Race Metrics
Formula 1 Race Entertainment Index
Compare Formula 1 race excitement by tracking how much the running order changes over a race. For methodology, assumptions, and interpretation notes, open the Metric Profile tab.
Metric Profile: Race Entertainment Index
Overview
Race Entertainment Index is a normalized race-level score with a theoretical range from 0 to 100. It measures how much the order evolves over the full race, with extra emphasis on position changes near the front of the field.
Methodology
Position weights follow a front-loaded curve:
x = (position - 1) / (N - 1)
w(x) = 0.05 + 0.95(1 - x)1.5
Higher positions therefore carry larger influence while all positions remain bounded.
For each consecutive pair of race states, the metric computes weighted Kendall distance over inversion pairs and normalizes by the reverse-order maximum for that grid size:
movementScore = average(normalized weighted Kendall transitions)
A start-to-finish change term captures net order reshuffling between the first and last race states:
changeScore = normalized weighted Kendall(start, finish)
The final Race Entertainment Index formula is:
REI = (0.90 × movementScore + 0.10 × changeScore) × 100
Interpretation
The theoretical scale spans 0 to 100, but most races cluster in the 0 to 10 range. Higher values indicate more race-order movement and stronger front-of-field reshuffling, while lower values indicate comparatively stable race order and fewer meaningful inversions. Values above 10 are uncommon and usually mark unusually active races.
Limitations
The metric depends on lap-by-lap race order quality. Missing or delayed upstream timing records can temporarily affect scores until the next sync run.
This metric is designed for race-to-race entertainment comparison, not direct driver skill evaluation. Driver performance should be interpreted through Driver ELO and related views.
Data source: FastF1.