NOTE: Full version of this Notebook is at Kaggle.

This notebook visualizes race traces for every F1 Grand Prix in 2024, using historical data from the Formula 1 Race Data dataset (provided by ergast.com and updated on Kaggle after every race), along with race event information from Wikipedia.

Race traces are a great way to capture the dynamics of a Grand Prix. They show the gaps between cars, how the field spreads out over time, and the relative pace of each car as the race progresses. These traces are based on cumulative lap times, adjusted using the median lap time at each point in the race. The horizontal zero line serves as a reference for a virtual car running at the field’s median average lap time—cars above this line are faster, while those below are slower.

Here are some key features of the race traces:

• The line colors for each driver are based on their team colors.
• The fastest lap is marked with a ★.
• Laps where a car went via the pit lane are marked with a ●.
• Laps affected by the safety car are highlighted in yellow, indicating why the gaps between cars have reduced.
• Virtual safety cars, introduced in 2015, are highlighted in orange, as they cause the lines to spread out temporarily since leaders have completed more of the first affected lap at racing speeds.
• Overtakes are visible where the lines cross, often due to pit-stops.
• Truncated lines indicate retirement from the race.

The shadow at the bottom of the trace indicates which cars have been lapped by the lead car. This helps to reveal some effects, such as leaders making pit-stops to avoid slower traffic ahead. Backmarkers must allow leading cars through, and the edge of the shadow shows why their lines suddenly dip. Leaders may also ease off to let a lapped car through at the end of a race.

It's worth noting that good safety car data is hard to find, and the data scraped from Wikipedia may contain some mistakes. Therefore, the virtual safety car highlights in the traces are the author's estimates using lap-time data.

Overall, these race traces offer a comprehensive and informative way to understand the progress of each F1 race in 2024.

Tip: to see better resolution, <Right click> → Open Image in New Tab.

Revisions¶

• version 1: updated to Race 1 — Bahrain Grand Prix
• version 2: updated to Race 2 — Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
• version 3: updated to Race 3 — Australian Grand Prix
• version 4: updated to Race 4 — Japanese Grand Prix
• version 5: updated to Race 5 — Chinese Grand Prix
• version 6: updated to Race 6 — Miami Grand Prix
• version 7: updated to Race 7 — Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
• version 8: updated to Race 8 — Monaco Grand Prix
• version 9: updated to Race 9 — Canadian Grand Prix
• version 10: updated to Race 10 — Spanish Grand Prix
• version 11: updated to Race 11 — Austrian Grand Prix
• version 12: updated to Race 12 — British Grand Prix
• version 13: updated to Race 13 — Hungarian Grand Prix
• version 14: updated to Race 14 — Belgian Grand Prix
• version 15: updated to Race 15 — Dutch Grand Prix
• version 16: updated to Race 16 — Italian Grand Prix
• version 17: updated to Race 17 — Azerbaijan Grand Prix
• version 18: updated to Race 18 — Singapore Grand Prix
• version 19: updated to Race 19 — United States Grand Prix
• version 20: updated to Race 20 — Mexico City Grand Prix
• version 21: updated to Race 21 — São Paulo Grand Prix
• version 22: updated to Race 22 — Las Vegas Grand Prix
• version 23: updated to Race 23 — Qatar Grand Prix
• version 24: updated to Race 24 — Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

All F1 Race Traces¶

There is a notebook for every year that has lap-time data:

1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.

2024 Formula One World Championship¶

For background see Wikipedia; here's an excerpt:

The 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship was a motor racing championship for Formula One cars and was the 75th running of the Formula One World Championship. It was recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body of international motorsport, as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. The championship was contested over a record twenty-four Grands Prix held around the world.

Drivers and teams competed for the titles of World Drivers' Champion and World Constructors' Champion, respectively. Defending Drivers' Champion Max Verstappen started off the season with five wins in the first seven races, but was pressured by McLaren-Mercedes driver Lando Norris for the rest of the season after his RB20 fell behind Norris' MCL38 in terms of performance. Despite this, Verstappen performed consistently at the front of the field and won his fourth consecutive Drivers' Championship title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, while McLaren surpassed defending Constructors' Champions Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT and achieved their ninth Constructors' Championship title at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. With their win, McLaren became the first constructor other than Red Bull Racing and Mercedes to win the title since Brawn in 2009, while it was also their first win in the turbo-hybrid era.

Laps Per Position¶

Top F1 Drivers 2024¶