Frequently asked questions
Find a short answer here, or use symptom-based troubleshooting for checks in order.
General Questions
Which release channel should I use?
Use stable for everyday use. Beta is for testing the next release; dev is for development or a specific maintainer-led test. See updates and release channels.
Do I need an API key or a separate weather account?
No API key is required for normal setup. F1TV access is optional and only affects additional live features. Start with installation.
Can I show the data on an ESPHome display?
Yes, through Home Assistant. F1 Sensor runs in Home Assistant; an ESPHome device can consume the entity states through its Home Assistant connection. The e-ink example is a separate display project.
Where are practice and qualifying times?
Use the Schedule module in the F1 Sensor card for weekend or season starts. Add Timing to follow an active practice or qualifying session. The same schedule data is also available through the Next race entity.
Live Data Questions
Do I need F1TV Auth or an F1 TV Pro subscription?
F1TV Auth is optional. Public live timing supports session status, track flags, Race Control, weather, driver timing, tyres and confirmed incident alerts. Extra live feeds may need an account with the relevant timing access. Read the availability and subscription guidance before subscribing.
Why does Track Map work in replay but not live?
Replay can contain archived car-position data. Live positions require optional F1TV access and usable data from the current session. A replay working does not prove that live position access is available. See Track Map.
Why are Pit Stops, Team Radio or Championship Prediction unavailable?
They depend on extra data published for the session. During live timing they can need F1TV Auth; during replay the archive must contain the data. An accepted token alone does not guarantee all feeds. See the availability matrix.
Why do live sensors stop between sessions?
Live entities follow active practice, qualifying, sprint or race sessions. Outside the live window they can be inactive, unchanged or unavailable. Schedules and other non-live data continue to serve different purposes.
How do I match updates to the TV?
Set number.f1_live_delay manually or measure the delay with guided calibration. Live Delay explains both. For recorded sessions, use Replay Mode and its playback controls instead.
Can I watch a session later without seeing results first?
Turn on No Spoiler Mode before the session. Later, load the session archive with Replay Mode. No Spoiler Mode is not a recording service, and archive coverage varies.
Replay Mode or Developer mode?
Use Replay Mode for watching completed sessions. Developer mode uses a local timing dump for testing; it is a different workflow with different controls.
How do I find Race Control, flags or the current session?
Use Race Control for messages, Track Status for flags, and Current Session for the session name. Session Status reports the phase, such as live or suspended. A live phase alone does not identify a Race rather than a practice session.
Can I display the lap counter and total laps?
Use sensor.f1_race_lap_count and its total_laps attribute when available. The Race Lap reference explains the state. Missing total laps can mean the source has not supplied them yet.
Can I show minisector times?
No. The live timing source supplies a status for each minisector, but no time for each one. In the modular F1 Sensor card, add S1/S2/S3 minisectors for status blocks only, or S1/S2/S3 with minisectors to place those blocks under the existing full-sector time. Purple with a diamond means overall best, green with a circle means personal best, and yellow with a square means recorded. Yellow does not prove that the minisector was slower than the preceding lap.
Minisectors are card data rather than Home Assistant sensors because they update quickly for many drivers and are useful only in the current session context. If a session or archive has no segment data, the card shows its configured unavailable state and keeps ordinary sector timing separate. See the modular card guide.
Troubleshooting
Do I install the cards separately?
No. They are bundled with the integration. Restart Home Assistant after installation and refresh your browser. Follow Your first dashboard.
Why do I still see an old card after updating?
The browser may have cached an older resource, or a standalone resource may remain configured. Follow card installation and loading checks. If the dashboard still uses a deprecated card type, follow card migration.
Why does my entity name differ from the documentation?
Display names can be translated; older or customized installations can also have different entity IDs. Select the actual entity in the visual editor. Examples use standard IDs; they are not instructions to rename yours.
Why are newly added sensors missing?
Open F1 Sensor → Reconfigure, enable live data if needed, and select the feature. Some features, including Favorite Driver, are opt-in. Use the configuration guide.
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