Before the 2018 U.S. Grand Prix weekend began, I posted five prediction polls on the Lights Out twitter account. How many of the questions did you get right? Find out below!
1. Will Lewis Hamilton win the title?
1. Will Lewis Hamilton win the 2018 F1 title at the #USGP? #F1
— Lights Out ●●●●● (@LightsOutF1Blog) October 18, 2018
YOUR PREDICTION: YES
CORRECT ANSWER: NO
Lewis Hamilton needed just eight points more than Sebastian Vettel to be crowned the 2018 World Champion at the U.S. Grand Prix. In the end, the title celebrations have to wait for another week. Kimi Raikkonen won the race, with Hamilton finishing third. Title rival Sebastian Vettel finished fourth, keeping his slim hopes of a fifth title in 2018 alive.
2. Who’ll be best of the rest after the U.S. Grand Prix?
2. Sergio Perez, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg are all currently tied on 53 points in the Drivers’ Championship. Who’ll have more points at the end of the #USGP weekend? #F1
— Lights Out ●●●●● (@LightsOutF1Blog) October 18, 2018
YOUR PREDICTION: SERGIO PEREZ
CORRECT ANSWER: NICO HULKENBERG
Heading into the U.S. Grand Prix, Sergio Perez, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg were all tied on 53 points, while just four points separated seventh from eleventh in the Drivers’ Championship. After the U.S. Grand Prix, Hulkenberg moves up to seventh, Magnussen is eighth and Hulkenberg is ninth. The trio are now separated by seven points.
3. How many cars will finish the race?
3. How many cars will finish the 2018 #USGP? #F1
— Lights Out ●●●●● (@LightsOutF1Blog) October 18, 2018
YOUR PREDICTION: 17
CORRECT ANSWER: 16
Sixteen cars finished the Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso and Romain Grosjean were eliminated as a result of first lap incidents, Daniel Ricciardo retired as a result of mechanical problems and Charles Leclerc suffered a similar fate on the 32nd lap.
4. Will Red Bull finish on the podium?
4. Will Red Bull score a podium finish at the #USGP? #F1
— Lights Out ●●●●● (@LightsOutF1Blog) October 18, 2018
YOUR PREDICTION: YES
CORRECT ANSWER: YES
Daniel Ricciardo started from fourth, while Max Verstappen started down in eighteenth after hitting a kerb in qualifying and picking up a grid penalty. It was Verstappen who provided Red Bull with a podium finish at the 2018 U.S. Grand Prix, with a brilliant drive seeing him climb from eighteenth on the grid to just over one second off the lead at the chequered flag.
5. How many days of running will be affected by rain?
5. How many days of the #USGP weekend will be affected by rain? #F1
— Lights Out ●●●●● (@LightsOutF1Blog) October 18, 2018
YOUR PREDICTION: 2
CORRECT ANSWER: 1
It had been wet all week at the Circuit of the Americas ahead of the first track action on Friday. The track dried throughout the first practice session, only to be soaked again soon after, leading to relatively little on-track time on Friday afternoon. Saturday was forecast to be wet, but the forecast changed overnight and the weather stayed dry for qualifying; as it did for the rest of the weekend.