The drivers.csv table contains biographical information about all Formula 1 drivers who have participated in the championship.
Schema
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|
driverId | integer | Unique identifier for each driver |
driverRef | string | Short reference name for the driver (URL-friendly) |
number | integer | Permanent race number (introduced in 2014) |
code | string | Three-letter driver code (e.g., HAM, VER, LEC) |
forename | string | Driver’s first name |
surname | string | Driver’s last name |
dob | date | Driver’s date of birth (YYYY-MM-DD format) |
nationality | string | Driver’s nationality |
url | string | Wikipedia URL for the driver |
The number and code fields contain \N for drivers who raced before these systems were introduced. Permanent numbers were introduced in 2014, and three-letter codes in 1996.
Sample Data
| driverId | driverRef | number | code | forename | surname | dob | nationality |
|---|
| 1 | hamilton | 44 | HAM | Lewis | Hamilton | 1985-01-07 | British |
| 2 | heidfeld | \N | HEI | Nick | Heidfeld | 1977-05-10 | German |
| 3 | rosberg | 6 | ROS | Nico | Rosberg | 1985-06-27 | German |
| 4 | alonso | 14 | ALO | Fernando | Alonso | 1981-07-29 | Spanish |
Relationships
Referenced by:
results.driverId → drivers.driverIdqualifying.driverId → drivers.driverIdsprint_results.driverId → drivers.driverIddriver_standings.driverId → drivers.driverIdlap_times.driverId → drivers.driverIdpit_stops.driverId → drivers.driverId
Dataset Statistics
- Total Records: 865 drivers
- Date Range: 1950 - Present
- Active Drivers: Varies by season
Example Queries
Find drivers by nationality
import pandas as pd
drivers = pd.read_csv('drivers.csv')
british_drivers = drivers[drivers['nationality'] == 'British']
print(british_drivers[['forename', 'surname', 'dob']])
Calculate driver ages
from datetime import datetime
drivers['dob'] = pd.to_datetime(drivers['dob'])
drivers['age'] = (datetime.now() - drivers['dob']).dt.days // 365
print(drivers[['forename', 'surname', 'age']].head())
Find drivers with permanent numbers
modern_drivers = drivers[drivers['number'] != '\\N']
print(modern_drivers[['forename', 'surname', 'number', 'code']])
Search for specific driver
verstappen = drivers[drivers['surname'] == 'Verstappen']
print(verstappen)
Get youngest and oldest drivers
drivers['dob'] = pd.to_datetime(drivers['dob'])
youngest = drivers.nlargest(1, 'dob')
oldest = drivers.nsmallest(1, 'dob')
print(f"Youngest: {youngest['forename'].iloc[0]} {youngest['surname'].iloc[0]}")
print(f"Oldest: {oldest['forename'].iloc[0]} {oldest['surname'].iloc[0]}")
Notes
\N in the dataset represents null values (data not available)- Permanent driver numbers (e.g., 44 for Hamilton) were introduced in 2014
- Three-letter codes were introduced in 1996
- Some drivers have competed under different nationalities during their career
- Date of birth is crucial for age-related statistics and historical analysis
