).
Predictions here
There were no Monday matches this week, but I'm still late - sorry!
Correct predictions are in bold.
| Home Team | Away Team | Predicted winner | Predicted score | Actual winner | Actual score |
| Birmingam | Everton | Everton | 0-2 | Everton | 0-2 |
| Stoke | Blackburn | Draw | 1-1 | Stoke | 1-0 |
| Sunderland | Man Utd | Man Utd | 1-2 | Draw | 0-0 |
| Tottenham | Aston Villa | Tottenham | 2-0 | Tottenham | 2-1 |
| West Brom | Bolton | Draw | 1-1 | Draw | 1-1 |
| West Ham | Fulham | West Ham | 2-1 | Draw | 1-1 |
| Wigan | Wolverhampton | Wigan | 2-0 | Wigan | 2-1 |
| Man City | Newcastle | Man City | 2-0 | Man Utd | 2-1 |
| Liverpool | Blackpool | Liverpool | 3-1 | Blackpool | 1-2 |
| Chelsea | Arsenal | Chelsea | 2-0 | Chelsea | 2-0 |
Mark's score prediction success: 3/10 (over all seven weeks: 15.7%)
This is ML's best week yet, with the most correct scores that he's ever had. Unfortunately, however, this hasn't helped Liverpool, who are down at the bottom of the league. They have 31 more games to get themselves back in shape. Also, Fulham and Man Utd are the only teams to have not lost a game this season.
Next weekend: Euro 2012 qualifiers are on Friday/Saturday and Tuesday. Previews and after-match posts to come. Also, it's the Japanese Grand Prix for Formula 1, also known as stupidly early racing (that I might get up for).
27/09/2010
Mark Lawrenson Predictions: Episode 6
Mark Lawrenson did such a bad job of predicting the scores this week that I'm not going to bother posting them. He only got one correct winner, and no correct scores.
This, admittedly, is probably because Arsenal and Chelsea both lost, when they've been having good runs so far this season.
This, admittedly, is probably because Arsenal and Chelsea both lost, when they've been having good runs so far this season.
Formula 1 Race Fifteen: Update
Sutil and Hulkenberg both receive 20 second penalties for going off-track in the first lap, gaining an advantage. So Massa now finishes eighth with 4 points, Sutil is ninth with 2 points, and Hulkenberg is tenth with 1 point.
There is a lot of worrying about whether the Korean Grand Prix will go ahead in a few weeks' time. I will be disappointed if it doesn't, and there will be lessons for India to absorb if they want their Delhi track to be completed for 2011.
There is a lot of worrying about whether the Korean Grand Prix will go ahead in a few weeks' time. I will be disappointed if it doesn't, and there will be lessons for India to absorb if they want their Delhi track to be completed for 2011.
Formula 1 Race Fifteen: Update
Sutil and Hulkenberg both receive 20 second penalties for going off-track in the first lap, gaining an advantage. So Massa now finishes eighth with 4 points, Sutil is ninth with 2 points, and Hulkenberg is tenth with 1 point.
26/09/2010
Formula 1 Race Fifteen: Race
Massa, Hulkenberg, Sutil
Starting from the back, Massa overtook quickly, but then took a pit stop at the end of the first lap. Then the safety car came out, and in the midst of most other drivers pitting soon caught up to Hulkenberg and Sutil, who were stuck behind Timo Glock in tenth. And there they stayed until eventually Sutil overtook Glock, then Hulkenberg and Massa also overtook. Unfortunately, this manouvre had Glock scraping over the kerb, and he fell far behind with the loss of speed. Glock retired in lap 52. It was a good finish for Sutil, in eighth.
Alonso and Vettel
This was one of the closest races this season, with these two battling it out for first place with only a second or two between them. They even pitted at the same time, thanks to some good eyes in the Ferrari garage. Red Bull had no time to stop Vettel coming in, and couldn't get him out ahead of Alonso either. But Vettel got into his tyres quicker, and might have managed to get the lead if Kobayashi hadn't smashed into the wall under duress from Schumacher, and then had Senna hit him there, requiring a safety car. In the end, Alonso scraped a victory, which resulted in him getting second place in the championship just behind Webber.
Webber, Button and Hamilton
Webber's start was not great, but he persevered. He pitted with the majority under the first safety car, and fell down to eleventh. But he came back, having overtaken a few cars, because everyone ahead of him had yet to pit. Although he had no chance of going first or second, bad pit stop planning (or sheer desperation) by MacLaren put Hamilton and Button behind him as he went third. Then Hamilton tried an overtake on Webber, but it didn't quite work out. His rear suspension broke, and Hamilton was out of the race. After the finish, Hamilton was lucky to be third in the championship by a single point, followed by Vettel, and Button is fifth.
Other retirements
Kovalainen gets the award for 'most spectacular retirement 2010'. He was spun in a near collision with Buemi, and started spurting oil from the back of his car. For some crazy reason he decided not to pit, then burst into flame going along the home straight. Once he realised he was on fire, he jumped out of the car where a marshal handed him a fire extinguisher for him to put the flames out – with his driver protection, he was probably the safest to do it!
Nick Heidfeld also clashed with Schumacher and retired, which the stewards decided was a normal accident and not deserving of punishment. Trulli retired with a puncture on lap 29.
Kubica
He was forced to take a second pit stop after a puncture, but in a magnificent run towards the end of the race he overtook Schumacher, Petrov, Massa, Hulkenberg and Sutil with his better tyres to finish seventh.
In conclusion – an awesome, tense race. A great consecutive victory for Alonso, and a poor consecutive retirement for Hamilton. The championship is still anyone's game.
To come: Premier League predictions result
Next weekend: More football
Starting from the back, Massa overtook quickly, but then took a pit stop at the end of the first lap. Then the safety car came out, and in the midst of most other drivers pitting soon caught up to Hulkenberg and Sutil, who were stuck behind Timo Glock in tenth. And there they stayed until eventually Sutil overtook Glock, then Hulkenberg and Massa also overtook. Unfortunately, this manouvre had Glock scraping over the kerb, and he fell far behind with the loss of speed. Glock retired in lap 52. It was a good finish for Sutil, in eighth.
Alonso and Vettel
This was one of the closest races this season, with these two battling it out for first place with only a second or two between them. They even pitted at the same time, thanks to some good eyes in the Ferrari garage. Red Bull had no time to stop Vettel coming in, and couldn't get him out ahead of Alonso either. But Vettel got into his tyres quicker, and might have managed to get the lead if Kobayashi hadn't smashed into the wall under duress from Schumacher, and then had Senna hit him there, requiring a safety car. In the end, Alonso scraped a victory, which resulted in him getting second place in the championship just behind Webber.
Webber, Button and Hamilton
Webber's start was not great, but he persevered. He pitted with the majority under the first safety car, and fell down to eleventh. But he came back, having overtaken a few cars, because everyone ahead of him had yet to pit. Although he had no chance of going first or second, bad pit stop planning (or sheer desperation) by MacLaren put Hamilton and Button behind him as he went third. Then Hamilton tried an overtake on Webber, but it didn't quite work out. His rear suspension broke, and Hamilton was out of the race. After the finish, Hamilton was lucky to be third in the championship by a single point, followed by Vettel, and Button is fifth.
Other retirements
Kovalainen gets the award for 'most spectacular retirement 2010'. He was spun in a near collision with Buemi, and started spurting oil from the back of his car. For some crazy reason he decided not to pit, then burst into flame going along the home straight. Once he realised he was on fire, he jumped out of the car where a marshal handed him a fire extinguisher for him to put the flames out – with his driver protection, he was probably the safest to do it!
Nick Heidfeld also clashed with Schumacher and retired, which the stewards decided was a normal accident and not deserving of punishment. Trulli retired with a puncture on lap 29.
Kubica
He was forced to take a second pit stop after a puncture, but in a magnificent run towards the end of the race he overtook Schumacher, Petrov, Massa, Hulkenberg and Sutil with his better tyres to finish seventh.
In conclusion – an awesome, tense race. A great consecutive victory for Alonso, and a poor consecutive retirement for Hamilton. The championship is still anyone's game.
To come: Premier League predictions result
Next weekend: More football
25/09/2010
Formula 1 Race Fifteen: Qualifying
One five-place grid penalty going into qualifying for Nico Hulkenberg of Williams, for changing a gearbox. But he's been doing well during the weekend so far despite the conditions, and it should not hurt him too much. The conditions are bad, with a damp track refusing to dry out thanks to the humid conditions.
Qualifying Round 1: It did not go well for Filipe Massa. His car stopped on track before he could set a time, so he ends up at the back of the track. Red flags went up to stop the session just before half-way. This would be a good time for Ferrari to use a ninth engine on his car, since the penalty will not affect their result.
So it looked like the usual six would be joined by Massa at the back of the grid. Replacing Yamamoto for the weekend, Klien – who hasn't done a qualifying session for four years – still beat his Hispania teammate Senna to come 22nd.
Qualifying Round 2: A problem for Petrov had him spinning and hitting the wall, causing him to break his right-rear suspension. The slipperiness of the track had many drivers spinning or sliding their cars. Poor old Alonso also had a bad session, setting a time but having trouble with his telemetry. But after a short stay in the pits he was out again. And it was Vettel who broke Kimi Raikonnen's 2008 lap record of 1:45:599 by 38 thousandths of a second.
In the end, Schumacher scraped through to Q3 – unusual for him this season – and Jaime Alguersuari got eleventh. Hulkenberg went twelfth, which drops him down to seventeenth.
Qualifying Round 3: Almost everyone went out straight away, and Alonso set an even faster time than Vettel had in the previous round to take provisional pole. With the long length of the laps, they had to fuel as fast as possible, but be careful not to leave too little time to set a lap. And in a crazy final run, Alonso beat Vettel as the Red Bull didn't quite manage to get enough time to beat him. Button got ahead of Webber, and just behind Hamilton. For the record, the fastest lap time at Singapore is now 1:45:390.
Qualifying Round 1: It did not go well for Filipe Massa. His car stopped on track before he could set a time, so he ends up at the back of the track. Red flags went up to stop the session just before half-way. This would be a good time for Ferrari to use a ninth engine on his car, since the penalty will not affect their result.
So it looked like the usual six would be joined by Massa at the back of the grid. Replacing Yamamoto for the weekend, Klien – who hasn't done a qualifying session for four years – still beat his Hispania teammate Senna to come 22nd.
Qualifying Round 2: A problem for Petrov had him spinning and hitting the wall, causing him to break his right-rear suspension. The slipperiness of the track had many drivers spinning or sliding their cars. Poor old Alonso also had a bad session, setting a time but having trouble with his telemetry. But after a short stay in the pits he was out again. And it was Vettel who broke Kimi Raikonnen's 2008 lap record of 1:45:599 by 38 thousandths of a second.
In the end, Schumacher scraped through to Q3 – unusual for him this season – and Jaime Alguersuari got eleventh. Hulkenberg went twelfth, which drops him down to seventeenth.
Qualifying Round 3: Almost everyone went out straight away, and Alonso set an even faster time than Vettel had in the previous round to take provisional pole. With the long length of the laps, they had to fuel as fast as possible, but be careful not to leave too little time to set a lap. And in a crazy final run, Alonso beat Vettel as the Red Bull didn't quite manage to get enough time to beat him. Button got ahead of Webber, and just behind Hamilton. For the record, the fastest lap time at Singapore is now 1:45:390.
24/09/2010
Formula 1 Race Fifteen: Preview
This weekend, there's a change of two drivers: Christian Kline for Sakon Yamamoto (Hispania) and Nick Heidfeld for Pedro De La Rosa (Sauber). Heidfeld has previously raced in F1 – you may recognise the name – and is a permanent replacement. Kline, however, is only a temporary replacement as it appears Yamamoto has food poisoning. Once again, Chandhok is not racing, although it was Sir Jackie Stewart up in the BBC commentary box for practice 1.
Singapore presents a good opportunity for the new teams. With the interesting conditions – and the chance of a safety car – if one team gets twelfth position they can reach 10th in the championship, which is worth a lot of money. And if they get points... even better!
The first practise session started out wet, although it wasn't raining, and the drivers were on intermediates. But towards the end, when the track finally got dry enough – there was no sun to dry the track since Singapore's a night race – the slicks had the drivers going faster. Still, it is going to be a long race, completely unlike Monza (Italy) which is one of the fastest Grand Prix out there. The commentators are predicting a long race - maybe even 2 hours rather than 61 laps if we get a couple of safety cars.
After P1, Webber was the fastest, but second was Schumacher, then Sutil, Vettel and Alguersuari. Only the two Red Bulls are drivers we'd expect to be going quick – Schumacher has never raced here before, and the Force Indias have varied performance. As for Alguersuari, at times this year he's been in danger of going out in the first round of qualifying (and even has, at some races). So it was interesting to look forward to practice two, and see if the traditionally faster cars (Ferrari and MacLaren) can get ahead of these surprises. Otherwise, we're bound to see some unusual results this weekend.
Practice 2 had even faster times as the track was even drier. Karun Chandhok was up with the BBC boys. It was, for the most part, a normal session, although Vettel got well ahead of the practice 2 time he had set last year at Singapore, on the 'slower', harder tyre.
Adrian Sutil got some air time as he took the chicane badly, launching his car in the air and hitting it down rather badly so that his front left wheel was snapped off, causing him to stop just before half-way through P2. As for poor old Fernando Alonso, he turned off the track to a run-off area because he was not quite going to make a corner, tried to reverse his car out onto the track to get back into the session, and then stalled. He had to get out of his car on the track, then began pushing it back by himself before the marshals arrived to take over – bad form marshals! This is especially bad because he had had the fastest time for sector 1, and a personal best for sector 2 on the track.
Despite all of that, however, he did set the fourth-fastest time. The five fastest in practice 2 were the five championship leaders.
Tomorrow: Qualifying!
Singapore presents a good opportunity for the new teams. With the interesting conditions – and the chance of a safety car – if one team gets twelfth position they can reach 10th in the championship, which is worth a lot of money. And if they get points... even better!
The first practise session started out wet, although it wasn't raining, and the drivers were on intermediates. But towards the end, when the track finally got dry enough – there was no sun to dry the track since Singapore's a night race – the slicks had the drivers going faster. Still, it is going to be a long race, completely unlike Monza (Italy) which is one of the fastest Grand Prix out there. The commentators are predicting a long race - maybe even 2 hours rather than 61 laps if we get a couple of safety cars.
After P1, Webber was the fastest, but second was Schumacher, then Sutil, Vettel and Alguersuari. Only the two Red Bulls are drivers we'd expect to be going quick – Schumacher has never raced here before, and the Force Indias have varied performance. As for Alguersuari, at times this year he's been in danger of going out in the first round of qualifying (and even has, at some races). So it was interesting to look forward to practice two, and see if the traditionally faster cars (Ferrari and MacLaren) can get ahead of these surprises. Otherwise, we're bound to see some unusual results this weekend.
Practice 2 had even faster times as the track was even drier. Karun Chandhok was up with the BBC boys. It was, for the most part, a normal session, although Vettel got well ahead of the practice 2 time he had set last year at Singapore, on the 'slower', harder tyre.
Adrian Sutil got some air time as he took the chicane badly, launching his car in the air and hitting it down rather badly so that his front left wheel was snapped off, causing him to stop just before half-way through P2. As for poor old Fernando Alonso, he turned off the track to a run-off area because he was not quite going to make a corner, tried to reverse his car out onto the track to get back into the session, and then stalled. He had to get out of his car on the track, then began pushing it back by himself before the marshals arrived to take over – bad form marshals! This is especially bad because he had had the fastest time for sector 1, and a personal best for sector 2 on the track.
Despite all of that, however, he did set the fourth-fastest time. The five fastest in practice 2 were the five championship leaders.
Tomorrow: Qualifying!
22/09/2010
Mark Lawrenson Predictions: Episode 5
Chelsea are awesome :(
Predictions here
There were no Monday matches this week, but I'm still late - sorry!
Correct predictions are in bold.
Mark's winner prediction success rate: 4/10
Mark's score prediction success rate: 2/10
Chelsea continue their winning stream. Mark Lawrenson is doing badly. Next weekend - F1 from Singapore and Premier League.
Predictions here
There were no Monday matches this week, but I'm still late - sorry!
Correct predictions are in bold.
| Home Team | Away Team | Predicted winner | Predicted score | Actual winner | Actual score |
| Stoke | West Ham | West Ham | 2-0 | Draw | 1-1 |
| Aston Villa | Bolton | Aston Villa | 2-0 | Draw | 1-1 |
| Blackburn | Fulham | Fulham | 2-1 | Draw | 1-1 |
| Everton | Newcastle | Everton | 3-1 | Newcastle | 0-1 |
| Tottenham | Wolverhampton | Tottenham | 2-0 | Tottenham | 3-1 |
| West Brom | Birmingam | Draw | 1-1 | West Brom | 3-1 |
| Sunderland | Arsenal | Draw | 1-1 | Draw | 1-1 |
| Man Utd | Liverpool | Draw | 0-0 | Man Utd | 3-2 |
| Wigan | Man City | Man City | 0-2 | Man City | 0-2 |
| Chelsea | Blackpool | Chelsea | 3-0 | Chelsea | 4-0 |
Mark's score prediction success rate: 2/10
Chelsea continue their winning stream. Mark Lawrenson is doing badly. Next weekend - F1 from Singapore and Premier League.
17/09/2010
FIFA/Coca-Cola Rankings Adjustment September 2010
So what about those FIFA/Coca-Cola rankings, then? Well, there have been some big changes in the European teams, with several huge shifts upwards or downwards. Most shockingly, Scotland – despite a draw and a win – have lost their position as the UK's second (and the British Isles' third) team. That place is now taken up by Northern Ireland, who managed a 14 place shift upwards to 45th, while Scotland drifted downwards to 47th.
The largest jump was from Montenegro, who are in group G with England, Wales, Bulgaria and Switzerland. Their shock victory over a very poor Bulgaria (perhaps shaken over their 4-0 defeat by England) gave them a 33 place rise to 40th in the world! Bulgaria, however, have dropped 11 places to 54th, and also lost their coach, who resigned after the bad weekend.
Another notable improvements is Cyprus, thanks to their draw with Portugal. The Cyprians go up from 63 to 43 – 20 places! Portugal hold their position in 8th. Also, the defeaters of France – Belarus – went up 23 places to 55th, while France (despite beating Bosnia-Herzegovina) drop six places to 27th.
Finally, and just for amusement, Andorra and San Marino both dropped a place (Andorra have 2 points, San Marino have 0), thanks to the Central African Republic drawing with Morocco 0-0. This gave them 30 points, and I would not be surprised if it was treated like a victory.
The largest jump was from Montenegro, who are in group G with England, Wales, Bulgaria and Switzerland. Their shock victory over a very poor Bulgaria (perhaps shaken over their 4-0 defeat by England) gave them a 33 place rise to 40th in the world! Bulgaria, however, have dropped 11 places to 54th, and also lost their coach, who resigned after the bad weekend.
Another notable improvements is Cyprus, thanks to their draw with Portugal. The Cyprians go up from 63 to 43 – 20 places! Portugal hold their position in 8th. Also, the defeaters of France – Belarus – went up 23 places to 55th, while France (despite beating Bosnia-Herzegovina) drop six places to 27th.
Finally, and just for amusement, Andorra and San Marino both dropped a place (Andorra have 2 points, San Marino have 0), thanks to the Central African Republic drawing with Morocco 0-0. This gave them 30 points, and I would not be surprised if it was treated like a victory.
Mark Lawrenson Predictions: Episode 4
Prediction vs Reality
Predictions here
I am a horrendously late blogger this week. My excuse is that it's my first week of a new university term, so I've been busy.
Correct predictions are in bold.
Mark's winner prediction success rate: 5/10
Mark's score prediction success rate: 2/10
Mark Lawrenson didn't do as well predicting winners today, but he's doing okay. As the year progresses, I'm expecting that he'll improve too. He has a 48% winner success rate overall, and a 15% score success rate.
Predictions here
I am a horrendously late blogger this week. My excuse is that it's my first week of a new university term, so I've been busy.
Correct predictions are in bold.
| Home Team | Away Team | Predicted winner | Predicted score | Actual winner | Actual score |
| Everton | Man Utd | Draw | 1-1 | Draw | 3-3 |
| Arsenal | Bolton | Arsenal | 3-1 | Arsenal | 4-1 |
| Fulham | Wolverhampton | Fulham | 2-1 | Fulham | 2-1 |
| Man City | Blackburn | Man City | 2-0 | Draw | 1-1 |
| Newcastle | Blackpool | Newcastle | 2-1 | Blackpool | 0-2 |
| West Brom | Tottenham | Draw | 1-1 | Draw | 1-1 |
| West Ham | Chelsea | Draw | 1-1 | Chelsea | 2-0 |
| Wigan | Sunderland | Sunderland | 1-2 | Draw | 1-1 |
| Birmingham | Liverpool | Liverpool | 0-2 | Draw | 0-0 |
| Stoke | Aston Villa | Stoke | 2-0 | Stoke | 2-1 |
Mark's score prediction success rate: 2/10
Mark Lawrenson didn't do as well predicting winners today, but he's doing okay. As the year progresses, I'm expecting that he'll improve too. He has a 48% winner success rate overall, and a 15% score success rate.
13/09/2010
Euro 2012 Qualification: Groups G, H, I September
Before I forget, here's the last three groups:
Group G
England won both their games (hooray!), and Wales, Bulgaria and Switzerland both lost their only games. Montenegro also won both their games.
So England's points were 1177.5 against Bulgaria, and 1372.5 against Switzerland.
Montenegro's were 870 against Wales, and 1177.5 against Bulgaria.
Obviously Wales, Bulgaria and Switzerland have 0 points.
England lead the group on goal difference, with Bulgaria second. Again by goal difference, Wales are third, with Switzerland fourth and Bulgaria last.
Group H
Group H was full of surprises for one member: Portugal. They only managed a draw and a loss. Norway, however, beat Iceland and Portugal. Iceland also lost to Denmark. Cyprus drew with Portugal.
Portugal got a low 342.5 points from their draw.
Cyprus got 480 in the same game.
Norway had 907.5 points from beating Iceland, and 1440 from beating Portugal.
Denmark also got 907.5 points from their victory over Iceland.
So Norway lead the group with Denmark second, Cyprus third on goal difference, Portugal fourth, and Iceland last.
Group I
Scotland scraped a win over Liechtenstein after previously drawing with Lithuania. Cup holders Spain also beat Liechtenstein, and Lithuania beat the Czech Republic.
So Scotland had 370 points from their draw, and a low 442.5 for beating Liechtenstein.
Spain had their 442.5 over Liechtenstein as well.
Lithuania had 397.5 points from drawing with Scotland, and 1267.5 from beating the Czech Republic.
Liechtenstein and the Czech Republic both got no points.
So Scotland lead their group and Lithuania are second on goal difference. Third are Spain, and last are Liechtenstein and the Czech Rep.
Group G
England won both their games (hooray!), and Wales, Bulgaria and Switzerland both lost their only games. Montenegro also won both their games.
So England's points were 1177.5 against Bulgaria, and 1372.5 against Switzerland.
Montenegro's were 870 against Wales, and 1177.5 against Bulgaria.
Obviously Wales, Bulgaria and Switzerland have 0 points.
England lead the group on goal difference, with Bulgaria second. Again by goal difference, Wales are third, with Switzerland fourth and Bulgaria last.
Group H
Group H was full of surprises for one member: Portugal. They only managed a draw and a loss. Norway, however, beat Iceland and Portugal. Iceland also lost to Denmark. Cyprus drew with Portugal.
Portugal got a low 342.5 points from their draw.
Cyprus got 480 in the same game.
Norway had 907.5 points from beating Iceland, and 1440 from beating Portugal.
Denmark also got 907.5 points from their victory over Iceland.
So Norway lead the group with Denmark second, Cyprus third on goal difference, Portugal fourth, and Iceland last.
Group I
Scotland scraped a win over Liechtenstein after previously drawing with Lithuania. Cup holders Spain also beat Liechtenstein, and Lithuania beat the Czech Republic.
So Scotland had 370 points from their draw, and a low 442.5 for beating Liechtenstein.
Spain had their 442.5 over Liechtenstein as well.
Lithuania had 397.5 points from drawing with Scotland, and 1267.5 from beating the Czech Republic.
Liechtenstein and the Czech Republic both got no points.
So Scotland lead their group and Lithuania are second on goal difference. Third are Spain, and last are Liechtenstein and the Czech Rep.
12/09/2010
Euro 2012 Qualification: Groups E, F September
Group E
The Netherlands won both their games over the weekend, Moldova beat Finland, and Sweden beat Hungary and San Marino – who lost both theirs. Finland and Moldova both lost their second games.
So Netherlands got a low 375 points from beating San Marino, and 1117.5 for beating Finland.
Sweden also got 375 points for beating San Marino, and 1035 for beating Hungary.
Moldova's loss meant they only got 1117.5 points for beating Finland.
Similarly, Hungary got 832.5 points only, for beating Moldova.
San Marino and Finland both got 0 points.
Now, Sweden lead the group on goal difference, with Netherlands second. Moldova are then ahead of Hungary, followed by Finland and San Marino.
Group F
Georgia managed a surprising two draws against much better teams – Greece and Israel. Greece also managed a draw against Croatia, who beat Latvia, and Latvia beat Malta. Israel also beat Malta on the second of September.
Georgia got 470 and 405 points from their respective draws.
Croatia won 1132.5 points from their win, and 470 from their draw.
Israel had 375 points from their win, and 225 from their draw.
Greece's draws got them 225 and 465 points respectively.
Latvia's only points were 375 against Malta.
And Malta got 0 points.
So Croatia lead the group with Israel second, Latvia third, Greece and Georgia in fourth, and Malta last.
The Netherlands won both their games over the weekend, Moldova beat Finland, and Sweden beat Hungary and San Marino – who lost both theirs. Finland and Moldova both lost their second games.
So Netherlands got a low 375 points from beating San Marino, and 1117.5 for beating Finland.
Sweden also got 375 points for beating San Marino, and 1035 for beating Hungary.
Moldova's loss meant they only got 1117.5 points for beating Finland.
Similarly, Hungary got 832.5 points only, for beating Moldova.
San Marino and Finland both got 0 points.
Now, Sweden lead the group on goal difference, with Netherlands second. Moldova are then ahead of Hungary, followed by Finland and San Marino.
Group F
Georgia managed a surprising two draws against much better teams – Greece and Israel. Greece also managed a draw against Croatia, who beat Latvia, and Latvia beat Malta. Israel also beat Malta on the second of September.
Georgia got 470 and 405 points from their respective draws.
Croatia won 1132.5 points from their win, and 470 from their draw.
Israel had 375 points from their win, and 225 from their draw.
Greece's draws got them 225 and 465 points respectively.
Latvia's only points were 375 against Malta.
And Malta got 0 points.
So Croatia lead the group with Israel second, Latvia third, Greece and Georgia in fourth, and Malta last.
Formula 1 Race Fourteen: Race
Alonso, Massa and Button: They started and finished in the same way. At the first corner of the first lap, Button got ahead of Alonso, and maintained that position for over forty laps. However, at the pit stops, Alonso managed to scrape ahead of the MacLaren to get a victory for Ferrari at their home track, in his first season for the team. Awesome! He and Button are now in close contention for the championship.
Vettel and Webber: The Red Bulls started badly, especially Webber. Vettel got held up by Hulkenberg for most of the race, including in an incident where Vettel believed that Hulkenberg got an unfair advantage on the first chicane (although the stewards didn't). Webber's poor start put him behind his teammate, but he eventually caught up. They raced together for a while, but then Vettel had engine trouble, and while he sorted it out, Webber got ahead – until the pit stops. Webber pitted, but Vettel stayed on the track. He eventually overtook Hulkenberg, to his team's delight, and ended up fourth after a pit stop at the very last opportunity. [Webber was sixth, which put him top of the championship]
Kobayashi, Hamilton, Senna and Trulli: All failed to finish. Kobayashi barely started, after a last minute problem that had him leaving from the pits. Neither Kobayashi or Hamilton made it past the first lap – Hamilton clashed with Massa, breaking his steering rods. That's how Webber is top of the championship, although Hamilton is still close to him. Senna was next to go out, and Trulli was close to the end of the race when he finished.
Yamamoto: He caused havoc in the pit lane by accidentally injuring his radio mechanic when he pulled away from his pit stop. An ambulance was required, so the pit lane was temporarily blocked. Eventually it was cleared, allowing more pit stops to take place, and the mechanic was not seriously injured.
Vettel and Webber: The Red Bulls started badly, especially Webber. Vettel got held up by Hulkenberg for most of the race, including in an incident where Vettel believed that Hulkenberg got an unfair advantage on the first chicane (although the stewards didn't). Webber's poor start put him behind his teammate, but he eventually caught up. They raced together for a while, but then Vettel had engine trouble, and while he sorted it out, Webber got ahead – until the pit stops. Webber pitted, but Vettel stayed on the track. He eventually overtook Hulkenberg, to his team's delight, and ended up fourth after a pit stop at the very last opportunity. [Webber was sixth, which put him top of the championship]
Kobayashi, Hamilton, Senna and Trulli: All failed to finish. Kobayashi barely started, after a last minute problem that had him leaving from the pits. Neither Kobayashi or Hamilton made it past the first lap – Hamilton clashed with Massa, breaking his steering rods. That's how Webber is top of the championship, although Hamilton is still close to him. Senna was next to go out, and Trulli was close to the end of the race when he finished.
Yamamoto: He caused havoc in the pit lane by accidentally injuring his radio mechanic when he pulled away from his pit stop. An ambulance was required, so the pit lane was temporarily blocked. Eventually it was cleared, allowing more pit stops to take place, and the mechanic was not seriously injured.
11/09/2010
Euro 2012 Qualification: Groups C, D September
Group C
Group C's five games (only two on the Tuesday) showed Italy hadn't been too crushed by the World Cup, as they won both their games. Estonia, having won against the Faroes, lost to Italy. The Faroes lost as well to the 2006 World Cup winners, and also to Serbia. Serbia only managed a draw for their second game against Slovenia, who shockingly lost to Northern Ireland on the Friday (Northern Ireland were the other team not playing on Tuesday).
Northern Ireland got a fantastic 1357.5 points for their win against Slovenia.
Slovenia, therefore, only managed 467.5 points in their draw.
Serbia got 615 points for beating the Faroe Islands, and 452.5 points in their draw.
Italy's earnings were 795 points against Estonia, and 615 against the Faroes.
Estonia and the Faroe Islands got no points from the weekend.
Now, Italy lead the group with Serbia in second, followed by Northern Ireland (who have only played one game), Estonia, Slovenia and the Faroe Islands (lost 3 out of 3 games).
Group D
France started off with a dramatic loss against Belarus, leaving everyone wondering if their terrible World Cup performance was continuing, but managed a last-minute win against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Luxembourg lost both their games: against B-H and Albania respectively. Romania and Albania drew on the Friday, then Romania went on to get a second draw against Belarus.
France got no points for their loss, but 1072.5 points from their win against B-H.
Belarus got a spectacular 1342.5 points for defeating France, and 395 from their draw.
Romania's draws earned them 325 points and 305 points for Albania and Belarus respectively.
Albania's draw earned them 395 points, and their win against Luxembourg got 622.5 points.
Boznia-Herzegovina got 622.5 points from beating Luxembourg, and none from their loss against France.
Luxembourg earned no points at all.
Albania and Belarus lead the group, with B-H and France in third, Romania in fifth, and Luxembourg last.
Group C's five games (only two on the Tuesday) showed Italy hadn't been too crushed by the World Cup, as they won both their games. Estonia, having won against the Faroes, lost to Italy. The Faroes lost as well to the 2006 World Cup winners, and also to Serbia. Serbia only managed a draw for their second game against Slovenia, who shockingly lost to Northern Ireland on the Friday (Northern Ireland were the other team not playing on Tuesday).
Northern Ireland got a fantastic 1357.5 points for their win against Slovenia.
Slovenia, therefore, only managed 467.5 points in their draw.
Serbia got 615 points for beating the Faroe Islands, and 452.5 points in their draw.
Italy's earnings were 795 points against Estonia, and 615 against the Faroes.
Estonia and the Faroe Islands got no points from the weekend.
Now, Italy lead the group with Serbia in second, followed by Northern Ireland (who have only played one game), Estonia, Slovenia and the Faroe Islands (lost 3 out of 3 games).
Group D
France started off with a dramatic loss against Belarus, leaving everyone wondering if their terrible World Cup performance was continuing, but managed a last-minute win against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Luxembourg lost both their games: against B-H and Albania respectively. Romania and Albania drew on the Friday, then Romania went on to get a second draw against Belarus.
France got no points for their loss, but 1072.5 points from their win against B-H.
Belarus got a spectacular 1342.5 points for defeating France, and 395 from their draw.
Romania's draws earned them 325 points and 305 points for Albania and Belarus respectively.
Albania's draw earned them 395 points, and their win against Luxembourg got 622.5 points.
Boznia-Herzegovina got 622.5 points from beating Luxembourg, and none from their loss against France.
Luxembourg earned no points at all.
Albania and Belarus lead the group, with B-H and France in third, Romania in fifth, and Luxembourg last.
Formula 1 Race Fourteen: Qualifying
Before I go into the qualifying round-up, just to reiterate that there will be no new teams next year in F1, although India will hopefully have a track to add to the season. This means it'll be a 20 track season, taking place over more than 7 months! So even more F1 than before, with a shorter winter, but the same amount of teams and drivers (assuming they all make it through the winter).
There were only two real points of interest in Q1. First, as Glock was beginning his flying lap, Petrov emerged from the pits in his Renault and – intentionally or not – blocked the driver. This may well result in taking away his fastest qualifying time. Second, after reliability problems, Liuzzi was the man to go out with the six new team drivers in the first round of qualifying. Just afterwards, Glock needed to change his gearbox, so received a 5 place grid penalty.
In the second round, Michael Schumacher went out, as did last year's pole winner Sutil. Neither did Renault's Petrov. Barrichello, however, scraped through. The Red Bulls didn't do brilliantly, but Ferrari and MacLaren shone.
After the third round, Alonso roused the spirits of the many Italian Ferrari fans by taking pole, with Jenson Button next to him. Massa was third, and despite a bad practice Webber showed that Red Bull haven't completely lost it by going fourth. Hamilton was fifth and Vettel sixth. So it should be an interesting race tomorrow.
There were only two real points of interest in Q1. First, as Glock was beginning his flying lap, Petrov emerged from the pits in his Renault and – intentionally or not – blocked the driver. This may well result in taking away his fastest qualifying time. Second, after reliability problems, Liuzzi was the man to go out with the six new team drivers in the first round of qualifying. Just afterwards, Glock needed to change his gearbox, so received a 5 place grid penalty.
In the second round, Michael Schumacher went out, as did last year's pole winner Sutil. Neither did Renault's Petrov. Barrichello, however, scraped through. The Red Bulls didn't do brilliantly, but Ferrari and MacLaren shone.
After the third round, Alonso roused the spirits of the many Italian Ferrari fans by taking pole, with Jenson Button next to him. Massa was third, and despite a bad practice Webber showed that Red Bull haven't completely lost it by going fourth. Hamilton was fifth and Vettel sixth. So it should be an interesting race tomorrow.
10/09/2010
Euro 2012 Qualification: Groups A, B September
For the next few days I'll cover the Euro 2012 points for two groups each post. On the sixteenth I'll cover the changes on the FIFA rankings charts where it's interesting.
Group A
There have only been five games for group A so far; for some reason, Austria and Azerbaijan did not play each other on Friday. However, in the matches that were played, Germany won against Azerbaijan and their neighbours Belgium, Turkey beat Kazakhstan and Belgium, and Austria beat Kazakhstan.
Germany earned 1140 points from beating Belgium, and 712.5 points for beating Azerbaijan.*
Turkey earned 562.5 points from beating Kazakhstan, and 1140 points for beating Belgium.
Austria also earned 562.5 points for their victory over Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Belgium earned no points over the weekend, because they lost all their games.
Now, Germany head up group A, with Turkey second, Austria third, then Belgium, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan last.
*Points are averaged over the number of matches per year, down to five. If teams play less than five matches, the total is still divided by five.
Group B
Group B had six games over the weekend. The Republic of Ireland won both their games against Armenia and Andorra; Russia beat Andorra but lost to Slovakia. Macedonia lost to Slovakia and won against Armenia.
Ireland earned 780 points from beating Armenia, and 375 points for beating Andorra.
Russia earned 375 points from beating Andorra, but didn't get any when they lost to Slovakia.
Slovakia earned 1005 points from beating Macedonia, and 1380 points from beating Russia.
Macedonia also earned 780 points for winning against Armenia.
Armenia and Andorra, having lost both their games, earned no points.
Ireland lead the group on goal difference, with Slovakia second. Macedonia and Russia are third, with Armenia and Andorra fifth and sixth respectively.
Group A
There have only been five games for group A so far; for some reason, Austria and Azerbaijan did not play each other on Friday. However, in the matches that were played, Germany won against Azerbaijan and their neighbours Belgium, Turkey beat Kazakhstan and Belgium, and Austria beat Kazakhstan.
Germany earned 1140 points from beating Belgium, and 712.5 points for beating Azerbaijan.*
Turkey earned 562.5 points from beating Kazakhstan, and 1140 points for beating Belgium.
Austria also earned 562.5 points for their victory over Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Belgium earned no points over the weekend, because they lost all their games.
Now, Germany head up group A, with Turkey second, Austria third, then Belgium, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan last.
*Points are averaged over the number of matches per year, down to five. If teams play less than five matches, the total is still divided by five.
Group B
Group B had six games over the weekend. The Republic of Ireland won both their games against Armenia and Andorra; Russia beat Andorra but lost to Slovakia. Macedonia lost to Slovakia and won against Armenia.
Ireland earned 780 points from beating Armenia, and 375 points for beating Andorra.
Russia earned 375 points from beating Andorra, but didn't get any when they lost to Slovakia.
Slovakia earned 1005 points from beating Macedonia, and 1380 points from beating Russia.
Macedonia also earned 780 points for winning against Armenia.
Armenia and Andorra, having lost both their games, earned no points.
Ireland lead the group on goal difference, with Slovakia second. Macedonia and Russia are third, with Armenia and Andorra fifth and sixth respectively.
Formula 1 Race Fourteen: Preview
It's time for another Grand Prix! This weekend we're at Monza, Italy, the home of Ferrari. Indeed, the Ferraris were fast in today's practise sessions, but Vettel went faster still. Massa - the only driver not to retire in a race this season - was second-fastest. The MacLarens were also good.
HRT were having problems with Senna's car, and he didn't get a time in either session. Webber also had problems with loss of water pressure in the second session, and Alguersuari also had to drop out. However, if they can get their problems fixed overnight, or in tomorrow's third session, they should be able to attempt qualification. But they'll do better if they can fix the problems earlier.
Karun Chandhok is once again sitting things out. I suppose he must be taking some payment for his work with the BBC, though, up in the commentary box. He may be an F1 driver, but he's not a rich one. [He is single, though :D] Last weekend he was the first F1 driver to experience the new Korean circuit, which should be ready on time. And he got a change of speed too, with one of the Red Bull cars. Nice!
HRT were having problems with Senna's car, and he didn't get a time in either session. Webber also had problems with loss of water pressure in the second session, and Alguersuari also had to drop out. However, if they can get their problems fixed overnight, or in tomorrow's third session, they should be able to attempt qualification. But they'll do better if they can fix the problems earlier.
Karun Chandhok is once again sitting things out. I suppose he must be taking some payment for his work with the BBC, though, up in the commentary box. He may be an F1 driver, but he's not a rich one. [He is single, though :D] Last weekend he was the first F1 driver to experience the new Korean circuit, which should be ready on time. And he got a change of speed too, with one of the Red Bull cars. Nice!
08/09/2010
Most Humble Apologies
Since nobody corrected me yesterday on the Scotland-Liechtenstein score, I am forced to believe that either:
1 - nobody reads this or,
2 - you all accept what I say as gospel truth.
But actually, I have to get on my knees and admit my mistakes. Scotland did, in fact, win yesterday. A very last-minute goal got them their first victory in these qualifiers.
1 - nobody reads this or,
2 - you all accept what I say as gospel truth.
But actually, I have to get on my knees and admit my mistakes. Scotland did, in fact, win yesterday. A very last-minute goal got them their first victory in these qualifiers.
07/09/2010
Euro 2012 Qualification: 7/9/2010 Results
Poor-tugal
More surprises today, especially from Portugal and Georgia. France, however, improved and won a match. Here's the top five surprising results:
1. Georgia (110) drew with Israel (38). There's a difference of 72 places in their world rankings, but this is the second time that Georgia have drawn with a good team this weekend.
2. Montenegro (73) beat Bulgaria (43). Perhaps Bulgaria's 4-0 defeat to England was sagging their spirits.
3. Albania (70) beat the Czech Republic (31)!
4. Norway (22) beat Portugal (8). Portugal are supposed to be a world class team, and should easily defeat their opponents in most situations. This is disappointing.
5. Scotland's (41) draw against Liechtenstein (141) was bad, considering the 100-place difference. Should have been a win for the Scots.
In the British Isles, England and the Republic of Ireland both won (no games today for Wales or Northern Ireland), and Scotland continue to be mediocre. Full group summaries to come over the next few days.
Next weekend: Premier League football, and the Italian Grand Prix.
15th September: FIFA update the world rankings!
More surprises today, especially from Portugal and Georgia. France, however, improved and won a match. Here's the top five surprising results:
1. Georgia (110) drew with Israel (38). There's a difference of 72 places in their world rankings, but this is the second time that Georgia have drawn with a good team this weekend.
2. Montenegro (73) beat Bulgaria (43). Perhaps Bulgaria's 4-0 defeat to England was sagging their spirits.
3. Albania (70) beat the Czech Republic (31)!
4. Norway (22) beat Portugal (8). Portugal are supposed to be a world class team, and should easily defeat their opponents in most situations. This is disappointing.
5. Scotland's (41) draw against Liechtenstein (141) was bad, considering the 100-place difference. Should have been a win for the Scots.
In the British Isles, England and the Republic of Ireland both won (no games today for Wales or Northern Ireland), and Scotland continue to be mediocre. Full group summaries to come over the next few days.
Next weekend: Premier League football, and the Italian Grand Prix.
15th September: FIFA update the world rankings!
03/09/2010
Euro 2012 Qualification: 3/9/2010 Results
There are always surprises
These matches will be summarized properly after the Tuesday games, when I will go over each group and the points scored in individual posts. However, here are the surprises of Friday's football:
1. Northern Ireland (59) beat Slovenia (19) giving them 1357.5 FIFA points, which is the most points achieved today by a team.
2. Belarus (78) beat France (21) giving them 1342.5 points. This would be more spectacular if France had not done so badly in the World Cup and had several players banned for today's game.
3. Georgia (110) drew with Greece (12) 1-1! Greece are an odd team who sometimes do well, and sometimes badly.
4. Cyprus (63) scored well against Portugal (8), and ended up drawing 4-4! That's going to hit Portugal hard.
5. Moldova (89) beat Finland (51) 2-0!
In the British Isles (including the Republic of Ireland) there were some good games. Only Wales lost, and England's Defoe scored a hat-trick against Bulgaria. England have now matched their home games winning streak record of 11 games. In total 55 goals were scored today.
Tuesday: More international football.
Next weekend: F1 from Italy, and the Barclays Premier League.
These matches will be summarized properly after the Tuesday games, when I will go over each group and the points scored in individual posts. However, here are the surprises of Friday's football:
1. Northern Ireland (59) beat Slovenia (19) giving them 1357.5 FIFA points, which is the most points achieved today by a team.
2. Belarus (78) beat France (21) giving them 1342.5 points. This would be more spectacular if France had not done so badly in the World Cup and had several players banned for today's game.
3. Georgia (110) drew with Greece (12) 1-1! Greece are an odd team who sometimes do well, and sometimes badly.
4. Cyprus (63) scored well against Portugal (8), and ended up drawing 4-4! That's going to hit Portugal hard.
5. Moldova (89) beat Finland (51) 2-0!
In the British Isles (including the Republic of Ireland) there were some good games. Only Wales lost, and England's Defoe scored a hat-trick against Bulgaria. England have now matched their home games winning streak record of 11 games. In total 55 goals were scored today.
Tuesday: More international football.
Next weekend: F1 from Italy, and the Barclays Premier League.
02/09/2010
Euro 2012 Qualification: 2/9/2010 Results
Israel are not the only Euro country whose physical location is not in Europe, but they're the only ones who are Asian politically. [Armenia and Cyprus are geograpically in Asia, and several countries straddle the boundary] Today they played Malta.
The game ended in a 3-1 win for Israel, including one penalty. Since Malta's position is 151st in the world, they get a multiplier of 0.50 on the FIFA/Coca-Cola world ranking points calculation (all countries under 150th automatically get this). Israel's total points are:
P = M*I*T*C*100 = 3*2.5*0.5*1*100 = 375
This isn't a lot of points - in fact it's the least you can obtain from a win in a European qualifying game. It's Israel's fifth win against Malta, and they have never lost - in fact they have a 5W 2D 0L record.
The game ended in a 3-1 win for Israel, including one penalty. Since Malta's position is 151st in the world, they get a multiplier of 0.50 on the FIFA/Coca-Cola world ranking points calculation (all countries under 150th automatically get this). Israel's total points are:
This isn't a lot of points - in fact it's the least you can obtain from a win in a European qualifying game. It's Israel's fifth win against Malta, and they have never lost - in fact they have a 5W 2D 0L record.
01/09/2010
Euro 2012 Qualification: 2/9/2010-7/9/2010 part 2
Here's the second set of matches: groups F-I. Since groups G, H and I only have five teams in them, only two games are played in each set of matches, leaving one team out. I've said which team it is every time.
Group F - 2/9/2010
There's only one game on September 2nd. Possibly this is because Israel would not be happy to play on a Friday, with it being the day before their Sabbath, especially with the evening kick off. Israel (38) take on Malta (151) and are likely to win.
3/9/2010
The other two games are on September 3rd. Latvia (49) play Croatia (14), and Greece (12) play Georgia (110). Croatia and Greece are both good enough to win – especially Greece, who have won a Euro competition in the past.
7/9/2010
Georgia (110) play Israel (38), Malta (151) play Latvia (49), and Croatia (14) play Greece (12). It should be a fascinating match between the Croats and Greece, with no predicable result. Latvia and Israel should both win their games.
Group G - 3/9/2010[Switzerland left out]
Montenegro (73) play Wales (73), and England (7) play Bulgaria (43). An easy first game for England that they should win, but Wales have a challenge against their opponents.
7/9/2010 [Wales left out]
Bulgaria (43) play Montenegro (73), and Switzerland (17) play England (7). Easy win for Bulgaria, but England have a challenge. Edited because of mistakes by me
Group H - 3/9/2010 [Cyprus left out]
Denmark (29) play Iceland (79), Norway (22) play Portugal (8). Portugal, a good team anywhere, are most likely to win, and Denmark have a history of good football so should also beat Iceland.
7/9/2010 [Iceland left out]
Cyprus (63) play Norway (22), Portugal (8) play Denmark (29). Portugal again should win, and Norway should beat Cyprus.
Group I - 3/9/2010 [Czech Republic left out]
Lithuania (52) play Scotland (41), Liechtenstein (141) play Spain (1). A win for Spain, no doubt, but Scotland have a challenge.
7/9/2010 [Spain left out]
Czech Republic (31) play Lithuania (52), Scotland (41) play Liechtenstein (141). For Scotland a win seems certain, but the Czech Republic may struggle against Lithuania.
Group F - 2/9/2010
There's only one game on September 2nd. Possibly this is because Israel would not be happy to play on a Friday, with it being the day before their Sabbath, especially with the evening kick off. Israel (38) take on Malta (151) and are likely to win.
3/9/2010
The other two games are on September 3rd. Latvia (49) play Croatia (14), and Greece (12) play Georgia (110). Croatia and Greece are both good enough to win – especially Greece, who have won a Euro competition in the past.
7/9/2010
Georgia (110) play Israel (38), Malta (151) play Latvia (49), and Croatia (14) play Greece (12). It should be a fascinating match between the Croats and Greece, with no predicable result. Latvia and Israel should both win their games.
Group G - 3/9/2010[Switzerland left out]
Montenegro (73) play Wales (73), and England (7) play Bulgaria (43). An easy first game for England that they should win, but Wales have a challenge against their opponents.
7/9/2010 [Wales left out]
Bulgaria (43) play Montenegro (73), and Switzerland (17) play England (7). Easy win for Bulgaria, but England have a challenge. Edited because of mistakes by me
Group H - 3/9/2010 [Cyprus left out]
Denmark (29) play Iceland (79), Norway (22) play Portugal (8). Portugal, a good team anywhere, are most likely to win, and Denmark have a history of good football so should also beat Iceland.
7/9/2010 [Iceland left out]
Cyprus (63) play Norway (22), Portugal (8) play Denmark (29). Portugal again should win, and Norway should beat Cyprus.
Group I - 3/9/2010 [Czech Republic left out]
Lithuania (52) play Scotland (41), Liechtenstein (141) play Spain (1). A win for Spain, no doubt, but Scotland have a challenge.
7/9/2010 [Spain left out]
Czech Republic (31) play Lithuania (52), Scotland (41) play Liechtenstein (141). For Scotland a win seems certain, but the Czech Republic may struggle against Lithuania.
31/08/2010
Euro 2012 Qualification: 2/9/2010-7/9/2010
This week, we have two sets of International games taking place. The first lot are on Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd of September, and the second are on Tuesday 7th. [Subject to any last-minute changes]
Over the next couple of posts, I'll take a brief look at each group and the matches taking place before and after the weekend. Today you get groups A-E, and tomorrow's post is groups F-I. After the games (on Saturday and Wednesday respectively), I'll review the number of FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking Points each team received.
Group A - 3/9/2010
Kazakhstan (125) play Turkey (28), and Belgium (48) play Germany (4). For all the teams, it's the first non-friendly match they've played since the World Cup. Germany and Turkey should easily win.
7/9/2010
Turkey (28) play Belgium (48), Austria (60) play Kazakhstan (125), and Germany (4) play Azerbaijan (105). Again another easy win for Germany (hopefully), but Turkey may have a tricky match against Belgium. Austria should win against the Kazakhs.
Group B - 3/9/2010
Armenia (96) play Republic of Ireland (36), Andorra (201) play Russia (16), and Slovakia (27) play Macedonia (66). It's amazing that there are enough Andorrans to form a football team, so Russia should easily win; Slovakia's World Cup time puts them far ahead of Macedonia; and Republic of Ireland will almost certainly beat Armenia.
7/9/2010
Russia (16) play Slovakia (27), Macedonia (66) play Armenia (96), and Republic of Ireland (36) play Andorra (201). RoI will definitely win, but I am not sure about the other matches. Could be draws.
Group C - 3/9/2010
Faroe Islands (118) play Serbia (13), Estonia (94) play Italy (11), and Slovenia (19) play Northern Ireland (59). I suspect Serbia, Italy and Slovenia will each win their matches. No problems.
7/9/2010
Serbia (13) play Slovenia (19), and Italy (11) play Faroe Islands (118). It's unclear about Serbia and Slovenia, but Italy shouldn't lose to the Faroes.
Group D - 3/9/2010
Romania (42) play Albania (70), Luxembourg (117) play Bosnia and Herzegovina (57), and France (21) play Belarus (78). France and Romania are both set to win, and Bosnia-Herzegovina will almost certainly beat the smaller country of Luxembourg.
7/9/2010
Belarus (78) play Romania (42), Albania (70) play Luxembourg (117), and Bosnia-Herzegovina (57) play France (21). An easy win for France – despite their poor World Cup performance, they're still good. Romania may beat Belarus, and Albania should beat Luxembourg.
Group E - 3/9/2010
Moldova (89) play Finland (51), Sweden (35) play Hungary (62), and San Marino (202) play Netherlands (2). San Marino are one of the few teams to have no FIFA/Coca-Cola World Championship points, so will lose to Netherlands easily. Hungary and Moldova will be more of a challenge to their opponents, but I would expect the Scandinavians to win.
7/9/2010
Sweden (35) play San Marino (202), Netherlands (2) play Finland (51), and Hungary (62) play Moldova (89). Sweden and Netherlands will both win, but Hungary-Moldova could be interesting.
Over the next couple of posts, I'll take a brief look at each group and the matches taking place before and after the weekend. Today you get groups A-E, and tomorrow's post is groups F-I. After the games (on Saturday and Wednesday respectively), I'll review the number of FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking Points each team received.
Group A - 3/9/2010
Kazakhstan (125) play Turkey (28), and Belgium (48) play Germany (4). For all the teams, it's the first non-friendly match they've played since the World Cup. Germany and Turkey should easily win.
7/9/2010
Turkey (28) play Belgium (48), Austria (60) play Kazakhstan (125), and Germany (4) play Azerbaijan (105). Again another easy win for Germany (hopefully), but Turkey may have a tricky match against Belgium. Austria should win against the Kazakhs.
Group B - 3/9/2010
Armenia (96) play Republic of Ireland (36), Andorra (201) play Russia (16), and Slovakia (27) play Macedonia (66). It's amazing that there are enough Andorrans to form a football team, so Russia should easily win; Slovakia's World Cup time puts them far ahead of Macedonia; and Republic of Ireland will almost certainly beat Armenia.
7/9/2010
Russia (16) play Slovakia (27), Macedonia (66) play Armenia (96), and Republic of Ireland (36) play Andorra (201). RoI will definitely win, but I am not sure about the other matches. Could be draws.
Group C - 3/9/2010
Faroe Islands (118) play Serbia (13), Estonia (94) play Italy (11), and Slovenia (19) play Northern Ireland (59). I suspect Serbia, Italy and Slovenia will each win their matches. No problems.
7/9/2010
Serbia (13) play Slovenia (19), and Italy (11) play Faroe Islands (118). It's unclear about Serbia and Slovenia, but Italy shouldn't lose to the Faroes.
Group D - 3/9/2010
Romania (42) play Albania (70), Luxembourg (117) play Bosnia and Herzegovina (57), and France (21) play Belarus (78). France and Romania are both set to win, and Bosnia-Herzegovina will almost certainly beat the smaller country of Luxembourg.
7/9/2010
Belarus (78) play Romania (42), Albania (70) play Luxembourg (117), and Bosnia-Herzegovina (57) play France (21). An easy win for France – despite their poor World Cup performance, they're still good. Romania may beat Belarus, and Albania should beat Luxembourg.
Group E - 3/9/2010
Moldova (89) play Finland (51), Sweden (35) play Hungary (62), and San Marino (202) play Netherlands (2). San Marino are one of the few teams to have no FIFA/Coca-Cola World Championship points, so will lose to Netherlands easily. Hungary and Moldova will be more of a challenge to their opponents, but I would expect the Scandinavians to win.
7/9/2010
Sweden (35) play San Marino (202), Netherlands (2) play Finland (51), and Hungary (62) play Moldova (89). Sweden and Netherlands will both win, but Hungary-Moldova could be interesting.
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