Driver Data

Overview

Driver data provides static information about each driver participating in a session. This includes their unique identifier, full name, team affiliation, car number, team colors for visualization, and official headshot URLs.

Driver data doesn’t change during a session and serves as a reference for linking telemetry, lap times, and other performance data to specific drivers and teams.

File Location

Driver data is stored once per session:

Pre-Season Testing 2/Practice 3/drivers.json

Example:

Pre-Season Testing 2/Practice 3/drivers.json
Bahrain Grand Prix/Race/drivers.json
Monaco Grand Prix/Qualifying/drivers.json

Data Structure

The JSON file contains a drivers array with one object per driver:

{
  "drivers": [
    {
      "driver": "VER",
      "team": "Red Bull Racing",
      "dn": "3",
      "fn": "Max",
      "ln": "Verstappen",
      "tc": "4781D7",
      "url": "https://media.formula1.com/.../maxver01.png"
    },
    {
      "driver": "LEC",
      "team": "Ferrari",
      "dn": "16",
      "fn": "Charles",
      "ln": "Leclerc",
      "tc": "ED1131",
      "url": "https://media.formula1.com/.../chalec01.png"
    }
  ]
}

Field Reference

driver

string

required

Unique 3-letter driver identifier code. This is the primary key used throughout all datasets to reference a specific driver.Format: 3 uppercase letters
Examples:

"VER" - Max Verstappen
"HAM" - Lewis Hamilton
"LEC" - Charles Leclerc
"NOR" - Lando Norris
"ANT" - Kimi Antonelli

This code is used in telemetry folder names, lap times data, and as the cross-reference key across all datasets.

team

string

required

Full team name the driver is racing for.2026 Teams:

"Red Bull Racing"
"Ferrari"
"Mercedes"
"McLaren"
"Alpine"
"Aston Martin"
"Audi"
"Haas F1 Team"
"RB"
"Williams"
"Cadillac"

Team names may vary slightly in formatting across seasons. Always use exact string matching when filtering by team.

string

required

Driver number (car number) displayed on the car.Format: String representation of number (1-99) Examples:

"1" - Current champion’s number (e.g., Max Verstappen 2026)
"44" - Lewis Hamilton’s permanent number
"16" - Charles Leclerc
"63" - George Russell

Drivers choose a permanent career number (except #1 which is reserved for the current champion). Stored as a string to maintain consistency with other datasets.

string

required

Driver’s first name.Examples:

"Max"
"Lewis"
"Charles"
"Kimi"

string

required

Driver’s last name (surname).Examples:

"Verstappen"
"Hamilton"
"Leclerc"
"Antonelli"

string

required

Official team color in hexadecimal format (without # prefix). Used for data visualization and graphics.Format: 6-character hex color code
2026 Team Colors:

"4781D7" - Red Bull Racing (blue)
"ED1131" - Ferrari (red)
"00D7B6" - Mercedes (teal)
"F47600" - McLaren (papaya orange)
"00A1E8" - Alpine (blue)
"229971" - Aston Martin (green)
"F50537" - Audi (red/black)
"B6BABD" - Haas (gray)
"6692FF" - RB (blue)
"00A0DE" - Williams (blue)
"909090" - Cadillac (gray/silver)

To use in CSS/HTML, prepend with #: #4781D7. For RGB conversion: R=71, G=129, B=215 for Red Bull’s blue.

url

string

required

Web URL link to the driver’s official Formula 1 headshot photo.Format: Full HTTPS URL to image hosted on media.formula1.com
Example:

"https://media.formula1.com/d_driver_fallback_image.png/content/dam/fom-website/drivers/M/MAXVER01_Max_Verstappen/maxver01.png.transform/1col/image.png"

These URLs point to official F1 media assets. Images are typically high-resolution portrait photos suitable for profile displays and graphics.

Real Data Example

Here’s actual driver data from Pre-Season Testing 2, Practice 3 (2026 grid):

{
  "drivers": [
    {
      "driver": "NOR",
      "team": "McLaren",
      "dn": "1",
      "fn": "Lando",
      "ln": "Norris",
      "tc": "F47600",
      "url": "https://media.formula1.com/d_driver_fallback_image.png/content/dam/fom-website/drivers/L/LANNOR01_Lando_Norris/lannor01.png.transform/1col/image.png"
    },
    {
      "driver": "VER",
      "team": "Red Bull Racing",
      "dn": "3",
      "fn": "Max",
      "ln": "Verstappen",
      "tc": "4781D7",
      "url": "https://media.formula1.com/d_driver_fallback_image.png/content/dam/fom-website/drivers/M/MAXVER01_Max_Verstappen/maxver01.png.transform/1col/image.png"
    },
    {
      "driver": "ANT",
      "team": "Mercedes",
      "dn": "12",
      "fn": "Kimi",
      "ln": "Antonelli",
      "tc": "00D7B6",
      "url": "https://media.formula1.com/d_driver_fallback_image.png/content/dam/fom-website/drivers/K/ANDANT01_Kimi_Antonelli/andant01.png.transform/1col/image.png"
    },
    {
      "driver": "LEC",
      "team": "Ferrari",
      "dn": "16",
      "fn": "Charles",
      "ln": "Leclerc",
      "tc": "ED1131",
      "url": "https://media.formula1.com/d_driver_fallback_image.png/content/dam/fom-website/drivers/C/CHALEC01_Charles_Leclerc/chalec01.png.transform/1col/image.png"
    },
    {
      "driver": "HUL",
      "team": "Audi",
      "dn": "27",
      "fn": "Nico",
      "ln": "Hulkenberg",
      "tc": "F50537",
      "url": "https://media.formula1.com/d_driver_fallback_image.png/content/dam/fom-website/drivers/N/NICHUL01_Nico_Hulkenberg/nichul01.png.transform/1col/image.png"
    }
  ]
}

Use Cases

Data Joins and Cross-Referencing

Linking Driver Data to Lap Times

import json

# Load driver data
with open('drivers.json') as f:
    drivers_data = json.load(f)

# Create lookup dictionary
driver_lookup = {
    d['driver']: d 
    for d in drivers_data['drivers']
}

# Load lap times for a driver
with open('VER/laptimes.json') as f:
    ver_laps = json.load(f)

# Get driver info
driver_code = ver_laps['drv']  # "VER"
driver_info = driver_lookup[driver_code]

print(f"{driver_info['fn']} {driver_info['ln']} ({driver_info['team']})")
# Output: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)

Team-Based Analysis

# Group drivers by team
from collections import defaultdict

teams = defaultdict(list)
for driver in drivers_data['drivers']:
    teams[driver['team']].append(driver)

# Get all Ferrari drivers
ferrari_drivers = teams['Ferrari']
for d in ferrari_drivers:
    print(f"{d['fn']} {d['ln']} (#{d['dn']})")

Data Visualization

Color-Coded Lap Time Chart

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# Plot lap times with team colors
for driver in drivers_data['drivers']:
    driver_code = driver['driver']
    lap_data = load_lap_times(driver_code)
    
    # Convert hex to RGB
    hex_color = driver['tc']
    rgb_color = f"#{hex_color}"
    
    plt.plot(
        lap_data['lap'], 
        lap_data['time'], 
        color=rgb_color,
        label=f"{driver['fn']} {driver['ln']}",
        linewidth=2
    )

plt.xlabel('Lap Number')
plt.ylabel('Lap Time (s)')
plt.title('Lap Time Evolution by Driver')
plt.legend()
plt.show()

Driver Headshot Display

<!-- HTML template for driver cards -->
<div class="driver-grid">
  {% for driver in drivers %}
  <div class="driver-card" style="border-color: #{{ driver.tc }}">
    <img src="{{ driver.url }}" alt="{{ driver.fn }} {{ driver.ln }}" />
    <h3>{{ driver.fn }} {{ driver.ln }}</h3>
    <p class="team">{{ driver.team }}</p>
    <p class="number">#{{ driver.dn }}</p>
  </div>
  {% endfor %}
</div>

Statistical Analysis

Constructor Championship Standings

# Calculate team points from race results
team_points = defaultdict(int)

for driver in drivers_data['drivers']:
    driver_code = driver['driver']
    driver_points = calculate_driver_points(driver_code)  # Your function
    team_points[driver['team']] += driver_points

# Sort by points
standings = sorted(team_points.items(), key=lambda x: x[1], reverse=True)

for rank, (team, points) in enumerate(standings, 1):
    print(f"{rank}. {team}: {points} points")

Rookie vs Veteran Analysis

# Classify drivers (requires additional age/experience data)
rookies = ['ANT', 'BEA']  # Example: Antonelli, Bearman
veterans = ['HAM', 'ALO', 'PER']  # Example: Hamilton, Alonso, Perez

rookie_avg_laptime = calculate_avg(
    [d for d in drivers_data['drivers'] if d['driver'] in rookies]
)
veteran_avg_laptime = calculate_avg(
    [d for d in drivers_data['drivers'] if d['driver'] in veterans]
)

print(f"Rookie avg: {rookie_avg_laptime:.3f}s")
print(f"Veteran avg: {veteran_avg_laptime:.3f}s")
print(f"Delta: {rookie_avg_laptime - veteran_avg_laptime:.3f}s")

Driver Code Reference (2026 Grid)

Show Complete 2026 Driver Code List

Code	Driver	Team	Number
NOR	Lando Norris	McLaren	1
VER	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	3
GAS	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	10
PER	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	11
ANT	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	12
LEC	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	16
STR	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	18
HUL	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	27
OCO	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	31
ALO	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	14
SAI	Carlos Sainz	Williams	55
RUS	George Russell	Mercedes	63
…	…	…	…

This list varies by session and season. Always load driver data dynamically rather than hardcoding driver codes.

Team Colors (2026)

Visual Reference
Usage in Code

Team	Hex Code	RGB	Preview
Red Bull Racing	4781D7	rgb(71, 129, 215)	🟦 Blue
Ferrari	ED1131	rgb(237, 17, 49)	🟥 Red
Mercedes	00D7B6	rgb(0, 215, 182)	🟩 Teal
McLaren	F47600	rgb(244, 118, 0)	🟧 Papaya
Alpine	00A1E8	rgb(0, 161, 232)	🟦 Blue
Aston Martin	229971	rgb(34, 153, 113)	🟩 Green
Audi	F50537	rgb(245, 5, 55)	🟥 Red
Haas	B6BABD	rgb(182, 186, 189)	⬜ Gray
Williams	00A0DE	rgb(0, 160, 222)	🟦 Blue
RB	6692FF	rgb(102, 146, 255)	🟦 Light Blue
Cadillac	909090	rgb(144, 144, 144)	⬜ Silver

# Convert hex to matplotlib color
def hex_to_color(hex_str):
    return f"#{hex_str}"

# Convert hex to RGB tuple (0-1 range)
def hex_to_rgb_normalized(hex_str):
    r = int(hex_str[0:2], 16) / 255
    g = int(hex_str[2:4], 16) / 255
    b = int(hex_str[4:6], 16) / 255
    return (r, g, b)

# Example usage
redbull_color = hex_to_color("4781D7")
ferrari_rgb = hex_to_rgb_normalized("ED1131")

plt.plot(data, color=redbull_color)
plt.scatter(x, y, c=[ferrari_rgb])

Data Quality Notes

Driver data is static for the duration of a session but can change between sessions (e.g., reserve driver substitutions, team changes). Always load the driver data specific to the session you’re analyzing.

Headshot URLs point to external Formula 1 CDN servers. For production applications, consider caching images locally to avoid dependency on external availability.

Driver Number System

Permanent Numbers (2014-present):

Each driver chooses a permanent career number (2-99)
Number #1 is reserved for the reigning World Champion
Numbers are exclusive - once chosen, no other driver can use it while the driver is active
Some numbers are retired to honor legendary drivers (e.g., #17 for Jules Bianchi)

Notable Numbers:

#1 - Lando Norris (2026 Champion)
#44 - Lewis Hamilton (iconic)
#46 - Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP number (not used in F1)

Lap Times - Links to driver via drv, dNum, and team fields
Telemetry - Telemetry folders organized by driver code
Race Control - Driver-specific messages reference dNum
Corners - Used for spatial analysis of driver performance

Core Data Types

Field Specifications

Overview

File Location

Data Structure

Field Reference

Real Data Example

Use Cases

Data Joins and Cross-Referencing

Data Visualization

Statistical Analysis

Driver Code Reference (2026 Grid)

Team Colors (2026)

Data Quality Notes

Driver Number System

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Core Data Types

Field Specifications

​Overview

​File Location

​Data Structure

​Field Reference

​Real Data Example

​Use Cases

​Data Joins and Cross-Referencing

​Data Visualization

​Statistical Analysis

​Driver Code Reference (2026 Grid)

​Team Colors (2026)

​Data Quality Notes

​Driver Number System

​Related Pages

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

File Location

Data Structure

Field Reference

Real Data Example

Use Cases

Data Joins and Cross-Referencing

Data Visualization

Statistical Analysis

Driver Code Reference (2026 Grid)

Team Colors (2026)

Data Quality Notes

Driver Number System

Related Pages