F1 Data Visualizations

A set of Formula 1 data visualization scripts built with FastF1, Matplotlib, and Plotly. Each script pulls real telemetry and timing data to generate accurate, race-specific plots.

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Visualizations

1. Circuit Map

draw_circuit.py

Generates an annotated map of a circuit using GPS position data from the fastest lap. Corner numbers and labels are projected outward from the track using offset vectors, matching the circuit's official orientation.

Output

• Track outline drawn from real onboard position data
• All corners labeled with official number and letter (e.g. 1, 6A, 6B)
• Leader lines connecting each corner marker to its position on track
• Circuit location as the plot title

How It Works

1. Loads race session data using FastF1
2. Picks the fastest lap from the session
3. Extracts X / Y telemetry coordinates as a NumPy array
4. Retrieves circuit rotation angle and corner metadata
5. Applies a 2D rotation matrix to align the track upright
6. Projects corner labels outward using angular offset vectors

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2. Race Position Chart

driver_standings.py

Plots every driver's position across all race laps on a single chart. Each driver is rendered in their official team color with distinct line styles to avoid overlap.

Output

• One line per driver across all race laps
• Official team colors and line styles via fastf1.plotting
• Y-axis inverted so P1 appears at the top
• Driver abbreviation legend positioned outside the plot area

How It Works

1. Loads race session lap data using FastF1
2. Iterates over all drivers in the session
3. Retrieves each driver's official color and line style
4. Plots lap number vs. position for each driver
5. Formats axes and adds a legend

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3. Season Summary Heatmap

season_summary.py

Produces an interactive heatmap of every driver's points haul across an entire F1 season. Sprint race points are included where applicable. Hovering over any cell reveals the driver, race name, points scored, and finishing position.

Output

• Per-round points heatmap with drivers sorted by total points (lowest at bottom)
• Separate total points column alongside the main heatmap
• Points scored overlaid as text on each cell
• Hover tooltips showing driver, race, points, and finishing position

How It Works

1. Fetches the full season schedule using ff1.get_event_schedule
2. Loads race results for every round (laps and telemetry skipped for speed)
3. Detects sprint weekends via EventFormat and adds sprint points where applicable
4. Pivots the data into a driver × round matrix
5. Sorts drivers by total points and renders a two-panel interactive Plotly heatmap

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Tech Stack

Tool	Purpose
Python 3.x	Core language
FastF1	F1 session, telemetry, and timing data
NumPy	Rotation matrix and coordinate operations
Matplotlib	Static track and position plotting
Plotly	Interactive season summary heatmap
pandas	Data wrangling and pivot tables

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Installation

pip install fastf1 numpy matplotlib plotly pandas

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Changing the Race or Season

Circuit map and position chart — update the get_session call:

session = fastf1.get_session(2021, 'French Grand Prix', 'R')

Season summary — update the season variable:

season = 2024

Parameter	Options
Year	Any season from 2018 onwards
Event	Full Grand Prix name (e.g. 'Monaco Grand Prix')
Session	'R' Race · 'Q' Qualifying · 'S' Sprint · 'FP1' 'FP2' 'FP3'