Grand Prix Rejects

And we're back already! After one race in the desert, we have yet another race in the desert, except this time presumably a different desert. After a rather unexpected Ferrari 1-2 in Bahrain (or at least I predicted it ), who's to say who will be victorious only a week later! I await your predictions with great anticipation.

Don't worry if you missed the first round, as this year we are operating dropped scores and are only counting the best 18 results. If you would like to read over the rules and where the points are earned, you can check out the Bahrain thread from last week, where everything is explained. Remember that Minor League Premiership is now Last Place, so this year we're predicting the last classified runner on track.


Here is your template:
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2.
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5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Pole:
Fastest lap:
First retirement:
ROTR:
IIDOTR:
DBTMOTR:
LP:
HFB:




Because I want a three-team title for the championship, I'm going to predict that the Saudi Grand Prix will see a Red Bull / Russell comeback:
1. Max Verstappen
2. George Russell
3. Carlos Sainz Jr.
4. Lewis Hamilton
5. Kevin Magnussen
6. Fernando Alonso
7. Sergio Pérez
8. Esteban Ocon
9. Valtteri Bottas
10. Mick Schumacher

Pole: George Russell (what a lap!)
Fastest lap: Sergio Pérez
First retirement: Nico Hulkenberg
ROTR: Williams (three laps down!)
IIDOTR: Mick Schumacher (because there's no-one else worth picking)
DBTMOTR: Charles Leclerc
LP: Nicholas Latifi
HFB: 3 laps


Good luck everyone! You have until the end of FP3 to submit your predictions without penalty.

2022 OPEC 2: Ukrainian Boogaloo Grand Prix

1. Leclerc
2. Russell
3. Sainz
4. Hamilton
5. Magnussen
6. Perez
7. Alonso
8. Schumacher
9. Hulkenberg
10. Albon

Pole: Leclerc
Fastest lap: Perez
First retirement: Tsunoda
ROTR: Mclaren
IIDOTR: Haas
DBTMOTR: Verstappen
LP: Riccardo
HFB: 2 laps

How Can Track With 27 Corners Be So Fast Grand Prix
1. Leclerc
2. Verstappen
3. Sainz
4. Bottas
5. Hamilton
6. Perez
7. Russell
8. Gasly
9. Norris
10. Alonso

Pole: Sainz
Fastest lap: Russell
First retirement: Hülkenberg
ROTR: Aston Martin
IIDOTR: Bottas
DBTMOTR: Zhou
LP: Latifi
HFB: 0 laps

2022 If Red Bull double DNF in the last few laps again, I swear to God...

1. Leclerc
2. Verstappen
3. Sainz
4. Perez
5. Hamilton
6. Bottas
7. Russell
8. Gasly
9. Tsunoda
10. Norris

Pole: Leclerc
Fastest lap: Perez
First retirement: Schumacher
ROTR: Having a Grand Prix in a place that has missiles being fired at it.
IIDOTR: Bottas
DBTMOTR: Ricciardo
LP: Latifi
HFB: 1 lap

1. Leclerc
2. Verstappen
3. Sainz
4. Perez
5. Hamilton
6. Russell
7. Magnussen
8. Ocon
9. Gasly
10. Alonso

Pole: Leclerc
Fastest lap: Perez
First retirement: Tsunoda
ROTR: Mclaren
IIDOTR: Magnussen
DBTMOTR: Schumacher
LP: Latifi
HFB: 2 laps

2022 Uncomfortable Geopolitical Relationship Grand Prix

1) Leclerc
2) Sainz
3) Verstappen
4) Hamilton
5) Perez
6) Russell
7) Bottas
8) Alonso
9) Gasly
10) Schumacher

Pole: Leclerc
Fastest Lap: Leclerc
First Retirement: Tsunoda
ROTR: Magnussen
IIDOTR: Schumacher
DBTMOTR: Zhou
LP: Latifi
HFB: 2 laps

2022 Race That (Almost) Didn't Happen Grand Prix

1. Carlos Sainz
2. Sergio Pérez
3. Valteri Bottas
4. Lewis Hamilton
5. Fernando Alonso
6. George Russell
7. Pierre Gasly
8. Kevin Magnussen
9. Zhou Guanyou
10. Yuki Tsunoda

Pole: Max Verstappen
Fastest lap: Carlos Sainz
First retirement: Charles Leclerc
ROTR: The whole weekend
IIDOTR: Valtteri Bottas
DBTMOTR: Mick Schumacher
LP: Alex Albon
HFB: 1 Lap

Better Call Saudi Grand Prix

1. Leclerc
2. Verstappen
3. Sainz
4. Hamilton
5. Perez
6. Bottas
7. Russell
8. Gasly
9. Magnussen
10. Alonso

Pole: Verstappen
Fastest lap: Perez
First retirement: Ocon
ROTR: The race/saudis/f1 officials
IIDOTR: The race (because an uneventful race is infinitely improbable in my eyes)
DBTMOTR: Schumacher
LP: Latifi
HFB: +1

The 2022 Saudi Arabian Michael Masi Testimonial Grand Prix

1. Verstappen
2. Hamilton
3. Sainz
4. Russell
5. Leclerc
6. Perez
7. Bottas
8. Gasly
9. Norris
10. Alonso

Pole: Verstappen
Fastest lap: Perez
First retirement: Magnussen
ROTR: Williams
IIDOTR: No safety cars!
DBTMOTR: Ricciardo
LP: Latifi
HFB: +1

Grand Prix Nº2 of the 2022 Sporstwashing Double-Header (With Added War!)

1. Leclerc
2. Sainz
3. Verstappen
4. Hamilton
5. Pérez
6. Magnussen
7. Russell
8. Bottas
9. Alonso
10. Gasly

Pole: Leclerc
Fastest lap: Leclerc
First retirement: Stroll
ROTR: FIA/Saudi Arabia
IIDOTR: Bottas
DBTMOTR: Zhou
LP: Latifi
HFB: 2 Laps

2022 Boycott Russian Oil! Bomb Saudi Oil! Protest Palm Oil! Marry Olive Oyl! Grand Prix



1. Verstappen
2. Leclerc
3. Sainz
4. Perez
5. Hamilton
6. Russell
7. Alonso
8. Magnussen
9. Gassy
10. Icon

Pole: Verstappen
Fastest lap: Perez
First retirement: Schumacher
ROTR: FIA
IIDOTR: Alonso
DBTMOTR: Hulkenberg
LP: Queen Latifi
HFB: 1 lap

If this actually happens without any issue...

1. Max Verstappen
2. Carlos Sainz
3. Charles Leclerc
4. Lewis Hamilton
5. Valtteri Bottas
6. Zhou Guanyu
7. Kevin Magnussen
8. Fernando Alonso
9. Pierre Gasly
10. Yuki Tsunoda

Pole: Max Verstappen
Fastest lap: Charles Leclerc
First retirement: George Russell
ROTR: George Russell - Takes out Checo - Also didn't want to go the whole FIA/War route thing
IIDOTR: Alonso I guess
DBTMOTR: Hulkenberg
LP: Hulkenberg
HFB: 0 - SC comes in

The race that shouldn't happen

1. Max Verstappen
2. Charles Leclerc
3. Carlos Sainz
4. Sergio Pérez
5. Lewis Hamilton
6. George Russell
7. Valteri Bottas
8. Lando Norris
9. Pierre Gasly
10. Fernando Alonso


Pole: Max Verstappen
Fastest lap: Sergio Pérez
First retirement: Alex Albon
ROTR: FIA/Saudi Arabia/F1, for delivering this shitshow of a weekend
IIDOTR: Lando Norris
DBTMOTR: Daniel Ricciardo
LP: Nico Hülkenberg
HFB: 0 Laps

2022 1982 South African Grand Prix Grand Prix

1. Max Verstappen
2. Carlos Sainz
3. Charles Leclerc
4. Sergio Pérez
5. Lewis Hamilton
6. George Russell
7. Pierre Gasly
8. Kevin Magnussen
9. Valtteri Bottas
10. Esteban Ocon

Pole: Max Verstappen
Fastest lap: Charles Leclerc
First retirement: Nico Hülkenberg
ROTR: F1's upper management (FIA, FOM, team bosses, race organisers, you name it)
IIDOTR: Pierre Gasly
DBTMOTR: Yuki Tsunoda
LP: Nico Hülkenberg
HFB: 1 lap

2022 Houthi Grand Prix

1. Leclerc
2. Verstappen
3. Pérez
4. Sainz
5. Russell
6. Ocon
7. Bottas
8. Gasly
9. Alonso
10. Schumacher

Pole: Leclerc
Fastest lap: Sainz
First retirement: Hamilton
ROTR: Saudi Arabia GP (all the drama and the worst of it, the race is a forgettable yawn-fest)
IIDOTR: Ocon
DBTMOTR: Zhou
LP: Latifi
HFB: 2 laps

The Greatest Race in History

1. Nobody
2. Nobody
3. Nobody
4. Nobody
5. Nobody
6. Nobody
7. Nobody
8. Nobody
9. Nobody
10. Nobody

Pole: Nobody
Fastest lap: Nobody
First retirement: Nobody
ROTR: The Saudi Arabian GP (gets canned before quali due to further Houthi actions)
IIDOTR: Nobody
DBTMOTR: Nobody
LP: Nobody
HFB: N/A

BOOM BOOM EXPLOSIONS GP 2022
1. Meksh
2. Leclerc
3. Garlic Sainz
4. Hamilton
5. Perez
6. Ocon
7. Russell
8. Bottas
9. Gasly
10. Norris

Pole: Leclerc
Fastest lap: Sainz
First retirement: Stroll
ROTR: The FIA / Money, before safety
IIDOTR: Ocon
DBTMOTR: Ricciardo
LP: Latifi
HFB: 1 lap

1. Sainz
2. Leclerc
3. Verstappen
4. Hamilton
5. Perez
6. Russell
7. Gasly
8. Bottas
9. Norris
10. Ocon

Pole: Leclerc
Fastest lap: Verstappen
First retirement: Schumacher
ROTR: Saudi Arabia
IIDOTR: Bottas
DBTMOTR: Tsunoda
LP: Latifi
HFB: 1 Lap

1. VERSTAPPEN
2. Sainz
3. LeClerc
4. Perez
5. Bottas
6. Russell
7. Alonso
8. Gasly
9. K- Mag
10. Zhou

Pole: Ver
Fastest lap:Ver
First retirement: Ocon
ROTR: Hamilton
IIDOTR: Bottas
DBTMOTR: Stroll
LP: Stroll
HFB 2 laps

1. Leclerc
2. Verstappen
3. Sainz Jr
4. Ocon
5. Bottas
6. Gasly
7. Hamilton
8. Alonso
9. Russell
10. Zhou

Pole: Verstappen
Fastest lap: Verstappen
First retirement: Tsunoda
ROTR: F1 as a whole for going forward with the race despite the situation off-track
IIDOTR: Ocon
DBTMOTR: Zhou
LP: Latifi
HFB: 1 lap

Well this one had some higher scores than before! At Saudi Arabia there was generally a much better understanding especially of the top 10, and as a result your points hauls went way up in comparison to Bahrain. Nobody used double points, and in some ways it's a disappointment, because some of you could have come away with a good result. A big field spread and two joint winners at Jeddah: dr-baker and Aerond! The former keeps up his talent of scoring big early on, while Aerond seems to have gone from strength to strength since last season. Results below:


Results
1. dr-baker 22
- Aerond 22
3. tommykl 21
4. Hermann95 20
5. Fetzie 18
6. pi314159 17
7. mario 16
8. Enforcer 15
- rachel1990 15
- CarloSpace 15
11. IceG 14
12. Rob Dylan 13
- DigitDan7 13*
- Klon 13
15. Miguel98 12
16. Batty 11
17. CaptainGetz12 10
- RAK 10
19. Bleu 9
20. Frogfoot9013 3

*funniest alternative race title


So what does that mean for the standings? Obviously with only two races done, the gaps are still very small, but as joint-winner, Aerond equals Fetzie's points total and beats them on countback, making this the first time that he has taken the championship lead! Congratulations. Now all he has to do is keep it for the next 26 races. Good luck!


Standings
1. Aerond 34
2. Fetzie 34
3. dr-baker 28
4. tommykl 28
5. mario 28
6. Klon 28
7. IceG 28
8. CarloSpace 26
9. Rob Dylan 26
10. Enforcer 25
11. Hermann95 24
12. RAK 24
13. pi314159 23
14. Miguel98 22
15. rachel1990 21
16. Bleu 21
17. DigitDan7 20
18. Batty 20
19. Aislabie 14
20. CaptainGetz12 14
21. Londoner 12
22. Frogfoot9013 12
23. yannicksamlad 7
= mash 7
25. dj_vicious 6


See you in Australia for the counting

Would have been a good round for double points. Never mind. Hindsight is always 20:20…