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What is f1-race-replay?

iamtomshaw/f1-race-replay — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-06-26

5,779PythonAudience · generalComplexity · 2/5Setup · easy

In one sentence

A Python app that replays Formula 1 races as animated top-down visualizations using real telemetry data, with a live leaderboard, interactive playback controls, and driver telemetry overlays.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Animated race replay
      Live leaderboard
      Telemetry overlays
      Safety Car simulation
    Tech Stack
      Python
      FastF1
      F1 data feed
    Use Cases
      Race analysis
      Qualifying review
      Driver comparison
    Controls
      Pause and rewind
      Playback speed
      Driver highlight
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Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Replay any Formula 1 race with animated driver positions and a live leaderboard to study race strategy and overtakes.

USE CASE 2

Visualize qualifying sessions with telemetry overlays showing speed, gear, throttle, and brake data for each driver.

USE CASE 3

Click on a driver in the leaderboard to highlight their path on track and pull up their real-time telemetry.

USE CASE 4

Study Safety Car deployments and their effect on race positions using the app's simulated Safety Car positioning.

What is it built with?

PythonFastF1

How does it compare?

iamtomshaw/f1-race-replaypython-attrs/attrsaidlearning/aidlearning-framework
Stars5,7795,7805,773
LanguagePythonPythonPython
Setup difficultyeasyeasymoderate
Complexity2/52/53/5
Audiencegeneraldeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 30min

FastF1 downloads session data from the F1 feed on first run and caches it locally, so the initial replay takes longer while data downloads.

The explanation does not mention the license terms.

So what is it?

F1 Race Replay is a Python application that plays back Formula 1 race events as an animated visualization on your screen. It pulls real telemetry and timing data from the FastF1 library, which accesses the official F1 data feed, then renders a top-down view of the track with each driver's position moving in real time as the race progresses. The visualization includes a live leaderboard showing driver positions and tyre compounds, a lap and time counter, and markers for drivers who retire from the race. Interactive controls let you pause, rewind, fast forward, and change playback speed using either keyboard shortcuts or on-screen buttons. You can click on drivers in the leaderboard to highlight them on track and pull up their telemetry data, including speed, gear, and DRS activation status. The app also models Safety Car deployments. Because the F1 API does not provide GPS coordinates for the Safety Car itself, the application simulates its position by placing it roughly 500 meters ahead of the race leader on the track. Visual cues show the three phases of a Safety Car period: deploying from the pit lane, running on track, and returning to the pits. Sessions beyond race replays are also supported. Qualifying sessions can be replayed with telemetry overlays showing speed, gear, throttle, and brake over the lap. Sprint sessions and sprint qualifying work through additional command-line flags. A graphical menu lets you pick the year and round without typing commands. Getting started requires Python 3.11 or later and a few dependencies, installed via pip. The FastF1 cache folder is created automatically on first run, storing downloaded session data so repeat runs load faster. The project is actively developed, with a roadmap file listing planned features.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Using f1-race-replay, show me how to start a replay of the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix with all drivers animated on the track.
Prompt 2
How do I use f1-race-replay to compare telemetry between two drivers during a qualifying lap, speed, gear, and brake traces?
Prompt 3
Set up f1-race-replay on Python 3.11, install the dependencies, and replay a sprint race using the correct command-line flags.
Prompt 4
How does f1-race-replay simulate the Safety Car's position on track when the F1 API doesn't provide its GPS coordinates?

Frequently asked questions

What is f1-race-replay?

A Python app that replays Formula 1 races as animated top-down visualizations using real telemetry data, with a live leaderboard, interactive playback controls, and driver telemetry overlays.

What language is f1-race-replay written in?

Mainly Python. The stack also includes Python, FastF1.

What license does f1-race-replay use?

The explanation does not mention the license terms.

How hard is f1-race-replay to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is f1-race-replay for?

Mainly general.

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