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F1TV Auth Testing

F1TV Auth testing lets you validate authenticated live timing data with your own Formula 1 browser session. Use this page when you are testing the F1TV Token Helper pairing flow, token expiry handling, and the fallback to public live timing.

Test environment recommended

Beta features can change quickly and may not be stable. Use a separate Home Assistant test instance, development container, VM, or secondary setup when you test new F1TV Auth behavior.

What you are testing​

F1 Sensor works without F1TV authentication by using public live timing streams. F1TV Auth adds a short-lived live timing authorization value so the integration can test extra F1TV-authenticated streams during an active Formula 1 session.

The current beta flow uses Home Assistant pairing:

  1. Install or update F1 Sensor v4.3.0-beta.3 or later in Home Assistant.
  2. Install F1TV Token Helper BETA from the Chrome Web Store.
  3. Start Connect F1TV access with Token Helper in Home Assistant.
  4. Open the pairing page from Home Assistant.
  5. Open the helper extension, sign in to Formula 1 if needed, select Fetch, then select Send to Home Assistant.
  6. Verify that public live timing still works and that F1TV-only live data is enabled when the token is valid.
info

This flow does not ask Home Assistant for your F1TV username or password. The token is extracted from your own browser session by the separate helper and sent only to your own Home Assistant pairing callback.

Current limitations​

This is still beta testing. The feature is intended for users who are comfortable reading Home Assistant logs, reporting clear issues, and replacing short-lived tokens when needed.

AreaExpected behavior
Public live timingContinues to work without any token
F1TV tokenOptional and sent through Home Assistant pairing
Token lifetimeShort-lived and must be replaced when expired
Token renewalNot automatic
F1TV passwordNever entered into Home Assistant
HelperSeparate Chrome or Chromium extension
Chrome Web StorePublished as an unlisted beta
Auth failureDowngrades to public live timing
Auth-gated live dataRequires a valid token during live sessions

The first authentication beta is intended to test these auth-gated live streams:

CarData.z
DriverRaceInfo
ChampionshipPrediction
TeamRadio
PitStopSeries

In Live Mode, these streams should not be expected to update with public live timing alone. They should be tested live only after you add a valid F1TV token.

Some auth-gated features also have replay support. For example, Championship Prediction, Team Radio, and Pit Stops can use the recorded session archive in Replay Mode, but they require F1TV authentication when you test them during a real live session.

If the token is missing, expired, or rejected, auth-gated live data should become unavailable or stop receiving F1TV-only updates while public live timing continues.

Position.z has been observed as auth-gated, but it is intentionally excluded from the first test build because it is high frequency and the integration does not currently use it.

Prerequisites​

Before you start, make sure you have:

  1. A non-production Home Assistant instance.
  2. F1 Sensor v4.3.0-beta.3 or later installed.
  3. Access to Home Assistant logs.
  4. A Formula 1 account with the required F1TV access for live timing.
  5. Chrome or another Chromium-based browser.
  6. The F1TV Token Helper BETA extension installed.

Enable debug logging before testing if you plan to report issues. See Debug Logging and Logs for the recommended logging setup and log collection steps.

Step 1 - Install the beta version​

Install F1 Sensor v4.3.0-beta.3 or later through HACS.

  1. Open HACS in Home Assistant.
  2. Open F1 Sensor.
  3. Select the three-dot menu.
  4. Select Redownload.
  5. Choose the latest beta version.
  6. Restart Home Assistant after the installation completes.

After Home Assistant restarts, verify that the installed version is v4.3.0-beta.3 or later.

Step 2 - Install the helper from Chrome Web Store​

Install F1TV Token Helper BETA from the Chrome Web Store:

https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/f1tv-token-helper-beta/bbpgdcjohdjcechlffloekhpgdbjoafh

The Chrome Web Store version is the recommended testing path. You do not need to enable Chrome developer mode or load an unpacked extension for normal beta testing.

tip

Use the local developer installation only if you are working on the helper extension itself or testing an unpublished helper build. The extension repository keeps that workflow documented in its README.

Step 3 - Start pairing from Home Assistant​

In Home Assistant:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Go to Devices & services.
  3. Open F1 Sensor.
  4. Select Reconfigure.
  5. Select Connect F1TV access with Token Helper.
  6. Select Open website when Home Assistant shows the external step.

Home Assistant opens the F1TV Token Helper pairing page. Keep that tab open and active before opening the extension.

Pairing sessions are short-lived. If the helper says the pairing expired, return to Home Assistant and start the pairing again.

Step 4 - Send F1TV access to Home Assistant​

Use the helper from the same browser where you sign in to Formula 1:

  1. Keep the pairing page as the active tab.
  2. Open the F1TV Token Helper extension popup.
  3. If the helper says no token is available, select Sign in and sign in to Formula 1.
  4. Return to the helper and select Fetch.
  5. When the helper is ready, select Send to Home Assistant.

The helper stores only the Home Assistant pairing session temporarily while you sign in. It does not store the F1TV token permanently.

Home Assistant should finish the pairing, save the live timing authorization value, and reload the integration.

Step 5 - Understand token lifetime​

F1TV tokens are short-lived. They are usually valid for only a few days, so you should expect to repeat the helper flow and replace the saved token when it expires.

The integration exposes two helper sensors so you can monitor token health from Home Assistant:

sensor.f1_f1tv_token_status
sensor.f1_f1tv_token_expires_at

Use sensor.f1_f1tv_token_status to see whether the token is valid, expiring soon, expired, invalid, or rejected. Use sensor.f1_f1tv_token_expires_at to see when the current token expires.

When the token expires or is rejected, public live timing should continue to work. Only the F1TV-authenticated live data needs a fresh token.

Step 6 - Verify public fallback first​

Before relying on auth-only behavior, confirm that public live timing still works.

During an active or upcoming Formula 1 session, check that public live entities continue to update, such as:

sensor.f1_track_status
sensor.f1_session_status
sensor.f1_race_control
sensor.f1_driver_positions

Then confirm that F1TV-only data becomes available only after a valid helper pairing.

Troubleshooting​

The helper does not show Home Assistant pairing​

Keep the pairing page as the active tab and open the helper again. If that does not work, copy the full browser URL from the pairing page, open Pairing link in the helper, paste the URL, and select Connect.

The helper opens but only manual export is available​

Make sure you are using F1 Sensor v4.3.0-beta.3 or later and that you started Connect F1TV access with Token Helper from Home Assistant. Older beta builds did not include the normal pairing flow.

Home Assistant rejects the pairing​

Start a new pairing session in Home Assistant. The old session may have expired, already been used, or been created before Home Assistant was restarted.

Public live timing stops working​

That is a bug. F1TV auth failure should downgrade only the extra F1TV-authenticated streams. Public live timing should continue without a token.