sprint_results.py
The sprint_results.py script fetches results from Formula 1 sprint races. Sprint races are shorter format races introduced in 2021 that determine part of the starting grid for the main Grand Prix.
Overview
This script uses the SprintResultsFetcher class to:
- Fetch sprint race results from the Ergast API
- Check if a race weekend includes a sprint
- Save sprint results to structured JSON files
- Handle races that don’t have sprints gracefully
Sprint races were introduced in 2021. Only select races each season feature sprint formats.
SprintResultsFetcher Class
Initialization
class SprintResultsFetcher:
def __init__(self, base_dir="."):
self.base_dir = Path(base_dir)
self.base_url = "https://api.jolpi.ca/ergast/f1"
# Rate limits
self.burst_limit = 4 # requests per second
self.last_request_time = 0
Key Methods
has_sprint()
Checks if a race has a sprint event.
def has_sprint(self, race):
"""Check if a race has a sprint event"""
return "Sprint" in race
race (dict): Race information object
Returns:
bool: True if race has a sprint, False otherwise
get_sprint_results()
Fetches sprint results from the API.
def get_sprint_results(self, season, round_num):
"""Get sprint results for a specific season and round"""
url = f"{self.base_url}/{season}/{round_num}/sprint.json"
return self.make_request(url)
season (int): F1 season yearround_num (int): Round number
Returns:
dict: Sprint results data or None
fetch_sprint_for_round()
Main method to fetch and save sprint results.
def fetch_sprint_for_round(self, season, round_num):
"""Fetch sprint results for a specific season and round"""
logger.info(f"Fetching sprint results for season {season}, round {round_num}")
# Create season directory
season_dir = self.base_dir / str(season)
os.makedirs(season_dir, exist_ok=True)
# Get race information
race = self.get_race_info(season, round_num)
if not race:
logger.warning(f"Race information not found for season {season}, round {round_num}")
return False
race_name = self.get_race_folder_name(race)
# Check if race has a sprint
if not self.has_sprint(race):
logger.warning(f"No sprint for {race_name} (Round {round_num}) in season {season}")
return False
logger.info(f"Found sprint race: {race_name} (Round {round_num})")
# Create race directory
race_dir = season_dir / race_name
os.makedirs(race_dir, exist_ok=True)
# Get sprint results
sprint_results = self.get_sprint_results(season, round_num)
if sprint_results:
sprint_results_path = race_dir / "sprint_results.json"
return self.save_json(sprint_results, sprint_results_path)
else:
logger.warning(f"No sprint results found for {race_name} (Round {round_num}) in season {season}")
return False
season (int): F1 season yearround_num (int): Round number
Returns:
bool: True if sprint results were successfully saved, False otherwise
Usage
Basic Usage
from sprint_results import SprintResultsFetcher
fetcher = SprintResultsFetcher(base_dir=".")
# Fetch sprint results for 2024 China (if it has a sprint)
fetcher.fetch_sprint_for_round(2024, 5)
# Fetch sprint results for 2024 Miami
fetcher.fetch_sprint_for_round(2024, 6)
Fetch All Sprints in a Season
fetcher = SprintResultsFetcher()
# Try all rounds - will skip races without sprints
for round_num in range(1, 25):
success = fetcher.fetch_sprint_for_round(2024, round_num)
if success:
print(f"Sprint found and saved for round {round_num}")
API Endpoint
GET https://api.jolpi.ca/ergast/f1/{season}/{round}/sprint.json
GET https://api.jolpi.ca/ergast/f1/2024/6/sprint.json
Output Structure
Sprint results are saved to: {year}/{race-slug}/sprint_results.json
{
"MRData": {
"RaceTable": {
"season": "2024",
"round": "6",
"Races": [
{
"season": "2024",
"round": "6",
"raceName": "Miami Grand Prix",
"SprintResults": [
{
"number": "1",
"position": "1",
"points": "8",
"Driver": {
"driverId": "verstappen",
"code": "VER",
"givenName": "Max",
"familyName": "Verstappen"
},
"Constructor": {
"constructorId": "red_bull",
"name": "Red Bull"
},
"Time": {
"time": "27:14.567"
},
"status": "Finished"
}
]
}
]
}
}
}
Points Distribution
2021-2022 Format:
- P1: 3 points
- P2: 2 points
- P3: 1 point
2023-Present Format:
- P1: 8 points
- P2: 7 points
- P3: 6 points
- P4: 5 points
- P5: 4 points
- P6: 3 points
- P7: 2 points
- P8: 1 point
Sprint Weekend Schedule
- Friday: Practice + Sprint Qualifying
- Saturday: Sprint Race + Main Qualifying
- Sunday: Grand Prix
Sprint Races by Season
| Season | Number of Sprints | Notable Races |
|---|
| 2021 | 3 | Silverstone, Monza, São Paulo |
| 2022 | 3 | Imola, Red Bull Ring, São Paulo |
| 2023 | 6 | Baku, Spielberg, Spa, Qatar, COTA, São Paulo |
| 2024 | 6 | China, Miami, Red Bull Ring, COTA, São Paulo, Qatar |
Check the official F1 calendar at the start of each season to see which races will feature sprint formats.
Checking for Sprints
The script automatically detects sprint races by checking the race object for a Sprint field:
if "Sprint" in race:
# This race has a sprint
fetch_sprint_results()
else:
# Regular race weekend
skip()
Logging
Log file: sprint_results_fetch.log
See Also