Useful queries:

 - selects top rating progression

CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW max_date_rankings AS
       SELECT MAX(ranking) max_ranking,
              rank_date max_rank_date
       FROM rankings
       GROUP BY rank_date;
SELECT drivers.driver,
       max_date_rankings.max_rank_date,
       max_date_rankings.max_ranking
FROM max_date_rankings
INNER JOIN rankings ON (rankings.ranking = max_date_rankings.max_ranking)
                    AND (rankings.rank_date = max_date_rankings.max_rank_date)
LEFT JOIN drivers ON rankings._driver = drivers.id
WHERE max_ranking > (
      SELECT MAX(mr.max_ranking) FROM max_date_rankings mr
      WHERE mr.max_rank_date < max_date_rankings.max_rank_date
);

SELECT * FROM rankings
JOIN drivers ON rankings._driver = drivers.id
WHERE ranking >= (
      SELECT MAX(r.ranking) FROM rankings r
      WHERE r.rank_date <= rankings.rank_date
) ORDER BY rank_date ASC;

 - overall top peak ratings

SELECT drivers.driver,
       rankings.ranking,
       rankings.rank_date
FROM rankings
INNER JOIN (
      SELECT MAX(ranking) ranking, _driver FROM rankings
      GROUP BY _driver
) r ON r.ranking=rankings.ranking AND r._driver=rankings._driver
JOIN drivers ON rankings._driver = drivers.id
ORDER BY rankings.ranking DESC;

 - highest exit ratings

SELECT drivers.driver,
       rankings.ranking,
         rankings.rank_date
FROM rankings
INNER JOIN (
      SELECT MAX(rank_date) rank_date, _driver FROM rankings GROUP BY _driver
) r ON r.rank_date=rankings.rank_date AND r._driver=rankings._driver
JOIN drivers ON rankings._driver = drivers.id
WHERE rankings.rank_date < CONCAT(YEAR(CURDATE()),'-01-01')
ORDER BY rankings.ranking DESC;

 - year-by-year rating inflation

SELECT YEAR(rank_date),
       MAX(ranking),
       MIN(ranking),
       AVG(ranking),
       AVG(ranking)+STDDEV(ranking),
       AVG(ranking)-STDDEV(ranking)
FROM rankings
GROUP BY YEAR(rank_date)
ORDER BY YEAR(rank_date) ASC;

 - qualifying/grid sanity check

SELECT drivers.number, drivers.forename, drivers.surname, races.year, races.name, qualifying.number, qualifying.position, qualifying.q1, qualifying.q2, qualifying.q3, results.grid, results.number FROM qualifying INNER JOIN results ON (qualifying.driverID = results.driverId) AND (qualifying.raceId = results.raceId) JOIN drivers ON drivers.driverId = results.driverId JOIN races ON results.raceId = races.raceId WHERE qualifying.position <> results.grid ORDER BY races.date ASC