Hi all,

In a move that's unlike me to do so, I placed a bet at the weekend that Hamilton would have the fastest average speed at the Brazilian GP.

The bookie has taken my bet as a loss, where I think they're wrong. They keep telling me it was Vestappen (get the impression the guy on the end of the live chat doesn't know anything about the sport - kept referring to it as a 'match'. MV got the fastest lap, but I don't believe the fastest average speed in the race.

My problem is that I can't seem o find any official stats so I can win the argument, but I believe the answer is an average speed of 101.393 mph for Hamilton.

Can anyone help please?

PS we're not talking about big money (a £5 bet) but in principle I feel a bit robbed and intend to put things straight

Cheers

Steve

Surely the winning car would have the fastest average speed for the whole race?

Fastest lap car, MV would have the highest average speed for that lap?

how does the bookie define "average speed"?

Average speed = distance /time. Since all finisher travelled the same distance that may very by a few cars length, depending where the car was on the grid, then the highest average speed would be the driver who finished in the shortest time.


So my reckoning it was Hamilton unless Verstappen did extra laps.

cf. Collins English dictionary
a scalar measure of the rate of movement of a body expressed as the distance travelled divided by the time taken

Check your ticket as it sounds the bookie is talking about fastest lap otherwise described as fastest average speed for one lap.

Make them pay up - they are wrong if the bet was placed for "highest average speed".

[Edited on 14/11/16 by 02GF74]

Odd bet for them to offer:

Fastest average speed (over the race) == Race winner
Fastest average speed (over one lap) == Fastest lap

Weird, because I'd imagine the bet offered would be either for race winner or whoever got the fastest lap.

Go to 'Official Classification' on this page, an download the .pdf:

FIA Official Classification

According to the FIA, LH's average speed was 101.393kph, MV's was 101.193kph.

Make them pay!

Cheers guys.

My point exactly is that they weren't clear on what they were offering.

However, the average speeds aren't all in rank order of finishing - there are a few disparities in the middle of the finishing field, I guess where people made up places from their starting position.

I could just let it go. But where would the fun in that be?

This is what they placed for me to back:

1. Brazilian GP 2016 - Fastest Average Speed During The Race
Formula 1 - Brazilian GP
Bet Type: Winning Drivernull, You bet on: Lewis Hamilton

Not clear whether fastest lap or not - I took it as over the course of the race. Logically, if they wanted fastest lap, they'd say 'fastest lap' (and in fact, the way I've taken it they should have just put 'race winner'

It's all in the wording
"fastest average speed during the race"
What you thought you bet on was "fastest average speed over full race distance"
Semantics I know but sorry you lost

I wonder if they deduct pit stops.. it could be possible for a car to do more stops, not win, and have a higher average speed.. while it's moving? ..nah..

..maybe they just wanted your money.

Max's average speed is listed as 101.193 for the race.

Obviously he had the fastest average over a single lap. The line "during the race" implies over a lap to me. If it has said "for the duration of the race" i would have said you had a case.

During the race could mean over any section of the race, even down to sections, not full laps.

Yeah, it's not clear either way really.

I almost got the girl on the end of the live chat to agree with me but then when she went to a 'manager' funnily her opinion was reversed.

It's not big money, more a principle than anything so put down to experience and walk away.

This is why I generally don't bet on stuff - last time I had a bit of money left over in a Betfair account after a corporate day at the races (saves having to walk down to the bookies and I could keep quaffing free drinks!).

I was watching an F1a few years ago race and Vettel was going great guns from a poor position, so I backed him a little for the win. As I was watching, the live odds were getting better and better, so I backed a little more, and a little more. Then I was watching the odds more than the race - I went all in (which to a seasoned gambler would be peanuts, but to me it was about £40) which would have bagged me close to a grand. At this point I looked up to see smoke billowing from the back of a RedBull and a german driver walking back to the pits...

Who was the bookie?

quote:

---

Originally posted by loggyboy
Who was the bookie?

---

It's Betsafe. I went with them as they had a free bet offer, and on the rare occasion I fancy a flutter, I always try and get an offer out of it.

Not on my Christmas card list though!