Sign in

Sean Kelly

@virtualstatman.bsky.social
8.9K followers 80 following 460 posts

Formula 1 on-stage host and chief statistician to the TV broadcasters. Making statistics the new rock 'n roll since 2003 🇮🇪 🇬🇧

PostsRepliesMedia
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
P.S. I really miss that tight group of colleagues with whom I spent the first 15 years of my time in F1. We worked together, we laughed together, we did stupid shit together. There are times when I feel lonely in F1 without them.
2170
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
A sobering thought has crossed my mind as i'm preparing for Sepang. The last time F1 raced there was three days before NBC lost the broadcast rights to F1 in the US in 2017.... (1/2)
1150
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Colapinto made a bad error in the #AzerbaijanGP, but it happens to every driver at some point. Although blame was more evenly split, Verstappen collided with his teammate at the same corner in 2018. Colapinto finished every GP he started for Alpine until yesterday, this is all a bit melodramatic
6511
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
George Russell's 0.196s winning margin over Max Verstappen is the closest in a green flag finish at a Grand Prix since Ferrari's infamous stage-managed finish at the 2002 US Grand Prix, when Rubens Barrichello accidentally beat Michael Schumacher by 0.011s #AzerbaijanGP
1267
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I lost my Mum 20 years ago today. She was never interested in sports... unless somebody from Ireland had a chance of winning... and Alex Dunne has just won for Ireland in FIA Formula 2 here in Baku 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪
0360
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I don't really have any notable personal anecdotes to add to the 9/11 commemorations, but i'm glad I was old enough to have experienced a world filled with optimism and positivity during the years prior to that date, because I know i'll never experience that world again in my lifetime
4384
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
I am sure many of you out there had never heard the name Ludovico Scarfiotti until today. I always rated his 1966 Italian GP win as the most obscure in F1 history given that it was a Ferrari 1-2 at Monza, with the other driver being Mike Parkes. They only started 16 GPs between them #ItalianGP
0170
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Antonelli ends 60 years of hurt for Italy. Sta tornando a casa #ItalianGP
1240
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
I was originally named for Sean T O’Kelly, the second President of Ireland. Coincidentally, the cyclist Sean Kelly won two stages of the Tour de France in the week I was born, so I was named for him as well 🇮🇪
090
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Don’t forget that the Nurburgring also held the 2020 Eifel GP as well!
1111
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
2016 counts toward European GP event history but Azerbaijan track history
190
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Aston Martin's best qualifying time at this weekend's #BelgianGP (1:50.002) is more than two seconds slower than the pole time. From 35 years ago.
2386
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Didn’t travel to Spa this weekend, so I came to visit this man instead, on the 11th anniversary of his passing. They have relocated his remains from elsewhere in the cemetery #JB17
1241
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Ferrari win their 250th Grand Prix on the weekend that the USA celebrated 250 years since independence. That means Ferrari have averaged one Grand Prix victory every year since 1776!
1301
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Will Buxton has the play by play duties at the Indianapolis 500 while Formula 2 continues here in Montreal. It was his commentary on this series in the GP2 days that attracted the attention of SPEED Channel who hired him as a pit reporter in 2010. And look at him now!
1160
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Flight out of Miami is late, and while sat here daydreaming it occurred to me that i've now done as many full-time seasons working in F1 as Murray Walker did prior to retirement in 2001. That seems incredible to me because Murray felt like he was there forever, whereas my time has passed in a flash
1240
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
It is 5:30pm in Miami and it is now finally spitting with rain. As it turned out, we would have completed a full dry race even if it started at its originally-scheduled time, it’s been dry all afternoon #MiamiGP
4242
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
I happened to look at social media yesterday evening and was reading all sorts of keyboard warriors saying the FIA/F1 were stupid for not just canceling the race 24 hours in advance. Welp, the people in question need to go back in, delete those posts and hope nobody notices #MiamiGP
0160
Reposted by Sean Kelly
Matt Bishop 🏳️‍🌈 🏁 @thebishf1.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
#RIPAlexZanardi, perhaps the most impressive person I’ve ever met. 😔
3229654
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Alex Zanardi.... one of the greatest inspirations throughout the history of humanity. We're all poorer without his energy in this world.
2431
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
I was in Max’s company once, and I have never felt so intellectually overmatched in my life.
150
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Here for the group hugs <3
0160
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Sad that I can no longer wake up to the NASA Artemis II livestream. It has been such an unexpected light in our lives for these past ten days
2474
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
I refused to move until all four astronauts were successfully out of Orion and in the life raft
0271
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
I’m gonna guess the Artemis II crew are not the kind of people who get up the moment the seat belt sign is switched off after landing
3201
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
I am on the beach in San Diego… we didn’t see or hear anything of Artemis II on re-entry as expected, but there were a LOT of people out here anyway, several were crowded around my iPad and Bluetooth speaker watching the live NASA feed. Huge cheers broke out when we saw all three main chutes open ❤️
512416
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
NASA have just revised the expected splashdown time by 1 second, to 5:07:08pm Pacific Time. How are we supposed to plan our lives around such inaccuracy! 😂
0111
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
The Artemis II crew are at that stage of the flight where they get offered 50,000 free air miles if they sign up for a new credit card
0181
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Had to go out and run errands today and felt like I was cheating on the Artemis II crew by not following what they’ve been doing
080
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Right now, there are four humans further from Earth than at any time in all of human history. That is incredible to me. We’re no longer reading about visiting the moon as something that happened in our parents’ / grandparents’ time. Our generation is finally building on the legacy of Apollo
0270
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
I don’t get emotional easily but this is one of the most profound messages in modern human history. Jim Lovell is one of my heroes, and I just wish he had lived a few more months to witness this momentous day in human history
0221
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
Ran the track this evening as fast as I could, except for pausing briefly at Jules Bianchi’s accident site #JapaneseGP
1341
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
How I love Suzuka at dusk #JapaneseGP
2444
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
I never liked St Patrick’s Day because it involves drinking alcohol and pretending to be Irish, and I’ve never been convincing at doing either of them 🇮🇪
0121
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
I suppose it stands to reason that a new F1 rules package with electrical energy at its core was always likely to have positives and negatives. I’ll get my coat.
7555
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
Kimi Antonelli is emotional with good reason. He's never seen an Italian driver win a Formula 1 race in his lifetime #ChineseGP
413323
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
Kimi Antonelli's victory today was only the second Grand Prix in history won by a teenager. After Max Verstappen won the 2016 Spanish GP aged 18, he didn't win again until the day after his 20th birthday #ChineseGP
0330
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
We’ve always received a great welcome when we’ve visited Bahrain and Saudi Arabia for F1, and of course in my case the Bahraini health service literally put me back on my feet in 2023 when I was nearly paralyzed by a hemorrhaged disc. I hope everybody will remain safe there and we shall return soon
0240
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
Although I would never completely dismiss safety risks, the starts we've had so far this season have been eons more interesting than in the last 20 years. For those who say F1 was better "back in my day", welp.... this is how race starts used to look back in your day!
3290
Reposted by Sean Kelly
Matt Bishop 🏳️‍🌈 🏁 @thebishf1.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
He died #OnThisDay 7 years ago, & #F1 & the FIA miss him every day, now more than ever. #RIPCharlieWhiting
712010
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
Kimi Antonelli was born on the day that Sebastian Vettel first appeared at an F1 race weekend, in Friday practice at the 2006 Turkish GP. He has now surpassed Vettel's record as F1's youngest-ever polesitter #ChineseGP
1335
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
Kimi Antonelli can become Formula 1's youngest-ever polesitter if he is quickest in Q3. He will undercut 21-year-old Sebastian Vettel's previous record set at Monza in 2008 #ChineseGP
0100
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
Still waiting for somebody other than George Russell to be quickest in a session since Friday afternoon at the Australian Grand Prix... #ChineseGP
190
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
Well excuse me for finding that sprint race to be highly entertaining rather than towing the typical old fart's line of "it was better back in my day" #ChineseGP
2463
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
The weather is back to front. I just left blue skies in Melbourne and have landed in torrential rain on the Gold Coast. Wtf haha 😂
090
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
I love the comedy employed by the Yarra Trams staff while they get us to Albert Park in the mornings. Yesterday it was “first class is at the front, there will be champagne on arrival”. Today it was “this team is for Red Bull fans only” 😂 #AustralianGP 🇦🇺
070
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Amazing line from Mario Andretti just now in pitlane. When asked what is the secret to his eternal youth, he said that racing is his life and “it will be like this until they put me in a box. And that box better have wheels on it” #AustralianGP 🇦🇺
1322
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
The potential good news would be that as we go along, it might only require an adjustment in the regs in terms of “more of this” and “less of that” until we get the balance right so they can race each other. Or am I just being an optimist? :)
030
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
In terms of the actual *racing* you mean? Yes I am. My prediction is for a tedious race. And I’m saying that because I want to be proven 100% wrong and roundly mocked afterwards :)
1120
Sean Kelly @virtualstatman.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
There were 86,210 people at the track yesterday. F1 cars didn’t even run (!) #AustralianGP
1190