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An Analysis of Car and Driver Impact on Formula 1 Success - Part 2

  In the previous part of this project, I looked at the variables I was using, and some of the trends that I identified through a preliminary analysis. Part 2 of this project is dedicated to:  - The research questions I formulated  - The statistical analyses that I used for each question  - The interpretation of my analysis  - What conclusions I was able to draw to answer each research question Research Questions Based on my preliminary analysis of the variables that I was working with, I came up with more questions that I was interested in exploring, in addition to my original goal of figuring out whether the car or driver was more crucial to Formula 1 success. One of the first things that piqued my interest was how the different points systems affected overall scoring. While it was immediately clear that the change in point scoring systems from 10 points for a win to 25 points for a win resulted in drastic changes to the point totals, my hypothesis was that the change from sys
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An Analysis of Car and Driver Impact on Formula 1 Success - Part 1

One of the most hotly debated topics in Formula 1 is over who should receive more of the plaudits for success, the car, or the driver. There are many views that range over the entire spectrum of opinions, from those who believe that the best car would win even with the worst driver, to those who think that the best driver can single-handedly drag a middling car to greatness. As a Formula 1 fan, I have always been very intrigued by this question. The goal of my analysis in the paper is to provide a quantitative look at this age-old question and set up a foundation upon which further empirical research into this topic can be conducted. This project is adapted from a project that I worked on for a college Statistics for Data Science class that I had taken. In this project, I looked at the last 30 years of Formula 1 data, spanning 1994 to 2023. I looked at various statistics that I thought would be insightful, and I eliminated metrics that were redundant and did not offer much avenue f
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The Car Driver Quandary

  If you were a Formula 1 team principal, would you rather have the best driver or the best car? For those of you who are regular readers of the blog, firstly, thank you for your support. It means a lot to me. Secondly, this might seem like a weird hook, considering my previous articles have all been about basketball. While that is true, I am actually a big fan of multiple sports, including football (soccer to American readers), baseball, Formula 1, and yes, basketball. Instead of creating a different blog for each sport, I figured it would be better to write about multiple different sports on the same blog. The dilemma of car or driver popped into my head while I was watching the US Grand Prix this past weekend. While Max Verstappen was comfortably on his way to another victory, the 50 th of his career, there were many interesting battles throughout the rest of the field. This got me thinking about the age-old question of whether having the best driver or the best car brings more
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The Fastest Gun in The West: ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich

Pete Maravich once said, “I don’t want to play 10 years (in the NBA) and then die of a heart attack when I’m 40.” Ironically, Maravich would play for 10 years in the NBA, and would die of heart failure at the age of 40. Maravich was a talented high school basketball player, and his identifying nickname, ‘Pistol’, originated in high school. This name came from his unorthodox shooting form. Maravich would shoot the ball from his side, from a position similar to where a gun was held. Maravich would burnish his already growing legend with a storied college career. With a total of 3,667 points and an average of 44.2 points per game over his time at LSU, Maravich holds the records for both career points totals and career point per game average. Notable, Maravich only played 83 games over his collegiate career, which is the lowest number of games played in the top 25 of scoring leaders. Additionally, Maravich did not play in the varsity team in his freshman year, as the rules prohibited h
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Statistics To Help the Spurs – A Retrospective

A little while ago, I made a post about how the San Antonio Spurs could get better using statistics. A season and change later, it’s time to re-examine the players involved in that piece and see how the Spurs are playing. As of the new year of 2022, the Spurs are 14-20, with the 5 players averaging the most minutes per game being Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson, Derrick White, Jakob Poeltl, and Doug McDermott. Murray is the only player who was in the starting 5 from last season. White, Johnson, Poeltl were all on the roster and have moved into bigger roles, while McDermott is a free agent signing in his first season with the Spurs. The previous starting 5 was Murray, Bryn Forbes, DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Trey Lyles. 3 of those players (DeRozan, Aldridge, and Lyles) have moved on. Forbes, after winning an NBA championship with the Bucks, returned to the Spurs this season. The 2019-20 Spurs line-up had a win co-efficient of 0.579. The top line-up that I looked at was t
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Sweet Shot

Most basketball fans are aware about the vast majority of NBA players, even if only in passing. The global reach of the NBA ensures that fans from all around the world are aware of players and their exploits. However, a lot of college basketball players who do not make it to the NBA are not given their due. This occurs because of the regional nature of college basketball, and this leads to some college legends not getting their fair share of plaudits. One such player is Melvin McLaughlin. Nicknamed ‘Sugar’ for his sweet shooting skills, McLaughlin was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and spent his high school years scoring at will for the Creston High School Polar Bears, averaging over 33 points per game in his junior and senior seasons. After a decorated high school career, McLaughlin attended Central Michigan University, where he would go on to form his legend. At Central Michgan, McLaughlin broke out in his sophomore year, averaging 20.8 points per game and being named to the Firs
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The Legend of Alex English

In the 1980s, the NBA shot into the national spotlight, buoyed by the rivalry of Magic Johnson’s LA Lakers and Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics. These rosters were chock full of multiple time NBA All-Stars, with the Lakers boasting Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the Celtics having Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish. The NBA also boasted luminaries such as Moses Malone, Julius Erving, Sidney Moncrief, and later in the decade, Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon. However, the player who scored the most points throughout the 1980s is not one of the many listed above, but Alex English, a player who has become a footnote in discussions about 80s basketball. English was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1976 NBA Draft, and after two uneventful seasons with them, he signed with the Indiana Pacers in the 1978-79 NBA season. This served as a breakout season for English, who averaged 16 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in 33.3 minutes per game, all career highs at the time. In the 1979-80 season, English
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What Could Have Been: The Story of David Thompson

Before Michael Jordan was crowned ‘His Airness’, there was a player who electrified the NBA with his own high-flying, above the rim style of play. Thompson’s legend first started in college at North Carolina State, when in his freshman season, he led the Wolfpack to a 27-0 unbeaten record. In the 1973-74 season, Thompson led the NC State Wolfpack to victory in the NCAA Tournament, winning the Most Outstanding Player during the tournament. He is also credited as the progenitor of the alley-oop pass along with teammate Monte Towne. Thompson averaged around 27 points and 8 rebounds over his college career on 55% shooting, earning his place as one of the greatest ACC conference players of all time. In both the NBA’s and ABA’s 1975 Draft, Thompson was selected with the first overall pick, and he ended up signing with the Denver Nuggets of the ABA. In his rookie season, he made the ABA All-Star game, was a part of the All-ABA Second team, and won the Rookie of the Year award, all while ave
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Argentina's Golden Generation

  In the 2004 Olympics, the US Men’s Nation Basketball team, led by players like Allen Iverson and Tim Duncan, and featuring a young Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. The US team was also coached by Larry Brown, who won the NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons in the 2003-04 season. This team was one of the favorites to win the gold medal. Despite the presence of some of the most prominent American stars, the US did not win the gold. In fact, they didn’t even make the final. They lost to the eventual winners, Argentina, in the semi-finals, 89-81. This Argentina team was one of the best in their history, filled with NBA players all throughout the roster, and led by Manu Ginóbili, a two-time NBA All-Star. The Argentinean team had more NBA players than just Ginóbili, including Luis Scola, Fabricio Oberto, Andres Nocioni, and Carlos Delfino. Despite both teams making the knockout rounds, they did not perform well in the group stages. Both Argentina and the US won only 3 out of their 5 g
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The Houdini of the Hardwood

In the annals of the greatest point guards, Bob Cousy stands alone. The first great floor general, he set the standard for next generation of point guards with his unparalleled ball distribution and fast paced style of play. A Celtics legend, Cousy was originally drafted by the Tri-Cities Blackhawks (currently the Atlanta Hawks). Cousy, who had attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, did not want to move to the Tri-Cities area, and refused to play for the Blackhawks. He was then signed by the Chicago Stags, and when they folded, he was assigned to the Boston Celtics. Cousy’s fast and flamboyant style of play was initially derided by many scouts and NBA personnel. Red Auerbach, the legendary Celtics coach, and Celtics owner Walter A. Brown were two of the many people who did not think Cousy would succeed in the NBA. Cousy would soon prove all those doubters wrong. In his first season, Cousy was selected for the first of 13 NBA All Star teams he would make
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