Here are The Gurgler’s 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Ratings – our way of rating the performances of all the drivers from the most recent race.
Our G-Power Rankings goes a little bit deeper than just points scored on the Sunday and has a slightly cooler name than most. We take on board Free Practice, Qualifying, performance in relation to teammate, fastest lap, and a few more stats that are attempting to highlight a driver outperforming the car and/or thrashing their teammate.
Normally we have the 2023 season stats too, but we’re saving that for our end of season special.
A full explanation on what is included, and the points awarded is below the visuals and hey, why not catch up with the race summary below.
Here are the current overall standings for our Driver of the Year winner – the Martini Medal. Named in honour of one of F1’s most unsung heroes – Pierluigi Martini of Minardi fame.
We have the overall scores as they stand, plus a visual which shows the flow of each driver’s position throughout the season, plus a few points of interest below.
Here is the breakdown of the Driver of the Year points from the most recent race and the season so far.
LATEST RACE RATINGS
Race 22 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Team Ratings
This is essentially using the same drivers stats but in reverse for the worst score, but taking out anything that is a H2H between the drivers.
And our annual award focuses on the other end of the grid, highlighting the worst team of the season.
Of course, the worst team of the season award needs to be named after the worst F1 team of all time. And if you want to fund out more about Andrea Moda, follow this link.
LATEST RACE RATINGS
Here are the best of stats from the latest race and the season so far. Followed by our range of barely interesting visuals and more.
Here are a few F1 2023 stats and stay tuned for the full F1 season review coming soon.
DRIVER 2023 H2H RECORD
Beating your team mate in F1 is very important, which is why we keep an eye on the H2H stats through the season.
2023 F1 QUALIFYING SUMMARY
Here our quick qualifying summary for the season.
FIRST LAP POSITION GAINS
Races can’t be won or lost at the first corner, well actually they can be lost at the first corner, and a good one can make all the difference.
So here are the stats on the lightning fast starters and the slow pokes.
Current Race Power Rankings in Detail
2023 F1 Season Power Rankings – Points Explanation
Here’s how the points work this season. Essentially the perfect race (Win from Pole, Fastest Lap, thrash team mate, best in race etc) should amount to the perfect 100 points.
FIRST LAP GAINS +0.5pts per position gained -0.5pts per position lost.
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS – 25pts to 1pt as per World Championship – Sprint Race Points added.
BEAT TEAM MATE (RACE) – 10pts (if both finish or other driver got self inflicted DNF)
FASTEST LAP – 5pts – 1pt for top five drivers.
GRID POSITION TO RACE POSITION – formula +/- relative finish to grid
BEST OF THE REST (RACE) – 5pts to 1pt – top five non Mercedes-Red Bull drivers
QUALIFYING – 20pts to 1pt – Grid Position 1 to 20.
BEAT TEAM MATE (QUALIFYING) – 5pts
BEST OF THE REST (QUALIFYING) – 5pts to 1pt – top five non Mercedes-Red Bull drivers
GREAT/GRAPE – 5pts Great 2pts Honourable Mention -2Pts Dishonourable Mention -5Pts Grape
BEAT TEAM MATE (QUALIFYING) Time Gap – Formula for % beaten team mate by
BEAT TEAM MATE (QUALIFYING) Position – 0.5 Pts for every position team mate is beaten by. 0 points for second car.
FREE PRACTICE HERO – 10Pts to 1Pt – Average Position across all three practice sessions.
WIN FROM POLE – Bonus 5 Points
WIN FROM POLE WITH FASTEST LAP – Bonus 10 Points
DNF Not Driver or Team Fault Minus 2 Points
DNF CAUSED BY DRIVER/TEAM INCOMPETENCE Minus 5 Points
SPRINT RACE POINTS – Points 8 to 1 as handed out in the sprint race.
SPRINT RACE CHANGE – 0.5 Points per change in end position to starting position.
SPRINT RACE QUAL – Points 8 to 1 as handed out in the order of qualifying 1st to 8th.
TOPSHOT - Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen performs a burnout after winning the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in the Emirati city on November 26, 2023. (Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP) (Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images)
The 2023 F1 season comes to a close with the same result as 18 other races this season with a win for Max Verstappen. To cover all the action and so much more for the final time this season is our 2023 Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix Result Summary which covers both races and anything else of interest.
This 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Result, Lap by Lap, Review & Summary gives you just enough to catch up with. With just a hint of cynicism, bias, opinion and colour. The perfect bite sized review for those who couldn’t be bothered, or don’t have enough time. And you get it for both the main race on Sunday and the Sprint Race on Saturday. So read on.
Didn’t see the race live? Don’t have time to watch the whole race? Well here are the top laps where stuff happened. We write these live as we go, sort of like a minute by minute for the football, but marginally more interesting.
Setting the scene – It may have been another pole position for Max Verstappen, but qualifying has certainly got compeditive in the second half of the season. Charles Leclerc took second from Oscar Piastri in third, but Lando Norris looks lively and a mistake on his last lap hides true pace. Mercedes who ended up 4th and 11th look race ready. Carlos Sainz didn’t make it out of Q1, so his job is a harder one. It all looks promising, like a lot of grands prix in the second half of the season, but will probably end up a cruising Max Verstappen win, like a lot of grands prix in the second half of the season.
GRID (Starting Order) – VER LEC PIA RUS NOR TSU ALO HUL PER GAS
Lap 1 – Max Verstappen misses the start yet beat Charles Leclerc into turn one by going around the outside. Leclerc tries again down the back straight and he almost gets in front Verstappen shuts the door again. Lando Norris jumps George Russell to make it a McLaren 3-4. Further back Pierre Gasly and Lewis Hamilton grab a few places at the expense of Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg whose Haas race reverse has started early – 8th to 13th. No accidents which is good and a little disappointing.
ORDER – VER LEC PIAS NOR RUS TSU ALO GAS HAM PER
Lap 3 – DRS is available now but no change among the top cars, the gap teasing fans looking for a battle but not close enough for actual position swapping. Sergio Perez takes 9th from Lewis Hamilton which is of mild interest to few.
Lap 5 – Lando Norris asserts top dog status at McLaren and overtakes Oscar Piastri down the back straight. Norris has the pace to win this, a win is just two cars away.
Lap 6 – Kevin Magnussen pits for new tyres on only lap 6. That Haas really has become a pile of shite in races in the second half of the season. Or he’s on a 12 stop strategy.
Lap 9 – George Russell tries but is unable to get past Australian Oscar Piastri for fourth. Much like the Ashes and Cricket World Cup. If you overlook the British driver ahead in 2nd.
ORDER – VER LEC NOR PIA RUS TSU ALO GAS PER HAM
Lap 11 – George Russell gets past Piastri into the fast hairpin, just moments after the F1 coverage applauds Piastri’s great defending. Piastri is now under pressure from Yuki Tsunoda right away.
Lap 12 – Sergio Perez doing his thing, overtaking Pierre Gasly for 8th, after underwhelming in qualifying again. Fernando Alonso pit for the record, first car in the top ten to do so. May as well as a train was forming behind Gasly.
Lap 14 – Oscar Piastri pits for new boots, trying to cover Alonso and undercut the cars in front. Piastri comes out of the pits just in front of Alonso
Lap 15 – Lando Norris pits, George Russell pits. Lando Norris’ pitstop was twice as long as Russell’s and the Mercedes jumps the McLaren for now.
Lap 17 – Max Verstappen pits but Charles Leclerc stays out. The Red Bull comes out in 7th place such is the bunched field, behind Carlos Sainz who started 16th on the grid. Leclerc and Perez pit a lap later leaving Yuki Tsunoda to enjoy leading a race for the first time. Lance Stroll is second too
Lap 19 – Max Verstappen gets past Carlos Sainz and sets a new fastest lap just to let everyone know he’s still the fastest in the best car.
Lap 23 – Yuki Tsunoda’s fun ends as he pits from the lead. He drops down to 12th.
ORDER – VER LEC RUS NOR SAI PIA ALO PER RIC HAM
Lap 26 – We’ve missed Sergio Perez overtaking Fernando Alonso for 6th and the Mexican setting a fastest lap. Oh well. He probably get pass Piastri in the next lap or so too. Yeah Lap 29 does it.
Lap 30 – A lap after the halfway point and it looks like business as usual for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as Max Verstappen is a comfortable six seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc. Russell and Norris have two seconds gaps to the cars in front and Sergio Perez is the main on the move. But it’s all academic for the race win. Why would the last race be any different when the guy leading has won 18/21 races this season.
ORDER – VER LEC RUS NOR PER PIA ALO HAM TSU STR
Lap 34 – Second pit stop seal has been broken for the top half of the race when Lando Norris gets some new rubber. Mercedes pit George Russell a lap later despite his insistence that his tyres were fine and he didn’t want to pit.
Lap 39 – After most of the leading cars pit – except the Rd Dulls – Yuki Tsunoda drops a few positions as Leclerc and Russell take away his temporary lofty position. One stop ain’t gonna work here.
Lap 47 – Sergio Perez battling for fourth is the closest battle among the top cars. Perez makes a late move after the back straight and they collide. Perez claims Norris turned in on him. Norris says Perez ran into him. orris keeps 4th for now. A lap later Sergio Perez takes fourth but the clash is under investigation.
Lap 53 – The stewards find in favour of Lando Norris and throw a five second penalty at Sergio Perez. Daniel Ricciardo moves up to 12th. While that isn’t usually interesting, in the battle with Williams for the team championship it is. If Ricciardo can get to 10th it will bring the teams together in the season standings.
Lap 55 – Sergio Perez is in a hurry after getting his penalty. He overtakes George Russell for third and has four laps to build a gap big enough to absorb the five second penalty.
Last lap – Sergio Perez’s efforts to finish on the podium are helped with Charles Leclerc letting the Red Bull past. But he finishes 3.9 seconds in front of George Russell so drops from 2nd to 4th. Lewis Hamilton passes Yuki Tsunoda and then has a big slide and hands the place back to Tsunoda. Oh, and Max Verstappen won easy.
FINAL ORDER (Across the line) – VER LEC RUS PER NOR PIA ALO TSU HAM STR
Here we go through the field and highlight the very best (Great) of the race, and the plodders, the over-ambitious, the out of luck, and simply hopeless (Grape).
These points get added to our Driver of the Season scores. points for a great nomination, and -5 for the worst or grapest driver in the pack. Then it is +2 /-2 for honourable or dishonourable mentions.
THE GREAT-EST – YUKI TSUNODA
Alpha Tauri cars don’t get to lead very often so Yuki Tsunoda getting a chance to do that is worth a lofty position in our great and grape. Qualified a career best 6th, and was a top ten car all race. Saved his best for last.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
MAX VERSTAPPEN – Win, pole position, fastest lap. A 19th win and yet another perfect grand prix haul sees him sign off a record-breaking season that will never happen again in style.
CHARLES LECLERC – Second best but solid enough for Charles Leclerc.
GEORGE RUSSELL – Good qualifying with 4th on the grid, and secures a podium, beating his seven-time World Champion team mate.
MCLAREN – Maybe not the best result they could hope for, but progress from the start of the season. Genuine fourth best car at minimum now.
THE GRAPE-EST – CARLOS SAINZ
Knocked out in Q1 which put him in a bad position for most of the race, and he was the race’s only DNF with a lap to go.
DIS-HONOURABLE MENTIONS
WILLIAMS – Zero pace in the race. Logan Sargeant has a nervous off season wait to see if he returns in 2024.
HAAS – Another race of mildly promising qualifying followed by disappointing (at best) race.
Was it a good race, loads of action, tense, or just a big, fat, snooze-fest?
We rate the big race itself, so we know which races to go back and watch in the off season or one to simply remember the winner for the post season quiz nights.
Note: this is for the combined races.
SEASON IMPORTANCE – 9 / 10
Battles for constructor positions are settled which is worth lots of money are settled in the final race.
ON TRACK ACTION – 6 / 10
Decent action down the field, and even an opening lap tussle for the lead between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen.
ENDING 3 / 10
Sergio Perez needing to find five seconds gap to George Russell was the highlight in a quiet-ish end to the race. Either that or we napped through the good stuff.
OVERALL RATING 18 / 30
Not a bad race to end the season. A different winner or a better challenge would have been nice.
2023 F1 Season Power Rankings
Stay tuned for our Power Rankings from the race soon as it is currently being calculated and will be ready on Monday.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 16: The car of Carlos Sainz of Spain and Ferrari is removed from the circuit on a truck after stopping on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas at Las Vegas Strip Circuit on November 16, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
It’s Friday, or Fri-yay in some parts of the corporate world, and that means another list of questionable quality and theme to bolster the quality of content here at The Gurgler. This week we offer some more F1 inspired top-fivery, this time talking about other Formula 1 Disaster Races after the opening to the recent Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix last weekend.
The much-hyped Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix couldn’t got off to a much worse start after years of banging the Las Vegas drum and spending a reported $500M when a manhole cover ruined the first session, a Ferrari and made the second session so late everyone got sent home.
It all improved with a great race despite it being won by Max Verstappen, but it needed to after the first day. The raceday wasn’t without drama after oil was dumped on the start line by a support race.
But was it one of the biggest Formula 1 Disaster Races, or are there better ones? Maybe, but there probably won’t be more expensive ones, and nor was it the only one in the US…..
“Due to organizational problems, extra practice planned for Thursday was cancelled, and the first qualifying session on Friday had to be postponed. There was time for only a one-hour practice session on Friday, and so qualifying would take place on Saturday in two one-hour sessions, four hours apart. Saturday was cold and overcast with a threat of rain, and nearly all the drivers scrambled to get a time in on the dry track while they could, with many spins and trips down the escape roads of the unfamiliar circuit. The afternoon session was wet throughout, as expected, and the times from the morning session did indeed determine the grid.”
It did recover like the Las Vegas Grand Prix did (in 2023) as the race saw a win for John Watson, who overtook three cars in three separate moves on the one lap to win from a midfield grid slot.
1985 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX
They had two cracks at the 1985 Belgian Grand Prix.
The first was in June of 1985 where the F1 circus arrived at the recently resurfaced Spa circuit.
The new track work had only been finished ten days before the first race was scheduled, and when the hot weather and powerful 1980’s cars arrived, they tore up the new track.
It was part way through the first Saturday session when the track got undriveable and the best of the decisions they could make was postpone the event. Which they did and a few months later Ayrton Senna took a sensational win in the wet.
F1’s ability to not compromise for the better of the sport and fans happens all the time, and currently too. Like the F1 teams rejecting the new Andretti F1 team and even the Carlos Sainz penalty from last weekend should have found a better solution.
The worst case of this was the 2005 US Grand Prix at Indianapolis.
This race was in an era where there were two different tyre companies fighting for World Championship glory, and at this stage it was Bridgestone vs Michelin. Essentially Bridgestone had favoured Ferrari so much that only the lowly Jordan and Minardi teams shared the supply. The rest of the teams chose the French Michelin rubber.
The 2005 US Grand Prix being one of the Formula 1 Disaster Races was down to a poor decision by Michelin to bring the wrong tyres to the famous Indianapolis track. The banking caused a different stress to the tyres, and despite this only being for a little section of the lap, there were tyre failures in practice sessions. According to Wikipedia – Michelin advised its seven customer teams that without a reduction in speed in Turn 13, the tyres provided for the race would only be safe for 10 laps. This made worse by the 2005 F1 season not allowing tyre changes.
So what could they do? Michelin cars could slow down themselves and be at the mercy of Bridgestone cars. Or they could install a chicane. They even offered to race for no points for Michelin teams just to allow the race to start.
But no agreement came, and after the formation lap all the Michelin cars headed for the pit lane and just the six Bridgestone cars remained in an absurd sight. US fans were unimpressed and they booed heartily.
Whilst the start of six cars was silly enough, it could have been worse with the Ferraris almost taking each other out as one of the Ferraris emerged from the pitlane for a refueling stop at one stage.
But six cars starting a race was F1 at its worst, and it ruined the US Grand Prix for a while until it ended up in Texas.
The Australian Grand Prix in the 1980’s and 1990’s in Adelaide usually brought drama and excitement and the 1991 was no different, except it was the shortest race in F1 history – a record it held for a long time.
1991’s edition brought a second race in three years where torrential rain turned the streets of Adelaide into canals.
But unlike the 1989 race, which went to full two hour distance somehow despite some big crashes including Ayrton Senna destroying a TV camera in the back of Martin Brundle’s Brabham, the 1991 Australian Grand Prix last just 14 laps. Ended when Nigel Mansell crashed out to much drama like always for Nigel.
So just 14 laps of one of the shortest laps of the season is all the fans got for sitting there in the wet.
The title of the shortest F1 Grand Prix was taken over by the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, which lasted just two laps. Just enough to be classified as a race and some points being handed out.
As ever it rained in Belgium, but the rain combined with poor visibility and saw the race continually delayed. Bad enough in general, but more painful for those in the Pacific region watching at midnight.
Eventually over three hours late, the race started behind the Safety Car in the pit lane. They circulated for the two laps required to make an official result and stopped the race. Making it Formula One’s most pointless race.
Another first time Grand Prix in the US where the track fell apart in the early days of the event, but a race still went ahead.
The track got torn up by a sportscar race on the Saturday and an urgent fix was required. This meant that quick drying cement was used on the sections ruined. The heat also contributed to the misery.
There was talk of a boycott on safety grounds, but the TV and locals fans were waiting and a Grand Prix eventually happened.
It was won by street track specialist Keke Rosberg.
They say there can only be winners and losers in sport, but of course they’re wrong, there’s always the draw, and who doesn’t love a draw where everyone wins. Those winners include canny punters who look for value, and here to help is our Best of World Football Draws Tips for the week.
And it’s all a little bit Polish this week.
Each week during the football season our resident football draw expert Frankington Stanley runs his keen eye over the many football divisions around the world to find the best draws for you. He’s sort of like the John West of Football draws.
Frankington Stanley is not fussy, no country or continent is out of bounds, and the more obscure the better. And some of them are quite obscure. They don’t even feature on the Who Scored website.
So get yourself ready for another weekly serving of the finest Football Draw tips from all over the world, where The Gurgler and Frankington Stanley take the stale out of stalemate. It’s all you can eat draws.
November 24-27 Best of World Football Draws Tips of the Week
All odds courtesy of Sportsbet
DRAW OF THE WEEK
Here is the best of the best draw tips for the week.
LA LIGA – GETAFE v ALMERIA
ODDS – DRAW $3.60
FORM / STATS – No H2H draws in the last seven games, but Getafe are the draw kings in La Liga right with six draws in their last seven games. Getafe are unbeaten at home this season with W3 D3. Almeria are dead last in La Liga with their best result in six away games being a draw.
POLISH II LIGA – Olimpia Elblag vs Kotwica Kolobrzeg
ODDS – DRAW $3.25
FORM / STATS – The second last match between these two sides at Olimpia ended 1-1, so there’s promise. Kotwica Kolobrzeg’s last away game saw a 3-3 draw. While that is probably too many goals for the real draw purist, it is the right result. Olimpia Elbag’s last four home games have ended as DDWW.
POLISH II LIGA – Hutnik Krakow vs Radunia Stezyca
ODDS – DRAW $3.10
FORM / STATS – The last game between these sides four months ago saw Radunia Stezyca hold on for a 1-1 draw despite having a player sent off. Radunia Stezyca have also drawn three of their eight away games this season, and just the one loss means they’ll be hard to beat but not too hard. Hutnik Krakow are LLWL so should be keen to avoid defeat but not too keen.
POLISH II LIGA – Sandecja Nowy Sacz v Skra Czestochowa
ODDS – DRAW $3.10
FORM / STATS – 2022 was a good year for this fixture with a double of double zeros. Just the way we like it. Sandecja Nowy Sacz have drawn two of their last four home games. Skra Czestochowa have drawn three of their eight away games this season.
POLISH II LIGA – Lech Poznan II v Chojniczanka Chojnice
ODDS – DRAW $3.00
FORM / STATS – No draws in the last five matches between these sides, and that’s as far back as Who Scored go for this division. Chojniczanka Chojnice have drawn two of their last three away games, so that’s a good start.
UK DRAW SPECIAL OF THE WEEK
With so many divisions, there should be so many draws to choose from. Frankington Stanley chooses his draw from any and every division in the UK.
NATIONAL LEAGUE PREMIER – Boreham Wood v Woking
ODDS – DRAW $3.20
FORM / STATS – Doesn’t get much better than the last game between these teams last season ended as a Richie Benaud 2-2 draw. The games at Boreham Wood are usually tight with the last three games at Meadow Park ending 1-0, two to the away teams and one for “The Wood”. Boreham Wood are due a result at home, as they have lost six in a row at home. Woking have been nice and inconsistent away with their last six results being LWLWLW.
The 2023-24 Premier League resumes with a bang and top of the table clash after yet another International break getting in the way of real football. There’s nothing getting in the way of our 2023-24 Premier League Week 13 Predictions + Stats Summary, just quality tips ‘n’ stats, where the football and stats never stop, and we rarely sleep.
Each week we provide a meandering look into the upcoming round of Premier League football, with not only our predictions for the upcoming Premier League fixtures but offer up a wide range of H2H and in-season stats and barely interesting facts.
There’s so much to go through we can barely contain it to just one long page, but it’s worth it for our Premier League Week 13 Predictions plus all the stats.
2023-24 Premier League Week 13 Fixtures
2023-24 Premier League Week 13 Predictions
Here are our fearless predictions for the fixtures ahead, and tune in below for all the stats and barely interesting stats that go along with them.
Man City 2 Liverpool 0
Burnley 0 West Ham 1
Luton 0 Crystal Palace 0
Newcastle 2 Chelsea 0
Nottingham Forest 3 Brighton 2
Sheffield United 1 Bournemouth 1
Brentford 2 Arsenal 1
Spurs 1 Aston Villa 1
Everton 1 Man Utd 1
Fulham 0 Wolves 0
Read on for the match by match full preview and stats.
Season Progress: 51% – 56/110 – Correct Scores – 3
A quick look at the current state of play in the Premier League.
2023-24 English Premier League Week 13 Best Stats
Here are some of our favourite stats from the match H2H stats below. But read on for ore….
The last two games at Manchester City on a Saturday were won 4-1 and 5-0 by City.
Burnley have lost all six home games this season, West Ham have lost their last three away games but scored in every away game this season.
Burnley have a great record at home v West Ham on a Saturday – W20 D7 L3.
Three of the four games played in the top flight at Luton have ended in a draw, and Luton won the other game.
Newcastle are one of just four teams yet to lose to a London club, and have won all three games at home to London clubs without conceding a goal.
2023-24 Week 13 – Match by Match H2H Stats Previews
Our big, beautiful full visual preview of each game is below.
More stats than you could probably ever want or need, for now.
SATURDAY 12:30PM – MAN CITY v LIVERPOOL
THE STAT/S
Man City are unbeaten in their last four games at home to Liverpool in the League. The last two games at Manchester City on a Saturday were won 4-1 and 5-0 by City. Man City are W6 L1 from their Saturday games this season while Liverpool is W3 L1. Man City have won all five home games on a Saturday this season, scoring 16-3.
OUR PREDICTION
Man City 2 Liverpool 0
OUR THOUGHTS
For once the Premier League’s premium game of the weekend is the first, and this could be title shaping, if Liverpool win.
SATURDAY 3:00PM – BURNLEY v WEST HAM
THE STAT/S
Burnley have lost all six home games this season, West Ham have lost their last three away games but scored in every away game this season. The last two games between Burnley and West Ham ended in a draw. Burnley have a great record at home v West Ham on a Saturday – W20 D7 L3. Burnley are W1 L5 v London clubs and conceded 18 goals.
OUR PREDICTION
Burnley 0 West Ham 1
OUR THOUGHTS
Burnley are yet to win from home, which means if West Ham don’t win that David Moyes will be in more trouble than usual.
SATURDAY 3:00PM – LUTON v CRYSTAL PALACE
THE STAT/S
Luton have lost just one of their last eight home games v Crystal Palace. Three of the four games played in the top flight at Luton have ended in a draw, and Luton won the other game.
OUR PREDICTION
Luton 0 Crystal Palace 0
OUR THOUGHTS
This one has 0-0 written all over it. Crystal Palace have the equal most clean sheets this season (5), Luton are one step closer to against-the-odds safety with Everton’s 10 point deduction.
SATURDAY 3:00PM – NEWCASTLE v CHELSEA
THE STAT/S
Newcastle have a decent record at home v Chelsea recently. They won last season and six of the last ten games at home. Although Chelsea did win twice in a row before the most recent match. Newcastle are one of just four teams yet to lose to a London club and have won all three games at home to London clubs without conceding a goal.
OUR PREDICTION
Newcastle 2 Chelsea 0
OUR THOUGHTS
Chelsea have scored four against Spurs and Man City is consecutive weeks, but this is where the party finishes.
SATURDAY 3:00PM – NOTTINGHAM FOREST v BRIGHTON
THE STAT/S
Nottingham Forest (W2 D3) are one of just five clubs yet to lose at home this season. Nottingham Forest won 3-1 at home v Brighton last season and it started their current eight game unbeaten run at home across the two seasons.
OUR PREDICTION
Nottingham Forest 3 Brighton 2
OUR THOUGHTS
We’re calling this game as the entertainer of the Saturday 3pm kick offs with Forest to continue their good run at home.
SATURDAY 3:00PM – SHEFFIELD UTD v BOURNEMOUTH
THE STAT/S
The 2019-20 season is the only time these teams have met previously in the top flight. Sheffield United have the upper hand with W1 D1. There have been over 2.5 goals in all three games involving these sides and a bottom six competitor (bottom six at time of match).
OUR PREDICTION
Sheffield United 1 Bournemouth 1
OUR THOUGHTS
The most Saturday 3pm kick off match of the Saturday 3pm kick offs this week. Although we might be wrong with the over 2.5 goal stat above.
SATURDAY 5:30PM – BRENTFORD v ARSENAL
THE STAT/S
Brentford are W2 D3 v London clubs this season. Arsenal are W3 D2 v clubs in the middle eight of the table.
OUR PREDICTION
Brentford 2 Arsenal 1
OUR THOUGHTS
Another quality game to finish off a very good bunch of Saturday fixtures. The type of game Arsenal need to win to stay relevant in the title chase, which they probably won’t, and then need to hire Brentford’s Ivan Toney.
SUNDAY 2:00PM – SPURS v ASTON VILLA
THE STAT/S
Aston Villa have won two of their last three trips to Tottenham. Aston Villa also won the most recent game v Tottenham on a Sunday, but prior to that it was nine straight wins to Spurs. Aston Villa have played the most games on a Sunday this season with nine of 12 matches on a Sunday. Their record on a Sunday is good too (W6 D1 L2).
OUR PREDICTION
Spurs 1 Aston Villa 1
OUR THOUGHTS
A very interesting game to kick off Sunday, with many wondering how Big Ange will recover from two losses in a row. Thankfully they are playing Aston Villa at home, as Villa are less effective on the road.
SUNDAY 4:30PM – EVERTON v MAN UTD
THE STAT/S
Two of the last three matches between Everton and Man Utd on a Sunday ended 0-0. Man Utd have already played six teams from the bottom six (at time of game) and won all six.
OUR PREDICTION
Everton 1 Man Utd 1
OUR THOUGHTS
Poor Everton, deducted ten points for being not good enough at hiding the financial fair play breaches. Losing ten points is hard on Everton as they fall back into the bottom three. Talking about losing tens, Man Utd’s manager Erik ten Hag is close to getting the arse, and a loss to Everton will help that.
MONDAY 8:00PM – FULHAM v WOLVES
THE STAT/S
Both games ended in a draw last season. The last time these teams met on a Monday was in 1967 and Fulham won 5-0.
OUR PREDICTION
Fulham 0 Wolves 0
OUR THOUGHTS
Most people will almost forget this game is played on Monday, and neither team inspire many to tune in.
Here are The Gurgler’s 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix Ratings – our way of rating the performances of all the drivers from the most recent race.
Our G-Power Rankings goes a little bit deeper than just points scored on the Sunday and has a slightly cooler name than most. We take on board Free Practice, Qualifying, performance in relation to teammate, fastest lap, and a few more stats that are attempting to highlight a driver outperforming the car and/or thrashing their teammate.
Plus, we have a range of stats and barely interesting facts from the 2023 F1 Season so far.
A full explanation on what is included, and the points awarded is below the visuals and hey, why not catch up with the race summary below.
Here are the current overall standings for our Driver of the Year winner – the Martini Medal. Named in honour of one of F1’s most unsung heroes – Pierluigi Martini of Minardi fame.
We have the overall scores as they stand, plus a visual which shows the flow of each driver’s position throughout the season, plus a few points of interest below.
Here is the breakdown of the Driver of the Year points from the most recent race and the season so far.
LATEST RACE RATINGS
SEASON RATINGS SO FAR
Race 21 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix Team Ratings
This is essentially using the same drivers stats but in reverse for the worst score, but taking out anything that is a H2H between the drivers.
And our annual award focuses on the other end of the grid, highlighting the worst team of the season.
Of course, the worst team of the season award needs to be named after the worst F1 team of all time. And if you want to fund out more about Andrea Moda, follow this link.
LATEST RACE RATINGS
SEASON RATINGS SO FAR
Here are the best of stats from the latest race and the season so far. Followed by our range of barely interesting visuals and more.
Here are the choicest of cuts from the F1 data we compile for season 2023, we a few hand picked barely interesting points to share below.
DRIVER 2023 H2H RECORD
Beating your team mate in F1 is very important, which is why we keep an eye on the H2H stats through the season.
2023 F1 QUALIFYING
Here our qualifying analysis covers just about everything we could find on qualifying.
QUALIFYING SUMMARY
QUALIFYING COMPARISON – GRID POSITION x AVERAGE GAP TO POLE POSITION
QUALIFYING COMPARISONS – BY TRACK TYPE
FIRST LAP POSITION GAINS
Races can’t be won or lost at the first corner, well actually they can be lost at the first corner, and a good one can make all the difference.
So here are the stats on the lightning fast starters and the slow poke.
FREE PRACTICE
Some say Free Practice is a giant waste of time, and they are probably right. Regardless here is the average position for each drivers in Free Practice this season. Each round an average of all the sessions.
FASTEST LAP
Sometimes this season all that’s left to enjoy is the late battle for fastest lap. Otherwise it’s a good judge of race pace.
PRE/POST SILVERSTONE COMPARISON
Since many teams brought big updates for the British Grand Prix, so we thought we’d take a look to see whose changes are working best. By comparing the % gap to pole position from before the British Grand Prix and after. Along with some other stats. Basically, when McLaren came good and gave us something to cheer for.
THE STORY FROM ROUND 10…..
Current Race Power Rankings in Detail
2023 F1 Season Power Rankings – Points Explanation
Here’s how the points work this season. Essentially the perfect race (Win from Pole, Fastest Lap, thrash team mate, best in race etc) should amount to the perfect 100 points.
FIRST LAP GAINS +0.5pts per position gained -0.5pts per position lost.
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS – 25pts to 1pt as per World Championship – Sprint Race Points added.
BEAT TEAM MATE (RACE) – 10pts (if both finish or other driver got self inflicted DNF)
FASTEST LAP – 5pts – 1pt for top five drivers.
GRID POSITION TO RACE POSITION – formula +/- relative finish to grid
BEST OF THE REST (RACE) – 5pts to 1pt – top five non Mercedes-Red Bull drivers
QUALIFYING – 20pts to 1pt – Grid Position 1 to 20.
BEAT TEAM MATE (QUALIFYING) – 5pts
BEST OF THE REST (QUALIFYING) – 5pts to 1pt – top five non Mercedes-Red Bull drivers
GREAT/GRAPE – 5pts Great 2pts Honourable Mention -2Pts Dishonourable Mention -5Pts Grape
BEAT TEAM MATE (QUALIFYING) Time Gap – Formula for % beaten team mate by
BEAT TEAM MATE (QUALIFYING) Position – 0.5 Pts for every position team mate is beaten by. 0 points for second car.
FREE PRACTICE HERO – 10Pts to 1Pt – Average Position across all three practice sessions.
WIN FROM POLE – Bonus 5 Points
WIN FROM POLE WITH FASTEST LAP – Bonus 10 Points
DNF Not Driver or Team Fault Minus 2 Points
DNF CAUSED BY DRIVER/TEAM INCOMPETENCE Minus 5 Points
SPRINT RACE POINTS – Points 8 to 1 as handed out in the sprint race.
SPRINT RACE CHANGE – 0.5 Points per change in end position to starting position.
SPRINT RACE QUAL – Points 8 to 1 as handed out in the order of qualifying 1st to 8th.
LAS VEGAS, NV - NOVEMBER 18: A general view of turn 1 at the start of the Las Vegas Grand Prix Formula 1 race on November 18, 2023, on the streets of Las Vegas in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Jeff Speer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The most hyped F1 Grand Prix ever has been run and won, and F1 will never be the same again. Or hopefully F1 will improve. Despite trashing the event all weekend Max Verstappen provided the same old result, without the same old boredom though, in an action packed race. To cover all the hype and so much more is our 2023 Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix Result Summary which covers both races and anything else of interest.
This 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix Result, Lap by Lap, Review & Summary gives you just enough to catch up with. With just a hint of cynicism, bias, opinion and colour. The perfect bite sized review for those who couldn’t be bothered, or don’t have enough time. And you get it for both the main race on Sunday and the Sprint Race on Saturday. So read on.
Didn’t see the race live? Don’t have time to watch the whole race? Well here are the top laps where stuff happened. We write these live as we go, sort of like a minute by minute for the football, but marginally more interesting.
Setting the scene – After a disastrous opening day with no FP1 and an FP2 that started at 2:30am, an hour after they kicked all the fans out, the weekend improved with a relatively normal qualifying. Normal for a street circuit with a Ferrari on pole – this time being Charles Leclerc. Carlos Sainz would have been second if not for a disgraceful ten place penalty imposed to fix his car after a manhole cover ripped it apart. Pure F1 for some teams to be selfish enough not to allow some special circumstances. Max Verstappen starts from second, Williams cars are 5th and 6th with Alonso, Hamilton, Perez and Sainz just behind. Short run to a first corner hairpin with some of the cars hidden around the corner at the start. Chaos awaits.
GRID (Starting Order) –LEC VER RUS GAS ALB SAR BOT MAG ALO HAM
Lap 1 – Charles Leclerc gets off the line poorly and Max Verstappen gets the jump. He dives down the inside and takes the lead and takes Charles Leclerc wide, it briefly leaves a gap for George Russell but it closes. Debatable whether Max will hold onto that lead. Further back Fernando Alonso spins, Carlos Sainz spins, among other cars. Alonso looked to have gone up the inside and dropped it, which caused him to spin into Valtteri Bottas. Which also caused Sergio Perez to ram the Alfa Romeo up the rear, explaining his broken front wing. Safety Car is good for catching up on first lap happening.
ORDER – VER LEC RUS GAS ALB SAR MAG OCO STR PER
VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR DEPLOYED
Marshalls need to clean up the pieces from the first corner clashes.
Sergio Perez pits for a new front wing, same with Fernando Alonso.
Lap 3 – RACE RESUMES
First lap shenanigans have seen Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll gain 8 and 10 places on the first lap.
BIG CRASH – Lando Norris is into the wall at the end of The Strip. Looks like something broke on his car as he loses it before the curved braking zone and he flies in the runoff area backwards into the wall. He’s OK, but there’s a large dent in the safety barrier.
FULL SAFETY CAR DEPLOYED
Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz pit for new tyres. Good news for Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso too.
ORDER – VER LEC RUS GAS ALB SAR OCO MAG HUL TSU
Lap 7 – RACE RESUMES
Oscar Piastri grabs 10th place in the only movement after the Safety Car buggers off. It’s a Spain-off at the back of the field with Alonso v Sainz battle coming up Ferrari for now.
Lap 8 – Five second penalty for Max Verstappen for his first lap pass on Charles Leclerc. Without annoying our many Dutch fans, it is fair probably enough. And surely the Red Bull team would complain too if reversed. Maybe it’s harsh and we’re just looking for something to slow down the Red Bulls. Piastri is up to 9th as well and is the highest driver on the hard tyres. Interesting.
Lap 10 – Piastri and Magnussen swap 8th place, but it’s the Aussie who looks best and fast in a car that looked awful in qualifying. He takes and keeps 8th by the end of the lap. Hamilton overtakes Hulkenberg and Magnussen a lap later. Sainz passes Alonso. Plenty happening, and especially for the drivers on hard tyres.
ORDER – VER LEC RUS GAS ALB SAR OCO PIA HAM MAG
Lap 13 – Carlos Sainz told to cool his car down or they may retire it. Maybe Ferrari could ask the FIA to help them out with cooling their car. Jerks. Sainz and Alonso overtake Daniel Ricciardo who ends up 16th.
Lap 15 – Feeling the breath of Hamilton on his neck, Piastri makes a successful, late lunge on Logan Sargeant for 7th. This is after the American had lost 6th place to the speedy Alpine of Esteban Ocon. The speedier Alpine of Pierre Gasly is 4th and looking quite strong. Gasly moves up the 3rd as the first of the front runners – George Russell – pits.
Lap 16 – All of a sudden Charles Leclerc is right on Max Verstappen’s tail, Max explains his tyres are shot, and his team tell him to pit. But before he can lose the place in the pitlane Leclerc overtakes him at the end of the Strip. Verstappen pits, with Albon, Piastri. Lewis Hamilton says he has a puncture, caused by a tap with Piastri. He doesn’t get to pit and has to crawl around to the pits. His race is over effectively, which will annoy a lot of celebrities.
Lap 18 – More cars pit, leaving Leclerc and Ocon at the front without stopping and the sneaky Sergio Perez stealthing his way to third and has stopped. He moves up to second a lap later when he passes Ocon.
ORDER – LEC PER OCO STR SAI ALO ZHO RUS VER GAS
Lap 20 – Guess we’ll see how good Max Verstappen is with him currently in 9th after his pit stop and his team mate, a pair of Ferraris and Aston Martins plus George Russell ahead.
Lap 22 – Charles Leclerc pits from the lead and hands over to Sergio Perez, who has a solid eight second gap to Lance Stroll in second and Leclerc is another two seconds further back. Further back there’s a group of George Russell, Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen for 5th. Verstappen passes Alonso and closes on Russell. They are 13 second behind Perez in the lead. And have caught Carlos Sainz.
Lap 24 – Carlos Sainz loses two places in half a lap as Russell and Verstappen promote themselves to 4th and 5th.
Lap 25 – Max Verstappen overtakes George Russell for 4th but there’s contact. Looks like the Red Bull front wing has been damaged. Verstappen claims Russell turned in on him. 50-50, Max looked far enough inside, but perhaps the lateness of the move surprised Russell. Either way Verstappen’s car is damaged.
Lap 26 – SAFETY CAR DELPOYED
The Safety Car is called upon to allow debris to be cleaned up, presumably from the previously mentioned clash, which gives those early pitting drivers another convenient stop. Perez is one, as is Carlos Sainz, but Charles Leclerc doesn’t and is first. Perez is second. It has certainly mixed up the order. Looks like Max Verstappen almost collided with Lance Stroll in the pit lane as they hurtled towards the exit. Busy few minutes.
ORDER – LEC PER GAS PIA VER OCO STR ALB RUS SAI
Lap 29 – RACE RESUMES
George Russell gets a penalty for the clash with Max Verstappen. But later around the lap Max Verstappen is under investigation for an unsafe release – refer above near miss with Stroll.
A great move from Oscar Piastri on Pierre Gasly for the podium. Not a bad effort from 19th on the grid. One more Safety Car may hand the Australian a very unlikely podium. Max Verstappen is fifth in an Alpine Sandwich, which sounds like some wanker dessert on Masterchef.
Lap 31 – DRS is now enabled and should see a little more action and less conversation. Max Verstappen, who has had plenty to say about this Las Vegas Grand Prix this weekend, and none of it good, overtakes Gasly for fourth.
Lap 32 – Sergio Perez overtakes Charles Leclerc for the lead down the Strip. A race win is within reach if he can clear away from Max Verstappen in fourth and four-ish seconds behind. He makes that easier by passing Piastri for third.
Lap 34 – The Alpines race each other for 5th, with some nail-biting racing around the Vegas track. Ocon eventually takes it after an on-track swap meet.
ORDER – PER LEC VER PIA OCO GAS ALB STR RUS SAI
Lap 35 – Charles Leclerc overtakes Sergio Perez for the lead. How’s that, multiple lead changes and a Red Bull not in front. Woof. Max Verstappen doubles Perez’s misery a lap later with an easy overtake for second.
Lap 37 – Another lead change as Max Verstappen takes the lead off Charles Leclerc and knowing F1 in 2023 that will be the end of the fun.
Lap 40 – A quick dive into the midfield as Alex Albon loses multiple places in one slide in a corner. That’s Russell, Sainz, Alonso and Hamilton all scrapping over the crumbs of the top ten points.
ORDER – VER LEC PER PIA OCO GAS STR RUS SAI ALO
Lap 44 – Oscar Piastri pits for new tyres. His tyres must have been bad to throw away a fourth place. But maybe we will see one more piece of Pastry rising in the last few laps. He is 12th and just behind Albon, but that Williams is nine second behind 10th placed Hamilton. Seems a strange decision.
Lap 47 – Lewis Hamilton goes on a late race charge passing Gasly and Alonso to climb to 8th, which will become 7th when George Russell loses five seconds from a penalty.
Lap 48 – Charles Leclerc is closing on Sergio Perez to re-take his second place to give fans some late race action. But it might be too late.
Last lap – Max Verstappen cruises, as he is so used to in 2023. Charles Leclerc chases Sergio Perez for second and nails him at the last possible corner to do so. Wonderfully late dive, and second race in a row Perez has lost a place on the last lap. Further behind George Russell ends up fourth on the road but has five seconds applied to his time. Oscar Piastri takes 10th after his late pit stop.
FINAL ORDER (Across the line) – VER LEC PER OCO STR SAI HAM RUS ALO PIA
Pos
Driver
Car
Result
Grid
1
Max VERSTAPPEN
Red Bull
1:40.028
2
2
Charles LECLERC
Ferrari
+ 2.07 behind
1
3
Sergio PEREZ
Red Bull
+ 2.241 behind
11
4
Esteban OCON
Alpine
+ 18.665 behind
16
5
Lance STROLL
Aston Martin
+ 20.067 behind
19
6
Carlos SAINZ
Ferrari
+ 20.834 behind
12
7
Lewis HAMILTON
Mercedes
+ 21.755 behind
10
8
George RUSSELL
Mercedes
+ 23.091 behind
3
9
Fernando ALONSO
Aston Martin
+ 25.964 behind
9
10
Oscar Piastri
McLaren
+ 29.496 behind
18
11
Pierre GASLY
Alpine
+ 34.27 behind
4
12
Alexander Albon
Williams
+ 43.398 behind
5
13
Kevin Magnussen
Haas
+ 44.825 behind
8
14
Daniel RICCIARDO
AlphaTauri
+ 48.525 behind
14
15
Guanyu Zhou
Alfa Romeo
+ 50.162 behind
17
16
Logan Sargeant
Williams
+ 50.882 behind
6
17
Valtteri BOTTAS
Alfa Romeo
+ 85.35 behind
7
DNF
Yuki TSUNODA
AlphaTauri
+ DNF Lap 45
20
DNF
Nico Hulkenberg
Haas
+ DNF Lap 45
13
DNF
Lando NORRIS
McLaren
+ DNF Lap 2
15
Here we go through the field and highlight the very best (Great) of the race, and the plodders, the over-ambitious, the out of luck, and simply hopeless (Grape).
These points get added to our Driver of the Season scores. points for a great nomination, and -5 for the worst or grapest driver in the pack. Then it is +2 /-2 for honourable or dishonourable mentions.
THE GREAT-EST – MAX VERSTAPPEN
Despite having plenty to say about the Las Vegas weekend, and none of it good, he still manages to win the race, just his 18th success of the season. And he had to battle for this one, instead of the usual take pole, hide from TV cameras, and win.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
SERGIO PEREZ – A reputation rebuilding race for the Mexican. Looked like business as usual after qualifying where he failed to make Q3, and then suffered damage as part of the first corner clashes, but that early stop and some good driving put him in the mix for a win before halfway. Couldn’t quite hold on for the win, but a good race overall. Last lap losing second place to Leclerc was underwhelming though.
CHARLES LECLERC – Another pole position, and another one not converted into a race win. But he was compeditive throughout the weekend. He just needs more street tracks and less Max Verstappen. Great last lap pass.
OSCAR PIASTRI – McLaren was hopeless in qualifying but the rookie Australian did himself proud running in the top ten for most of the race and fourth after the second safety car. A late pit stop cost him a bag O points but got one.
LANCE STROLL – A fine race from Lance Stroll. From the lower reaches of the grid to solid points. The early pitstop for tyres being his friend, but he raced well too.
ESTEBAN OCON – Another with good point scoring from a low grid position. And a sweet move on his team mate would have brought a smile to his dial as well.
THE GRAPE-EST – CARLOS SAINZ
The ten grid place penalty was absurd, then he is tangled up in first corner clashes too. A point scoring drive is a good end result, but he had the pace to run at the front and was unable to.
DIS-HONOURABLE MENTIONS
FERNANDO ALONSO – Dropped it at the first corner and was behind the eight ball for the rest of the race.
FIA – Appalling Thursday.
HAAS – Good qualifying, their race car rhymes with their name.
ALPHA TAURI – Even worse.
Was it a good race, loads of action, tense, or just a big, fat, snooze-fest?
We rate the big race itself, so we know which races to go back and watch in the off season or one to simply remember the winner for the post season quiz nights.
Note: this is for the combined races.
SEASON IMPORTANCE – 3 / 10
Prety important race if the battle for runners up is your thing. Big race from Sergio Perez and some bad luck for Lewis Hamilton has all but sorted the runners up tag.
ON TRACK ACTION – 9 / 10
First of all, we saw a pass for the lead, and Verstappen being the leader displaced. That was just before Verstappen’s first pit stop, and there were more later in the race. Amazing. Some first corner shenanigans always bumps up the score. Plenty of midfield moving and shaking after a bunch of fast cars were left at the back of the grid due to the first lap.
ENDING 7 / 10
Some good racing at the front and in the midfield, but the pass of Leclerc on Perez on the last lap was a real beaut, and livened up the usual procession to the finish line for Verstappen in front.
OVERALL RATING 19 / 30
So the race lived up to some of the hype with passing, and action from start to finish. It may just save this race in the future.
2023 F1 Season Power Rankings
Stay tuned for our Power Rankings from the race soon as it is currently being calculated and will be ready on Monday.
They say there can only be winners and losers in sport, but of course they’re wrong, there’s always the draw, and who doesn’t love a draw where everyone wins. Those winners include canny punters who look for value, and here to help is our Best of Football Draws Tips for the week.
Each week during the football season our resident football draw expert Frankington Stanley runs his keen eye over the many football divisions around the world to find the best draws for you. He’s sort of like the John West of Football draws.
Frankington Stanley is not fussy, no country or continent is out of bounds, and the more obscure the better. And some of them are quite obscure. They don’t even feature on the Who Scored website.
So get yourself ready for another weekly serving of the finest Football Draw tips from all over the world, where The Gurgler and Frankington Stanley take the stale out of stalemate. It’s all you can eat draws.
Nov 17-22 Best of Football Draws Tips of the Week
All odds courtesy of Sportsbet
DRAW OF THE WEEK
EURO – ROMANIA v SWITZERLAND
ODDS – DRAW $TBA
FORM / STATS – The last two games between these sides have ended 2-2 and 1-1. Then these sides are currently equal top of their Euro qualifying group with a W4 D4 L0 record, and a draw might just suit both countries. And us.
EURO – SCOTLAND v NORWAY
ODDS – DRAW $3.20
FORM / STATS – Three draws from eight games in a decent strike rate to get a little excited for a draw, but then there’s the home record for Scotland in this fixture. The last game played in Scotland ended 0-0 and there’s a 1-1 two games before that. A 0-1 loss in between means Scotland are yet to beat Norway in Scotland, which screams draw.
EURO – NORTHERN IRELAND v DENMARK
ODDS – DRAW $TBA
FORM / STATS – Three draws from the five games played between these sides is a good start, and the two subsequent games only has a goal in it. With Denmark second in their Euro pool and almost safe for progressing a draw might be enough for them. And plenty for us. And you.
Algeria – Ligue Professionnelle 1 – ES Ben Aknoun v Paradoe
ODDS – DRAW $2.90
FORM / STATS – Never thought of following Algerian football before? You should. Both of these sides have only played two games home (Ben Aknoun) or away (Paradoe) this season so far, and both sides have drawn one of those games. So early days but looking at a 50% draw strike rate. Just the way we like it.
Croatian Second Division – Cibalia Vinkovci v Vukovar
ODDS – DRAW $3.10
FORM / STATS – The last game between these sides may have seen a 3-1 win to Vukovar, but prior to that it was two draws in a row. And more improtantly, the last game at Cibalia Vinkovci ended 2-2.
Slovakian League – Malzenice v MSK Povazska Bystrica
ODDS – DRAW $3.30
FORM / STATS – Malzenice are unbeaten in their last 5 games at home which includes two draws before the most recent three wins. So they must have been going badly if they are still only the 11th best team at home this season. Their goals record of 11 for and 10 against in nine games screams a team ready to draw. The away team MSK Povazska Bystrica have drawn two of their last five away games.
UK Isthmian Premier Division – Haringey Borough v Kingstonian
ODDS – DRAW $3.40
FORM / STATS – Relegation six pointer anyone? A battle between 20th and 21st, so despite it being early days in the season it will still be tense. Tense means draw. Haringey Borough have drawn four games from 15 this season, but three of those have been in their last four matches including their last home game. Kingstonian are yet to away with a single draw their best result from six away games.
The draw for the 2024 NRL Season is out now, and as ever it has seen an explosion in fans complaining, comparing and bemoaning the 2024 season fixtures for opposition toughness, turnarounds, travel and TV viewing. So to put some arguments to rest or pour a can on the fire is our 2024 NRL Draw Analysis.
As ever The Gurgler is here to overcomplicate things and throw in so many visuals and barely interesting stats that most readers will give up halfway through. Your loss, as we have so many choice cuts of data it could almost be called a Butcher’s Shop of rugby league meat.
So sit back and get ready to look into the future and dive into the…..
2024 NRL Draw Analysis
FIXTURE DIFFICULTY
Fixture difficulty is based on where the 2024 opponent finished in 2023.
Tough start to the season for the Melbourne Storm as they face four of last season’s top five in their first four games, with a bye in round 4. But on their side is that three of those games are at home.
Great start to the season for two of the Queensland sides. Dolphins play three of the bottom four from 2023 and Gold Coast play second last, third last and fifth last to start the season.
Given the Broncos play Penrith in the Grand Final rematch in Round 3, and the Battle of Brisbane isn’t until Round 6, it looks unlikely that both teams will be unbeaten going into that game like in 2023.
Not great reading for South Sydney as they have the fourth hardest fixtures to start the season and the hardest fixtures to end the season.
The overall opposition position seems reasonably fair over the course of the season, although Cronulla seem to have the easiest season ahead.
FULL 2024 FIXTURES BY OPPOSITION ’23 LADDER POSITION
2024 FIXTURES BY OPPOSITION AVERAGE ’23 LADDER POSITION
2024 FIXTURES BY OPPOSITION AVERAGE ’23 LADDER – FIRST/LAST 7 ROUNDS
VS OPPOSITION – TOP / BOTTOM HALF FINISH IN 2023
VS OPPOSITION – TOP / BOTTOM HALF FINISH IN 2023 – FIRST/LAST 7 ROUNDS
DISTANCE TRAVELLED
This is the distance the away team has to travel for each game. Note we have not included teams who have moved home games, as they chose to travel so get a 0km based on the home game. Las Vegas is not included as it would ruin all our visuals.
Distance travelled may be an obvious one with the New Zealand Warriors and North Queensland needing to do the most travelling. But we have split the distance travelled in to first/last seven rounds, and some clubs would only need an Uber for their last seven weeks.
The Warriors travel the most unsurprisingly, and their reward for an outstanding 2023 campaign is they travel for a further 2,000kM+ in 2024 compared to the 2023 NRL Draw Analysis.
The Sydney Rooster travel less than 200km in the first seven rounds, in you ignore the small thing of a trip to Las Vegas.
FULL DISTANCE TRAVELLED (AWAY) BY ROUND
FULL DISTANCE TRAVELLED (AWAY) TOTAL
FULL DISTANCE TRAVELLED (AWAY) FIRST / LAST SEVEN ROUNDS
HOME & AWAY
No, not the show, just a quick rundown of the home and away fixtures for all of the sides for the 2024 NRL season.
Melbourne Storm get four home games in their first five games, and Parramatta have five of their first seven, although one is in Darwin. So enjoy that heat. Flip side for Storm is they have four games away from home in the last five rounds.
DAY
Just a quick look at the kick off times for all teams for the 2024 NRL season.
Newcastle will hopefully like playing on a Sunday.
Broncos love Friday nights as per usual.
TIME
You can’t have day without time, it just wouldn’t make sense. So make sense of the games by time visual below.
DAY / NIGHT
The last of the kick off times to qualify for a day game is 4pm in our opinion and as per the visuals below.
An amazing stat that Melbourne have just one day game in 2024.
Gold Coast and Newcastle are top of the daytime games. Which makes sense for the Gold Coast and their beaches.
DAYS TURNAROUND
One big sticking point is the days turnaround between games, and some teams have been luckier than others.
Penrith are one of the unlucky ones with four five-day turnarounds. Sydney teams fare the worst with tighter turnaround, but they also travel less over the season.
DAY TURNAROUNDS BETWEEN GAMES BY ROUND IN 2024
FIVE DAY TURNAROUNDS in 2024
AVERAGE DAYS TURNAROUNDS
CHANNEL NEIN
Everyone like to bitch about Channel Nein for their tired coverage, ads, Gus Gould and bias in the comm box and choosing games.
So here to fan the flames of hate towards Channel Nein are the 2024 NRL Draw Stats.\
As reigning triple premiers you’d expect Penrith to be top of the Channel Nein charts, and we guess Souths still have enough box office players left to warrant an equal top rating. Although, not on a Sunday where they get just the one appearance.
Channel Nein are banking on the Knights continuing their Kalyn Ponga inspired second half season form into 2024 by giving them the most Sunday afternoon slots.
CHANNEL NEIN GAMES IN 2024 WITH HOIME / AWAY
SELECTED CHANNEL NEIN GAMES IN 2024
BYES
Just in case you need a quick season guide to the byes, here it is.
The 2023 NRL season is well and truly over, and for a third straight year Penrith Panthers were the winners of the NRL premiership, but they didn’t win everything….according to our stats, they weren’t the 2023 Best Supported NRL Team.
Our analysis takes in Social Media Followers, Memberships and Crowd Numbers. But not just biggest, we compare them to the population and % capacity. We get the figures then rank all teams 1 to 17 then give out points 17 to 1 based on that rank. Most points overall is best supported.
This 2023 Best Supported NRL Team feature doesn’t just give a number or rank for best support and leave it there, included are some interesting points around the 2023 NRL season. And note, that three teams were disadvantaged by not having Membership stats we could find – Penrith, Parramatta and Warriors, which would have bumped them all up the ladder.
For now, read on and discover the………
2023 Best Supported NRL Team Analysis
Like the 2032 Olympics, the winner is Brisbane. Broncos that is.
Here is the result for the 2023 Best Supported NRL Team, and it probably isn’t a surprise given they have had an entire capital city to themselves for decades. Teams that have little geographic competition are high on the list, but South Sydney buck the trend with their second placed finish. So perhaps that person in a Souths jersey everywhere in Australia is genuine.
The result is a culmination of all various categories we were able to find data, and a more detailed look into those stats is below. But note, Penrith, Warriors and Parramatta are a little ripped of due to no 2023 Membership stats.
2023 Best Supported NRL Team Result
A full explanation of the 2023 Best Supported Team result is below.
2023 NRL Crowd Numbers
Here are the key crowd numbers for the 2023 season in team order.
Note: the teams with an asterisk were home teams at Magic Round, where the crowd figure was excluded.
Highest Crowd Points below is based on the top 50 NRL crowds for the 2023 NRL season. We awarded two points to the home side and one point to the away side for all of those top 50 games.
So the Brisbane clubs have great average crowds, but are they filling it like they should?
We answer that question below with the average crowd divided by the crowd capacity.
Note: where teams share mainly between two grounds we have an average of the two grounds.
Finally, it is easy for Brisbane to win average crowds due to the size of the city and potential audience. So we have taken the crowd average and divided it by a calculation of the population.
For Sydney we took the overall Sydney population and divided it by the none for the number of teams based in Sydney. For Brisbane we divided by two.
The least complete data field was Memberships with three teams missing, but there are still points of interest.
Like the Membership numbers themselves and the growth of members from 2022 to 2023.
The teams that had a negative growth had competition for attention like AFL in Melbourne and crime on the Gold Coast (if you believe the news). Plus the two merger clubs that finished bottom two had a negative growth. Which is no surprise.
