F1 Race Position & Progression Tracker

Season Grand Prix Driver A Driver B

Loading race-position analysis…

F1 race position and progression analysis for the 2026 season

The F1 Race Position & Progression Tracker provides a lap-by-lap view of how Formula 1 drivers move through the running order during each Grand Prix. Select a race and any two drivers to compare their positions throughout the event, see who was running ahead, identify their best and worst positions and understand how pit stops, Safety Cars and race phases affected their progression.

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are selected by default when both Ferrari drivers are available, but the tool can be used to compare drivers from across the Formula 1 grid.

Unlike a final classification, which shows only where a driver ended the race, the position tracker reveals how that result developed. A driver may spend much of a Grand Prix near the front before falling back, recover from a poor opening lap, temporarily lose positions during a pit cycle or retire while running strongly.

For more interactive data tools, visit the main ScuderiaFans Formula 1 Statistics section.

How to use the F1 Race Position Tracker

Select the season, Grand Prix and two drivers using the controls at the top of the dashboard. The race-position timeline and all supporting statistics update to reflect that comparison.

The Swap Drivers button reverses Driver A and Driver B, while the comparison-link function creates a shareable URL preserving the selected race, drivers and view.

The default chart focuses on the two selected drivers. A separate Full Field view displays the complete running order while keeping Ferrari visually highlighted.

F1 race position timeline explained

The race-position timeline follows each selected driver’s recorded position at the end of every available lap.

Formula 1 positions are displayed with P1 at the top of the graph and lower positions further down. Movement upwards therefore represents an improvement in running position, while movement downwards represents a loss of position.

The chart can show several different types of race development, including:

first-lap gains or losses
changes caused by pit-stop cycles
progress through the field
temporary drops behind cars running alternative strategies
position changes during Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car periods
late-race gains or losses
the final recorded position before a retirement

The timeline should therefore be read as a reconstruction of the running order rather than an automatic overtaking chart.

Why race position is measured at the end of each lap

The tracker uses the recorded end-of-lap running position. This provides a consistent reference point across the Grand Prix and allows the position of different drivers to be compared on the same lap.

It does not attempt to reproduce every momentary change that may occur between timing lines during a lap. Two drivers can exchange position on track and return to their previous order before the lap is completed without that temporary change appearing in the end-of-lap data.

The tool is therefore designed to show race progression rather than a complete corner-by-corner history.

Selected drivers versus the full-field view

The default selected-driver view keeps the chart easy to read by displaying only the two drivers being compared.

The Full Field option adds every available driver from the selected Grand Prix. Ferrari is highlighted while the remaining cars are deliberately shown more subtly so the overall race structure remains visible without overwhelming the chart.

The full-field view can be particularly useful for understanding pit cycles. A driver who temporarily drops several positions after making an early stop may subsequently recover those places as the cars ahead complete their own pit stops.

Driver race position overview

The driver overview summarises the most important running-position statistics for both selected drivers.

Depending on the race data available, the dashboard includes:

official starting-grid position
position after Lap 1
best recorded running position
worst recorded running position
official final result or DNF status
average running position
median running position
grid-to-best-position movement
grid-to-finish movement
laps led
laps spent in the top five
laps spent in the top ten

These statistics describe different aspects of the race and should not be treated as a single performance rating.

Official starting grid versus race position

The official starting-grid position is kept separate from the driver’s qualifying result.

This matters because penalties and other grid changes can mean that a driver starts the Grand Prix from a different position from the one achieved in qualifying.

For a detailed breakdown of Ferrari qualifying positions, official grids and finishing results, use the Ferrari Qualifying & Race Performance Statistics.

Position after Lap 1

The position after Lap 1 is the driver’s recorded running position at the end of the opening lap.

Comparing this with the official grid shows whether the driver gained or lost places during the opening phase of the Grand Prix.

A driver who started P8 and completed Lap 1 in P5, for example, would show a +3 Lap 1 change.

F1 Lap 1 performance

The dedicated Lap 1 section compares the selected drivers’ official starting positions with their end-of-Lap-1 running order.

Positive values indicate positions gained, while negative values indicate positions lost.

This provides a quick way to identify strong starts or difficult opening laps without confusing later pit-stop strategy with the initial race launch.

However, a Lap 1 gain does not necessarily mean that every place was gained through a direct overtake. Incidents, retirements and cars leaving the track can also affect the running order.

Best running position

The best running position is the highest end-of-lap position reached by the driver during the Grand Prix.

This can provide important context that the final result does not always reveal. A driver may reach a podium position during the race before falling back because of strategy, tyre performance, damage or another event.

For a retired driver, the best running position can also show how strongly the race had developed before the retirement.

Worst running position

The worst running position is the lowest end-of-lap position recorded during the driver’s race.

A temporary drop caused by a pit stop can therefore appear as the worst position even when the driver subsequently recovers. This statistic should always be interpreted alongside the race timeline and pit-stop context.

Position range

The position range measures the difference between a driver’s best and worst recorded positions during the Grand Prix.

A large range indicates that the driver moved through a wider section of the running order, but it does not explain why. Pit cycles, Safety Cars, race incidents and strategy can all create large temporary movements.

Average running position

Average running position is calculated from the available end-of-lap positions across the driver’s recorded race.

It provides a broad indication of where the driver typically ran, but it should not be interpreted as a measure of outright pace.

A driver can have a strong average running position because they started near the front and maintained track position even if another driver had stronger lap-time performance.

Median running position

The median running position is the middle value of the driver’s recorded positions when they are ordered numerically.

Compared with the arithmetic average, the median is less affected by short periods spent unusually far forward or far back during pit cycles.

Using both average and median position provides a more complete view of the driver’s general place in the running order.

Grid to best running position

The grid-to-best statistic shows how far forward a driver reached relative to the official starting position.

For example, a driver starting P7 and reaching P3 would show a gain of four positions.

A negative result is possible if the driver never reaches their original grid position after the start.

This metric represents running-position movement and is not an overtaking count.

Grid to finish change

For classified finishers, the grid-to-finish statistic compares the official starting position with the final classified result.

Positive values mean the driver finished further forward than they started. Negative values indicate a lower finishing position.

DNF, DNS and disqualification outcomes are not converted into artificial numerical position losses.

How DNFs are handled

A retirement is treated differently from a normal classified finish.

When a driver retires, the dashboard displays DNF together with the final recorded running position and lap where possible.

The driver’s race-position line stops at the final lap for which reliable running-position data exists. It is not extended artificially to the end of the Grand Prix and the retirement is not converted into a numerical grid-to-finish loss.

Average and median running position are calculated only from the laps actually recorded for that driver.

Who was ahead during the Grand Prix?

The Who Was Ahead? section compares the two selected drivers on laps where both have a recorded position.

It shows:

the number of comparable laps each driver was running ahead
the percentage share of comparable laps ahead
any laps where both drivers have an equal recorded position

Because two cars normally cannot occupy the same race position at the end of a lap, equal-position values will usually be zero.

Comparable laps ahead is not an overtake count

The number of laps one driver spent ahead of another should not be confused with the number of overtakes between them.

A change in relative order can happen when:

one driver makes a pit stop
one driver retires
a Safety Car changes the timing of pit stops
different tyre strategies temporarily change the running order
a penalty affects a driver’s position
one driver genuinely overtakes the other on track

The tracker therefore uses the neutral term running order rather than automatically classifying every change as an overtake.

Laps by running-position band

The running-position band chart groups a driver’s recorded laps into broader sections of the field.

The categories are:

P1
P2–P3
P4–P5
P6–P10
P11+

This helps show where a driver spent the majority of the Grand Prix without requiring the reader to interpret every individual position change on the main timeline.

Why running-position bands are useful

A final result can hide much of the story of a race.

A driver finishing P6 may have spent most of the Grand Prix inside the top five before losing positions late in the race. Another driver finishing P6 could have recovered from outside the points during the closing laps.

Both drivers have the same result, but their position distributions describe very different races.

Laps led, laps in the top five and laps in the top ten

The tracker also counts how many recorded laps a driver spent in important position ranges.

Laps led counts laps completed in P1.

Laps in the top five counts positions P1 through P5.

Laps in the top ten counts positions P1 through P10.

These values provide additional race context but should not be interpreted as championship points or official classification statistics.

Position change by race phase

The race-phase section divides each driver’s recorded Grand Prix into broad opening, middle and closing periods.

The opening phase runs from Lap 1 to approximately one-quarter race distance, the middle section continues to approximately three-quarters distance and the closing phase covers the remainder of the driver’s recorded race.

For each phase, the dashboard compares the starting and ending running positions.

Opening phase

The opening-phase statistic extends beyond the initial Lap 1 result and shows how the driver’s position developed through roughly the first quarter of the race.

This can capture early pit stops, first-stint progression and the initial settling of the field after the start.

Middle phase

The middle phase often contains much of the main strategy sequence, including pit stops, tyre-offset battles and position changes created by different stint lengths.

A large gain or loss during this period should therefore be interpreted alongside the pit-stop markers and tyre strategy rather than automatically attributed to on-track passes.

Closing phase

The closing phase follows the driver’s progression from roughly three-quarters race distance to their final recorded lap.

For a driver who retires before the chequered flag, this phase ends at the driver’s own final recorded lap rather than the official race distance.

Position-order changes

The position-order table identifies laps where the relative order of the two selected drivers changes.

If Driver A was ahead on one comparable lap and Driver B is ahead on the next comparable lap, the change is recorded together with the positions of both drivers and any available race context.

This can highlight interesting moments in a Grand Prix without falsely assuming that the change was caused by an overtake.

Why position-order changes are not automatically overtakes

Lap-by-lap running-order data alone cannot reliably distinguish every genuine on-track overtake from a change caused by pit strategy or another race event.

For this reason, the tracker deliberately avoids describing position-order changes as overtakes unless a separate verified overtaking data source is available.

This distinction is particularly important around pit-stop windows, where two drivers may exchange order several times without racing each other directly on track.

Pit-stop context

Pit-stop laps for the selected drivers are shown alongside the race-position analysis and appear as markers on the position timeline where available.

A sudden fall in running position immediately after a stop does not necessarily represent lost race performance. It can simply reflect the driver temporarily moving behind cars that have not yet stopped.

For a detailed Ferrari pit-stop analysis including pit-lane duration, tyre strategy and constructor comparison, visit the Ferrari Pit Stop & Strategy Statistics.

Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car context

Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car periods are displayed as contextual information on the race-position chart where the necessary data is available.

Neutralisations can significantly affect track position because they change gaps between cars and can alter the relative cost of making a pit stop.

A position change occurring during or immediately around a neutralised period should therefore not automatically be interpreted in the same way as a change during uninterrupted green-flag racing.

Race position and tyre strategy

Running position and tyre strategy are closely connected.

A driver making an early stop may temporarily fall down the order before recovering positions as competitors pit later. Conversely, a driver extending a stint can temporarily run further forward without necessarily holding that position once the strategy cycle is complete.

To examine individual tyre stints, same-compound pace and tyre usage, use the F1 Tyre & Stint Analysis.

Biggest race-position changes

The dashboard highlights some of the largest running-position movements recorded during the selected Grand Prix.

The sections include:

biggest gains from the official grid to the best position reached
largest drops from the official grid to the worst position recorded
largest overall best-to-worst position ranges

These rankings describe movement through the running order. They are not overtaking rankings.

Why a large position gain does not necessarily mean many overtakes

A driver can move significantly forward through the running order because other cars pit, retire or receive penalties.

Likewise, a large temporary loss can be created by making a pit stop while rivals remain on track.

The biggest-position-change section should therefore be used to identify interesting race trajectories rather than to rank overtaking ability.

Ferrari season race-position statistics

The Ferrari season section aggregates position data from the imported 2026 Grands Prix for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.

It provides a season-level view of how Ferrari has progressed through races rather than focusing only on one selected event.

The available statistics include Ferrari’s average Lap 1 position change, average running position, combined laps led and combined laps recorded inside the top three.

Ferrari average Lap 1 change

The Ferrari Lap 1 statistic measures the average movement from the official starting grid to the end-of-Lap-1 running position across the available Ferrari driver-race samples.

Positive values mean Ferrari gained positions on average during the opening lap, while negative values mean positions were lost.

It describes running-order movement rather than the number of overtakes made by Charles Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton.

Ferrari average running position

The season average running position combines the available end-of-lap position records from the Ferrari drivers.

It provides a broad indicator of where the Ferrari cars have typically circulated during the season but should not replace qualifying, Race Pace or official championship statistics.

Ferrari laps led

The laps-led statistic counts the combined recorded laps completed in P1 by Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.

This provides useful context for how frequently Ferrari has controlled the running order during the imported Grands Prix.

For a broader constructor comparison including championship points, wins, podiums, qualifying and Team Race Pace, visit the Ferrari vs F1 Rivals statistics.

Ferrari laps in the top three

The top-three statistic counts the combined recorded laps where the Ferrari drivers occupied P1, P2 or P3.

This can highlight races where Ferrari spent substantial time in podium positions even if the final result was affected by a retirement, strategy change or late-race loss.

Ferrari race-by-race progression

The race-by-race Ferrari table provides a compact season overview for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.

For each imported Grand Prix, the table shows:

official starting-grid position
position after Lap 1
best running position
final classified result or DNF

This makes it easy to identify races where either Ferrari driver made an immediate gain, reached a much higher position during the race or suffered a result that did not reflect their strongest running position.

Race position versus qualifying performance

Qualifying determines where a driver earns the right to start before any penalties or grid changes are applied, while the Race Position Tracker describes what happens after the Grand Prix begins.

A strong qualifying position can provide track-position advantages, but maintaining or improving that place depends on race pace, strategy, tyre behaviour and reliability.

Use the Ferrari Qualifying & Race Performance Statistics to examine the relationship between qualifying, the official grid and finishing results in greater detail.

Race position versus Race Pace

Running position and Race Pace measure different things.

A faster car can spend several laps behind a slower car because overtaking is difficult, while a driver with weaker underlying pace may maintain a strong position because of track position or strategy.

The Race Position Tracker shows where the driver was running. The F1 Race Pace & Lap Time Comparison is designed to analyse how quickly the driver was completing suitable racing laps.

Using the two tools together provides a more complete interpretation of Grand Prix performance.

Charles Leclerc vs Lewis Hamilton race progression

With the default Ferrari pairing selected, the dashboard shows how Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton moved relative to one another during each Grand Prix.

The comparison includes their starting positions, Lap 1 results, average running positions, laps spent ahead, position bands, order changes and race-phase movements.

For their complete season head-to-head covering championship points, qualifying, race results, Race Pace, fastest laps and other statistics, visit the Charles Leclerc vs Lewis Hamilton F1 Head-to-Head.

How the F1 race-position statistics are calculated

The tracker combines locally stored race-position data with official-result information already processed by the ScuderiaFans Formula 1 statistics system.

Running position: the driver position recorded at the end of each available lap is used to construct the progression timeline.

Official grid: the official Grand Prix starting position is kept separately from qualifying so penalties and other grid changes do not distort the race-start comparison.

Lap 1 movement: official grid position is compared with the driver’s recorded position at the end of Lap 1.

Average running position: the arithmetic mean of the driver’s available end-of-lap positions.

Median running position: the middle value of the driver’s recorded running positions.

Comparable laps: the Who Was Ahead? calculation includes only laps where both selected drivers have a valid position record.

Position-order changes: the relative order of the selected drivers is compared from one comparable lap to the next. These changes are not automatically classified as overtakes.

Retirements: a driver’s progression ends at their final recorded lap. DNF results are preserved as DNF rather than converted into an artificial numerical finishing loss.

How pit-stop and neutralisation context is added

The tracker reuses locally stored information from the existing ScuderiaFans race datasets to provide context around important changes in the running order.

Pit-stop markers help explain changes created by strategy cycles, while Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car periods identify laps where the race was neutralised.

This additional context reduces the risk of interpreting every position change as normal green-flag racing.

Why public visitors do not trigger external data requests

The race-position data is imported and processed through the WordPress administration area and then stored locally by ScuderiaFans.

Visitors interacting with the public dashboard read the locally generated data rather than triggering live external timing or results requests.

This keeps the frontend responsive and ensures that all comparisons use the same processed dataset.

Limitations of lap-by-lap F1 position data

Race-position data is highly useful for understanding how a Grand Prix developed, but it has important limitations.

An end-of-lap position does not reveal exactly how or where a change happened. The data alone cannot always distinguish:

a genuine on-track overtake
a pass caused by a pit stop
a retirement
a temporary strategic position
a position change during a neutralisation
a change caused by an incident

The dashboard therefore avoids making claims that cannot be supported reliably by the available data.

Why the tracker does not provide an overtaking count

A reliable overtaking database requires more than simply comparing positions from one lap to the next.

For example, if a driver moves from P5 to P4 because the car ahead enters the pits, the position has changed without an on-track pass.

Similarly, several positions can be gained when another driver retires or loses time because of an incident.

Until those circumstances can be distinguished reliably, the tracker intentionally uses terms such as position change, running-order change and driver ahead rather than presenting an inaccurate overtake statistic.

Explore more Formula 1 statistics

The F1 Race Position & Progression Tracker is part of the ScuderiaFans Formula 1 Statistics database.

Use the F1 Race Pace & Lap Time Comparison for lap-time and Race Pace analysis, the F1 Tyre & Stint Analysis for tyre strategy and stint comparisons, and the Ferrari Pit Stop & Strategy Statistics for detailed pit-stop analysis.

Ferrari fans can also explore the Charles Leclerc vs Lewis Hamilton head-to-head statistics, compare Ferrari with other constructors through the Ferrari vs F1 Rivals dashboard, and analyse qualifying-to-race conversion with the Ferrari Qualifying & Race Performance Statistics.

Frequently asked questions

What does the F1 Race Position Tracker show?

It shows the lap-by-lap running position of Formula 1 drivers during a selected Grand Prix, together with position changes, Lap 1 performance, race phases, pit-stop context and other running-order statistics.

Can I compare any two Formula 1 drivers?

Yes. Choose any two drivers available in the selected race dataset. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are the default comparison when both are available.

What does the race-position chart measure?

The chart uses each driver’s recorded position at the end of each available lap.

Why is P1 at the top of the chart?

Race positions improve as the number decreases, so P1 is displayed at the top and lower positions are placed progressively further down.

Does an upward movement on the chart mean an overtake?

Not necessarily. A position can improve because of an on-track pass, a pit stop by another driver, a retirement, a penalty or another race event.

Does the tracker count overtakes?

No. The current tool deliberately does not convert lap-by-lap position changes into an overtaking statistic.

What is the difference between Selected Drivers and Full Field?

Selected Drivers shows only the two drivers being compared. Full Field displays all available cars in the Grand Prix while highlighting Ferrari.

What does Position after Lap 1 mean?

It is the driver’s running position at the end of the opening lap.

How is the Lap 1 gain or loss calculated?

The official starting-grid position is compared with the end-of-Lap-1 running position. Positive values indicate positions gained and negative values positions lost.

What is best running position?

It is the highest end-of-lap position the driver reached during the selected Grand Prix.

What is worst running position?

It is the lowest end-of-lap position recorded during the driver’s race.

What is position range?

Position range is the difference between the driver’s best and worst recorded running positions.

How is average running position calculated?

It is the arithmetic mean of the driver’s available end-of-lap positions.

What is median running position?

It is the middle value of the driver’s recorded running positions when the positions are ordered numerically.

What does grid to best running position mean?

It measures how far forward the driver reached compared with the official starting position.

What does grid to finish change mean?

For classified finishers, it compares the official starting-grid position with the final classified position.

How are DNFs treated?

A DNF remains a DNF. The tool shows the driver’s final recorded position and lap where possible and does not convert the retirement into an artificial numerical finishing loss.

Does a retired driver’s line continue to the end of the race?

No. The progression line ends at the driver’s final recorded lap.

What does Who Was Ahead? measure?

It counts laps where both selected drivers have a position record and determines which driver was running further forward at the end of each comparable lap.

Why can the number of comparable laps be shorter than the race distance?

This can happen when one driver retires or when reliable position data is unavailable for one of the selected drivers on certain laps.

What are running-position bands?

They group recorded laps into P1, P2–P3, P4–P5, P6–P10 and P11+ so readers can see where a driver spent most of the race.

What does the race-phase section show?

It compares the driver’s position at the start and end of the opening, middle and closing portions of the recorded Grand Prix.

What is a position-order change?

It occurs when the relative running order of the two selected drivers changes between comparable laps.

Is every position-order change an overtake?

No. Pit stops, retirements, Safety Cars and strategy differences can also change which driver is ahead.

Why are pit stops shown on the chart?

Pit-stop markers provide context for temporary position losses or gains created by different strategy cycles.

Why are Safety Car and VSC periods shown?

Neutralisations can change gaps and pit-stop timing, so highlighting them helps explain unusual changes in the running order.

What are the biggest race-position changes?

They identify the largest movements from grid to best position, grid to worst position and overall best-to-worst running-position ranges in the selected race.

Are the biggest position gains overtaking rankings?

No. They measure running-order movement and can include changes caused by pit cycles, retirements and other race events.

What does Ferrari average Lap 1 change mean?

It is Ferrari’s average movement from the official starting grid to the end of Lap 1 across the available Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton race samples.