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Pole to Paddock

About Pole to Paddock

Pole to Paddock started because of a passion for F1 … and because the site I wanted didn't exist.

I wanted driver grades that were based on actual data. I wanted a season simulator that updated after every race. I wanted to know who was actually the best driver on the grid. So I built it.

I'm James Fragoza. I've covered football for a living for 5+ years, but grew a love for Formula One. Pole to Paddock isn't a media company. It's one fan's answer to a gap I kept running into: every F1 site either chases headlines or buries the real numbers three clicks deep behind a paywall.

Everything stays free.

Not free-until-you-hit-a-paywall. Free. The grades, the projections, the simulators, the games, all of it. If I ever add anything paid, it'll sit on top as extra depth for the people who want more. It will never lock away what's already free today. That's not a promise I'm making lightly. It's the only way a site like this earns trust instead of just traffic.

Built on real data, checked against reality.

Every grade, every projection, every ranking on this site is backed by something measurable, not one analyst's “eye test.” When I tune the season simulator, I test it against real past seasons before I ship a change. When a stat looks impressive, I'd rather tell you where it's still rough than pretend it's finished. F1 fans can spot a fake number from a mile away, so I don't try to sneak one past you.

Still building this.

New tools, new games, new ways to dig into the sport, they show up here first, and they show up for free. If something's broken, or you want to see a stat that doesn't exist yet, email us. This whole thing started because I wanted a better way to follow F1. If you're reading this, you probably do too.

James Fragoza, Founder, Pole to Paddock · LinkedIn · X

What you'll find here

Grades & Analysis

  • P2P Grades: driver performance grades across six dimensions (Pace, Racecraft, Tire Management, Qualifying, Consistency, Discipline) with per-race breakdowns, trend sparklines, and overall scores updated after every session
  • All-Time Driver Rankings: Elo-powered driver ratings spanning 75+ years with era-adjusted comparisons, sustained greatness scores, and circuit-specific ratings
  • Race Hub: full race weekend coverage with 16 interactive analysis sections including position charts, gap timelines, strategy breakdowns, fastest lap evolution, pit stops, and weather
  • Points Above Replacement (PAR): F1's first WAR-equivalent metric, measuring how many more points a driver scores than a replacement-level driver in the same car. Available from 2000 to present.
  • Advanced Stats: Expected Points (xP) with skill-scaled variance and historical DNF rates, Racecraft Index, and more
  • Driver Explorer: ESPN-style dual probability charts showing championship finish distribution and head-to-head projections for every driver
  • Head-to-head driver comparisons with race telemetry, season stats with grades butterfly charts, and career stats
  • Season stats covering drivers, constructors, a teammate H2H heatmap, and a battles tracker, plus advanced PAR leaderboards and sprint splits
  • Circuit Masters: the best-performing drivers at every circuit, ranked by wins, poles, podiums, and position gains
  • Driver World Map: where every F1 driver was born, from the current grid back to the 1950s
  • Qualifying battles, pit crew rankings, and penalty tracker

Predictions & Simulations

  • Season Projections: Monte Carlo championship probabilities for all 22 drivers and 11 teams, updated after every race
  • Championship Calculator: modify race results and simulate future races with clinch/elimination math and probability deltas
  • Season Simulator: interactive race-by-race season sim with branching timelines
  • Rankings Builder: drag-and-drop driver and constructor power rankings with tiers, presets, and shareable links
  • Power Rankings: fan-voted driver rankings that start from P2P grades and shift as the community votes
  • Race Preview and Race Report: data-driven previews before every race weekend and post-race report cards with grade changes and projection shifts
  • Pit Strategy Simulator: historical pit stop loss, tyre degradation, and optimal pit windows by circuit

Team Principal Simulator

A full F1 franchise management game:

  • Multi-season career mode starting 2026, choose 5, 15, or unlimited seasons: manage a real team with compounding decisions across the whole career
  • Driver market with contract negotiations, counter-offers, rival interest, and pay drivers
  • Car development with 5 attributes, mid-season upgrades, next-year investment, and risk mechanics
  • Reserve drivers, team hierarchy, team orders with morale consequences
  • Mid-season drama events: technical directives, engine penalties, driver injuries, reliability crises
  • Staff morale, board expectations, and career summary with grades

Games

  • Paddock Exchange: virtual stock market where you trade F1 driver shares with leveraged positions, leagues, and leaderboards
  • Paddock Picks: 10 binary predictions per race weekend with season leaderboards
  • Griddle, F1 Driver Guessing Game, Grid Lock, Stat Paddock, F1 Connections, F1 Origins, Copy That, Name That Track, and Paddock Word Search: a daily rotation of F1 puzzle games covering drivers, careers, radio calls, circuits, and trivia grids
  • F1 Trivia: daily, survival, and blitz quiz modes covering history, stats, and regulations
  • Build the Perfect F1 Driver, F1-0, Higher or Lower, and What If Simulator: sandbox games for building dream drivers, drafting any era to simulate a season, and comparing careers across eras
  • Lights Out: an F1 reaction test where you tap the moment the five start lights go out, with your best time and day streak saved in your browser
  • Box Box: an F1 pit stop game where you change four tyres and release the car, then rank your time against every real stop since 2024

Reference

  • Driver and team profiles with career histories, contracts, salaries, and team heritage
  • 78-circuit database with track maps, historical winners, and record books
  • Regulation changes from 1994 to 2026 and 30 racing dynasty family trees
  • Historical standings, race results, and lap charts back to 1950
  • 2027 grid predictor, race schedule with countdowns, and DOTD results
  • How to Watch: broadcaster and streaming listings for every country covering the 2026 season
  • Push notifications for session reminders, red flags, and weather alerts
  • F1 Glossary: plain-English definitions for 75+ terms, from active aero to undercut

Other Series

Standings, results, and stats for F1's feeder and sister championships: Formula 2, Formula 3, F1 Academy, and Formula E.

Accuracy

We do our best to keep everything accurate and up to date, but contract details change fast and data feeds can have gaps. For official results, refer to formula1.com or the FIA.

Disclaimer

This website is unofficial and is not associated in any way with the Formula 1 companies. F1, FORMULA ONE, FORMULA 1, FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, GRAND PRIX and related marks are trade marks of Formula One Licensing B.V. All team names, logos, and driver images are the property of their respective owners and are used here under editorial fair use for fan commentary and analysis.