# OpenF1

> Open-source API for Formula 1 session data: lap times, car telemetry, positions, pit stops, weather, team radio and race control. Historical data from 2023 is free without auth; live access is a paid sponsorship.

Canonical page: https://sportdex.net/providers/openf1/  
Last checked: 2026-11-03  
SportDex Score: 66/100 (rank 7; popularity 54, community 72, transparency 85, developer experience 62)

## Facts
- Type: Free / open data
- Website: https://openf1.org/
- Documentation: https://openf1.org/docs/
- Pricing page: https://openf1.org/
- Country: France
- Sports: Formula 1, Motorsport
- Data types: Historical data, Results, Live scores, Standings, Team stats, Tracking data
- Protocols: REST, WebSocket
- Delivery: Streaming (WebSocket)
- Live / in-play: yes
- Free tier: yes
- Cheapest public paid plan: €9.90/mo
- Key competitions: Formula 1
- Authentication: none

## Plans
| Plan | Price | Requests | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free (historical) | Free | — | Historical data from 2023, no auth |
| Sponsor | €9.90/mo | — | Live data via REST, MQTT, WebSocket; 6 req/s, 60 req/min; personal use |

## Who it is for

Best for: Hobby projects, dashboards and analysis of Formula 1 sessions that need free historical lap, telemetry and position data over a keyless REST API.

Not ideal for: Commercial products needing official F1 data or guaranteed uptime; it is an unofficial project and live data needs a paid sponsorship for personal use.

Use cases: F1 telemetry dashboards; Race analysis notebooks; Personal live-timing apps

Limitations:
- Historical data starts in 2023
- Live access costs 9.90 per month and is for personal use
- Live tier limited to 6 requests per second and 60 per minute
- Not affiliated with Formula 1

## Quick answers

**What is OpenF1 best for?** Hobby projects, dashboards and analysis of Formula 1 sessions that need free historical lap, telemetry and position data over a keyless REST API. Not ideal for: Commercial products needing official F1 data or guaranteed uptime; it is an unofficial project and live data needs a paid sponsorship for personal use.

**How much does OpenF1 cost?** The cheapest public paid plan of OpenF1 is €9.90/mo.

**Does OpenF1 have a free tier?** Yes. OpenF1 lists a free plan called "Free (historical)".

**What does OpenF1 cover?** OpenF1 is a free / open data. Its sports: Formula 1, Motorsport; data: Historical data, Results, Live scores, Standings, Team stats, Tracking data. Live / in-play data is offered.

**Does OpenF1 have a WebSocket or streaming API?** Yes. OpenF1 pushes data continuously: WebSocket.

**What do developers say about OpenF1?** Free open-source F1 API (lap times, telemetry, positions, weather, race control) used heavily in fan dashboards, replay tools, videos and analysis posts; historical data from 2023 needs no key, live access is paid. Users note it is unofficial, lacks pre-2023 data, has had outages that forced self-hosting, and deprecates fields. FastF1 and Jolpica are common alternatives.

**What are the alternatives to OpenF1?** Close alternatives in the SportDex catalog: Jolpica-F1, FastF1, StatPal, Data Sports Group, NASCAR Content Feed (unofficial).

## What developers say

Free open-source F1 API (lap times, telemetry, positions, weather, race control) used heavily in fan dashboards, replay tools, videos and analysis posts; historical data from 2023 needs no key, live access is paid. Users note it is unofficial, lacks pre-2023 data, has had outages that forced self-hosting, and deprecates fields. FastF1 and Jolpica are common alternatives.

Praised for: Free historical data without auth; Rich telemetry and race control data; Widely adopted in dashboards and videos; Open-source and easy REST access

Complaints: No data before 2023; Live access requires paid sponsorship; Occasional outages; Not truly real-time for some users

## Method
Facts were read from the provider's own pages on 2026-11-03. Empty fields mean the provider does not say, not that a feature is missing. Method: https://sportdex.net/methodology/