---
title: "Introduction"
icon: "flag-checkered"
description: "A faster alternative to fastf1 with the same bindings"
keywords:
  - "tif1"
  - "Formula 1 data"
  - "F1 telemetry"
  - "F1 data analysis"
  - "fastf1 alternative"
  - "racing data"
  - "Python F1 library"
---

<img
  className="block dark:hidden"
  src="/logo/light.svg"
  alt="tif1 - High-performance Formula 1 data analysis library for Python"
/>
<img
  className="hidden dark:block"
  src="/logo/dark.svg"
  alt="tif1 - High-performance Formula 1 data analysis library for Python"
/>

# Welcome to tif1

`tif1` is a high-performance Python library designed for Formula 1 data analysis. It provides access to timing, telemetry, and weather data from the TracingInsights (2018-current).

Built as a faster alternative to `fastf1`, it maintains API compatibility while introducing massive performance improvements through asynchronous data loading, HTTP/2 multiplexing, and optimized data backends.

## Why tif1?

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Blazing Fast" icon="bolt">
    4-5x faster data loading with parallel async requests and HTTP/2.
  </Card>
  <Card title="API Compatible" icon="code">
    Same bindings as `fastf1`, making migration a breeze.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Flexible Backends" icon="database">
    Choose between **Pandas** for compatibility or **Polars** for 2x faster processing.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Advanced Caching" icon="shield-check">
    Multi-layer caching using in-memory LRU and SQLite for persistent storage.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Key Features

- **Fast**: Direct CDN access via jsDelivr with SQLite caching
- **Complete**: Lap times, sectors, telemetry, tire compounds, weather, and more
- **Historical**: Data from 2018-current
- **Reliable**: Automatic retry logic with circuit breaker and CDN fallback
- **Async**: Parallel data fetching for better performance
- **HTTP/2**: Uses niquests for 20-30% faster network requests
- **Flexible**: Supports both pandas and polars backends
- **Type-Safe**: Comprehensive type hints for IDE support
- **Jupyter-Ready**: Rich HTML display in notebooks

## Performance Comparison

| Operation | fastf1 | tif1 (Async) | Speedup |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Load 20 Drivers Laps | ~12.0s | ~2.5s | **4.8x** |
| Load 20 Drivers Telemetry | ~11.2s | ~0.4s | **28x** |
| Hot Cache Load | ~1.0s | ~0.05s | **20x** |

## Core Architecture

`tif1` uses a modern networking stack and a multi-tiered caching strategy to ensure you spend less time waiting for data and more time analyzing it.

```mermaid
graph TD
    User[User Script] --> Session[tif1 Session]
    Session --> MemCache[Memory LRU Cache]
    MemCache -- Miss --> SQLite[SQLite Persistent Cache]
    SQLite -- Miss --> CDN[TracingInsights CDN]
    CDN --> JS[jsDelivr / GitHub]
    JS -- Data --> SQLite
    SQLite -- Data --> MemCache
    MemCache -- Data --> Session
```yaml

## Data Available

- Lap times and sectors (S1, S2, S3) with LapTime as Timedelta and LapTimeSeconds as numeric helper
- Tire compounds and stint information
- Telemetry: speed, throttle, brake, RPM, gear, DRS
- Position data (X, Y, Z coordinates)
- Acceleration data (X, Y, Z axes)
- Weather data automatically included in laps
- Driver metadata with team colors and headshots
- Race control messages

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Installation" icon="download" href="/installation">
    Get tif1 installed on your system.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Quickstart" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
    Load your first session in under 30 seconds.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Examples" icon="code" href="/examples">
    Common patterns and code examples.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Migration Guide" icon="arrow-right-arrow-left" href="/migration-from-fastf1">
    Coming from fastf1? See what's different.
  </Card>
  <Card title="API Reference" icon="book" href="/api-reference/overview">
    Explore the full power of the tif1 API.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Tutorials" icon="graduation-cap" href="/tutorials/race-pace-analysis">
    Learn with detailed analysis examples.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

---

## Related Pages

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Installation" href="/installation">
    Get tif1 installed
  </Card>
  <Card title="Quickstart" href="/quickstart">
    Load your first session
  </Card>
  <Card title="API Reference" href="/api-reference/overview">
    Explore the API
  </Card>
  <Card title="Tutorials" href="/tutorials/race-analysis">
    Learn with examples
  </Card>
</CardGroup>
