What's in a name? Classic Blogarama from Jose: Go Jose!

EG writes: Here's a contribution from Jose on a very different angle on Brazil which he wrote as a comment to Augusto's statistical analysis. This is what you might call "advanced bloggery".

Jose writes: "Well, we are all into analysis, stats and scenarios. So I am going silly and analyse "What's in your name" based on drivers surname initial (from grandprix.com - GP encyclopedia). Silly as it is, some facts fly on our faces but then again this database comprehends 57 DWC, or 57 years. Pretty extensive.

1st fact: up to now 620 drivers drove in GP races. Of these only 28 became DWC. Half of them (14) had 1 championship apiece. The other 14 drove away with 43 championships. If the surname was S and P they took more than half (22) of these 43.(schu 7, prost 4,senna 3, stewart 3, piquet 3,scheckter 1 and surtees 1) Sorry Ralf, Takuma you're not gonna make it though. Just to expand on S's: there were 5 WC out of 64 drivers (8%) whose surname start with S. The P's were just the two above out of 43 (4.6%).

So what's in store for the contenders in Brazil? I'll start with the favourite Hamilton. Well H's got the most WDC of all with 7 out of 34 (21% !!)of which 2 were twice DWC Hill (Damon's dad) and Hakkinen. So Hamilton is surely going to add to it, if not in 2 weeks in the near future. Everything stacked in his favour. Is this why Dr Mario is keeping Heidfeld for next year?.

So what about Alonso? There were 3 DWC and 2 got it twice, the man himself and Ascari. Andretti took the other. So there are 3 out of 25 (12%). Not bad. Now they came far and apart, Ascari in the 50's, Andretti in the 70's and Alonso now. So if you are an F1 fan whose surname starts with an A and you want your son to become DWC (a la Anthony Hamilton)now is the right time to start! I do believe that Alonso is great enough to add to the only 5 drivers who got it 3 times.  (Brabham, Lauda, Piquet, Senna and Stewart) So Alonso chances are fair but not as good as H.
And Kimi really has more of an uphill battle because there are only 2 DWC in the R's out of 32 (6%). They were Nico's dad and Jochen Rindt who I think was the only posthumous DWC.

And what about the rest? Well Honda is in trouble and Button is doomed. There was only one B DWC (Brabham 3 times) out of 75 (1.3%) Sorry Rubinho and Jensino. If the driver's surname starts with a D,E,G,I,K,N,O,Q,T,U,W,Y,Z you don't stand a chance in hell. There are 0 DWC here, sorry Webbo and Trulli. Kovy and Kubica have a chance of being the first but perhaps not. Another contender is Massa but there was only Mansell out of 50 (2%). There is only one other great initial and that's F with 3 DWC out of 27 (11%)(Fangio 5, Fittipaldi 2 and Farina 1). If this is not a reason for Renault to put Fisi out of his misery I don't know what is.
Cheers

Pic by Agnieszka via flickr

Comments

[michelangelo]

Brazil... After John post, if Ron really like to show his equity, most perfect equity, he hasn't to give an extra lap... The same laps in the Qualifications. If not... Hamilton 8, Alonso 2. INequality 100%

[Andy G]

Nice to see Michaelangelo bang on the topic. You won't catch him hanging around doing a spot of grafiti on the old chapel roof of a morning.

[michelangelo]

Andy G... I read your last message in John post... I think that your reaction was very similar to the scorpioni... When they have no exit... they kill themselves.

You have no arguments to refute John arguments about the existing inequality, then, your option is to be satiric... C'mon... It is Obvious!!! Please...

I still believe that Ron Dennis option is to bring equality to his drivers. But he wasn't, because he didn't see to it evidence: Hamilton 7 - Alonso 2.

Now he knows. He has now the chance to do it. Both drivers to arrive with equal fuel and equal wheels to the last qualification lap. It is the ONLY option if he really likes to be equal with his drivers.

After all this races, I really think that maybe Ron is trying to be equal, yes! But... Then he must fight to bring both drivers tha really, really same conditions. If not... He lyes. Or he can change and says that He won't be equal. And no problem! "We will support Hamilton because he is our team's first driver"... And finito la comedy. And race with the real wooorld... But...
7-2

I am musician... I'm sad because I'm really bad, bad painter. My parents really liked see to me painting, thats because my name, but... he he... I'm really bad in this art... We can't have all!

I'm really waiting to Brazilian Grand Prix... It will be a niiice race. I hope that the honestity of Ron will be showed with all the consequences.

All the best.

[Oliver]

This Blog is getting better day by day. Timesonline should hire some of these guys! Congratulations.
But I'm afraid we're going to see all the typical "ad hominem" arguments when we are reaching the finish line... Well, maybe that's F1 too.

P.S. Is anybody else waiting for Andy G's analyse? Come on!

[victor-spain]

Who cares this now? The competition has been manipulated with spygate, FIA decisions and McMerc equality policy ( that has been not true. Now they can say what they want, competition has not been fair)

All this in F1 stinks. I am writing this from a Vodafone device, I spend 7000 euros / year and I stop using services from companies supporting McMerc. I regret to have a Mercedes.I do not support any more companies that are sponsoring teams that spy on others and are not saying the truth. I am not part of this.

Come on Fernando. Just do your part of the work and pray.Have faith.

Truth prevails. Sometimes truth comes alone, stumbling at the end when people have gone and light is switched off. But it comes.

[D]

Of course the really meaningful aspect of these statistics comes when you analyse them by the first 4 letters of their name.

“HILL…” comes out pretty well, especially when you take into account Phil’s contribution.

But best of all is the boost this gives to Ralphie's chances.

Best not to dwell too long on on the first four letters of analyse, though.

[Leonard]

I think we all know Hamilton will win it in Brazil. Some of us hate that possibility and others love it. I withstood years of Schumacher being favored by Ferrari without anybody complaining and grew to accept it as a necessity if a team wants to stay at the top and sell cars - so if Ron Dennis favors Hamilton believe me i am not going to be philosophical about it - i passed that stage a long time ago.

Hamilton, non the less is still a rookie (what better proof than Shanghai) and thus the reason why McLaren have had a personnel problem. But for the lovers of underdogs, that just makes the current season even more interesting.

Scuderia Ferrari (and the Spanish media) have not performed well on the track but their performance in the media and ability to demonize Lewis for the simple crime of succeeding must be admired. I would say the British media have been floored in this respect by their Latino colleagues and they should come out of this season with lessons to learn on the meaning of spin. Why have the power to influence if you cannot use it, one may ask the British media. Ed Gorman's blog has even been overrun by the Spanish Alonso fans and there is nothing he can do about it (Ed, get something back by having Santander run an ad on this page for a year).

Overall, it has been the best Formula 1 season, and much as Shanghai might been hard to swallow, victory for Lewis in Brazil will be the more sweeter because of the adversities - both self inflicted and otherwise - that he would have had to overcome. That boy enters 2008, with 5 years of experience already under his belt. Let's welcome a new era in Formula1.

[Santiago]

I´ve seen in another web, that Toyota is prepared to offer a 150mil dollars´ contract to FA for the next three years. But his first choice is gonna be Renault.

Dont you get dizzy with this figures?
Is Renault prepared to pay a similar amount of money?
What do the other drivers think ?
What does LH think , who said in his Dady´s mouth, they are not going to revise the deal with McL at this moment?
Is not just a matter of money what does really matters?.
What do UNESCO people think?.

What a BLOODY WORLD!!! :-((

[FastEddie]

I quite agree with Andy G.

Isn't it rather quiet here following an interesting rather than inflammatory post.
Where are the Iberians ?
Where are the BritBigots ?

I like it when it's so peaceful.
Thank you Jose for the oasis of tranquility.

[Björn]

Some letters are more commonly used than others in the beginning of words. Just take a look at a dictionary. Totally useless analasys.

[Oliver]

Come on, Björn... You say that because, as Jose said, there was only one B DWC (Brabham 3 times) out of 75 (1.3%).

[Pablo B]

LEONARD wrote: “…victory for Lewis in Brazil will be the more sweeter because of the adversities - both self inflicted and otherwise - that he would have had to overcome…”

¿Adversities?

F1 trivia:
Get a thousand points for each driver all over F1 History from 1950 till now who:
- Has had a supported career by one the most powerful ever F1 Team since he was 10 years old
- Has started his first season in a winning team with a competitive car
- Has been supported by the FIA, the team, his country media and fans from the beginning of his career. (You should have read about what Spanish press and people told about Alonso a few years ago)
- Has been allowed to publically send his godfather xxx swivel!
- Has started his first F1 season as an official driver (either without being a test driver, being sent to other worse teams or both, as FA, Vettel and most others)
-...

Denying Hamilton IS TO BE a great driver is crazy, we could talk about that, but please do not talk about "Adversities" in his career because he is having the easiest career all over F1 history ever.

One day could come that you people will regret for praising him so much before he has demonstrated almost nothing, you are feeding an Ego Monster, before the end of his first season he thinks he is Senna!! I guess if before the end of next season he will see Fangio as an amateur driver, Prost a learner and Schummi a Taxi driver!!!

Regards

[fromCanada]

Mr Gorman,

Just when I post a comment expressing how good I think this blog is, you post this comment.

Todays post was a complete waste of time.

[IDR]

TO LEONARD

Adversities?

Return back to Alonso the 7 points FIA gave Lewis, and, if he wins after this, I will agree with you.

[D]

- Quote -

Mr Gorman,

Just when I post a comment expressing how good I think this blog is, you post this comment.

Todays post was a complete waste of time.

Posted by: fromCanada | 11 Oct 2007 17:54:34

- End Quote -

The horrific amount of arrant, bigoted, semi-literate rubbish that Ed, poor guy, has to wade through diligently every day for this blog (can you imagine the stuff that he DOESN”T put up on here - I shudder to think) I’m surprised he’s kept his sanity this long.

It would certainly have driven ME round the bend. He must have the patience of a saint.

I hope he’ll take a long holiday in Rio de Janeiro before he comes home from Brazil, with his laptop locked firmly in the hotel safe and his mobile ‘phone switched off and carried only for emergencies.

If anybody thoroughly deserves a decent winter break after Interlagos, and a chance to get his head clear, it is he.

Cut him some slack for a another couple of weeks, everyone!

[IDR]

After reading in La gazzetta that FIA has decided to put a special steward in McLaren Box, to look after for equal treatment between the drivers...

I must say that Jose's statistics based on surnames sounds hundred thousands times more reasonable than FIA behaviour.

F1 should be a Circus, maybe... but FIA members are the Clowns for sure!

And "Marx" Mosley is the hidden ugly brother of the famous saga.

And two hard-boiled eggs also!!!!

Dear all (including Andy G, of course):

I thought I'll post this one here!!

Some classic F1 moments!

Just watch James Hunt, Brands Hatch 1976.

Those were the good times!!! Hilarious!!!

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2007/01/29/video-great-f1-press-conference-moments-part-1

[John L Sharp]

Sorry, I forgot to sign my previous post: The classic F1 moments at f1fanatic.co.uk!!

[Kathryn S]

OK, is there time for one more off the wall commentary on the results of the final race in Brazil before we have to get serious??

I recently came across an interesting commentary in Time magazine (a well respected US news magazine) regarding the cheat scandal in US football and fan responses. It included the following, “a few years back, an Indiana University researcher showed that when Indiana won, avid fans actually grew more confident that they could get dates.” Now, with a leap from fact to supposition no more significant than what regularly occurs on this blog, we can get a nice chain of effects going. Let’s now assume fans with this new found confidence from their team’s win actually get these dates…and are so confident on these dates that the date ends in, shall we call it, a vigorous game of “bumper cars” (I’m not sure what filters might screen out and it’s the only euphemism I could think of that was car related). Although I would encourage “safe bumper car behavior” we can assume that some of this activity would lead to an increase in the birth rate among the team’s fans.

Now, as many are aware, the birth rate is on the decline in Western Europe with dire predictions of economic difficulties—with Italy projected to run into problems first. So-o-o-o, we should all be Kimi fans!!! With the new found confidence of the tifosi following the hard fought win for the WDC we could expect a bumper crop of little bambinos in July 2008 and a nice increase in the birth rate. Imagine the crisis in Italy if Michael Schumacher had not won all those other WDC’s.

I’ve only considered the birthrate problems in Western Europe as that is where all the current crop of WDC contenders for this year is from. The birth rate situation in Japan is even more severe. If we could just find a way to get the Japanese to pour millions and millions of dollars into getting a WDC perhaps we can see the situation improve there. Oh…wait. Nevermind.

[CHIUNDA]

Kathryn S | 15 Oct 2007 00:04:57 - that made for a good laugh alright. And your observation on Japan might be the reason why that country has no less than 3 teams representing it in Formula 1, with Toyota the unrivaled big spender on drivers - it now suddenly makes lot's of sense.