I rarely do personal posts in this blog. The philosophy of this site has always been going straight to the point, showing the analyses that you want to see. Still, I think it’s important to remind my viewers that this blog is in fact ran by a person (me!).

• If you just want to support the site right now, you can join the F1pace supporters program here.
• If you’d like to learn more first, just keep reading for all the details

Beginnings

I started this project in 2019, not knowing much about coding or statistics. I have the fundamentals, I am an engineer, and I have a master’s degree, but I was working in the biological sciences field and starting a project from zero is never easy. Things were difficult, and for a time, I had to work as a data entry operator, working during the COVID-19 era, processing requisitions of people who were getting tested for the disease. Still, I’ve continued to maintain and increase the scope of this blog. During these 6+ years, this project has gone from getting a few views every day to dozens of thousands coming to check my charts and articles every week. Just this past month, I’ve had visitors coming from over 100 different countries. I never thought this would be possible, but it is now a reality. Having said that, I need your support to keep this project going.

My support

I’ve been able to keep this project going mostly due to my girlfriend’s support. I struggled for a long time to get a proper job. After the data entry job, I was unemployed for a full year. I applied to hundreds of positions, but I rarely got a call. During this time, my girlfriend never stopped supporting me, always encouraging me and allowing me to do my own thing. Right now, she’s still the reason this project continues. While I’m making a bit more money now, working as a freelancer statistical analyst in the medical field, my work hours and therefore my pay are quite unstable. Believe it or not, hosting this site requires a substantial amount of money and time.

The issues

I would like to say that this website is profitable, or sustainable in any way, but generally speaking, it isn’t. Last year, I was extremely lucky to get an important project related to F1, which paid enough to cover the server costs for the entire year and more. I’m extremely grateful to this client for giving me the opportunity. Unfortunately, while this project was amazing, I do not know if another project will come up in the future. So is the life of the independent content creator.

As you may have noticed, I do not run ads on this site. I’m against the current trend of bombarding users with advertising left and right while destroying their experience when they’re visiting a site. Many sites have more ads than actual content and I don’t like it. In the past few weeks, however, I’ve considered joining an ad program to try to get some revenue from this blog. If I do it, it would be as minimal as possible, trying not to impact the experience that you have while browsing this site. However, the reality is that I would like to avoid this. I’m just not a fan of having ads on this site. I’m proud of how it looks and the quality of the content that I produce, and I would love to keep it this way.

My proposal

For a while, I’ve had a Buy Me a Coffee account where users can become members and donate a bit of money to support me. My main problem has always been that I haven’t been able to give my supporters something back. Recently, I came up with the idea of acknowledging them directly in my charts. I realized that it is important to show the world that this project has wonderful supporters and that they deserve recognition for their support. It is because of this that I am creating the F1pace supporters program.

The F1pace supporters program is very simple. If you become a supporter of this site on my Buy Me a Coffee, your name or handle will be featured in my charts. As I mentioned, this site is seen by thousands of people from around the world. This would be an opportunity to give you global recognition for supporting me and the F1pace project.

How will the program work

Wait a minute, how are you putting all the names on the charts? That is an excellent question. As you may have noticed, there isn’t a lot of additional space on my charts. Because of this, I’ve decided to make it fair and randomly draw from my list of supporters to get a name/handle on each chart. The process would work like this:

1. You sign up for a membership on my Buy Me a Coffee page.
2. You will be added to a database with a list of my supporters. Initially, this will be done manually, but if the program is successful, then I will automate this process.
3. When creating an article, I will randomly draw a name/handle from this database for each chart that I create. This means that you will have a chance of being featured on every chart that I post.
   • As a reference, I publish between 20 and 30 charts every weekend. At times, I’ve published more, and if this program is successful, then I would like to publish more of them to give you even more content.
   • If you become a supporter, you will have ample opportunities to be featured in my charts.

It is that simple. To make things a little bit more fun, I came up with fun, F1-themed phrases related to Formula 1, which will be a part of my charts for the future. Your name/handle will be featured as a part of these phrases. Currently, I have a list of over 200+ phrases, which will also be randomly selected for each chart. You can look forward to seeing your user/handle and a random phase related to F1 each weekend. Take a look at the following examples to give yourselves an idea of what things will look like.

Examples

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

How much will it cost to become a member and what are the benefits?

The program will consist of 3 tiers, with each tier having specific benefits. I am based in Canada and take donations in Canadian Dollars. 1 CAD equals around 0.7 USD.

1. Tier 1: Performance Analyst.
   • Cost: $1 CAD per month.
   • Benefits:
     • 1× chance of being featured in any chart.
2. Tier 2: Data Engineer.
   • Cost: $2 CAD per month.
   • Benefits:
     • 1.5× chance of being featured in any chart.
     • +0.5× extra chance to appear in the main FP2 race simulation charts.
3. Tier 3: Race Strategist.
   • Cost: $3 CAD per month.
   • Benefits:
     • 2× chance of being featured in any chart.
     • +0.5× extra chance to appear in the main race pace charts.

How do I join?

You can go to my Buy Me a Coffee page and follow the steps that you see on the screen. Additionally, you can click on the “Support my work” buttons at the top and bottom of my articles, which will take you to the same page.

What names are used in the charts and how can I choose the name to be displayed?

You can comment on my Buy Me a Coffee page, or you can use the Get in touch submission form and tell me which name you used to sign up for your membership, and which name do you want for it to be displayed. It can be a name, a handle from Twitch or Reddit, or maybe even the name of your pet. The only requirements are as follows:

1. Your name or handle must have 18 characters or less, mostly due to space constraints. My recommendation would be to submit a name of maximum 15 characters, but I will allow 18 characters in case you already have a long handle or username that you want to keep.
2. Your name or handle should consist only of alphanumerical characters. The font that I use doesn’t allow for emojis or similar, so only text and numbers will be allowed.
3. The name should not have any content that can be considered offensive or discriminatory. Keep it clean.
4. No spammy formatting. Basically nothing like “FREE-MONEY-NOW” or similar.
5. Self promotion will be judged on a case by case basis. You can use your Twitch, TikTok, Instagram, etc, handle, but not in a way that promotes clicking on a link or URL.

I reserve the right to not display a name if it doesn’t fit the mentioned policies. If I do not agree with your name submission, I will contact you and ask you for an alternative name.

Can I use my business or brand name to be featured in the charts?

If you’re interested in supporting my work through a sponsorship or similar collaboration, feel free to reach out via the Get in touch form so we can discuss options. The F1pace supporters program is primarily designed to acknowledge individual contributors, but I’m open to business or brand name submissions, as long as they fit the tone and style of the project.

Keep in mind:

• Names must follow the same formatting and character limits (18 characters or less, no emojis or special characters).
• Obvious ad-style formats or clickbait (e.g. “BUY-STUFF-NOW”) won’t be accepted.
• User handles (e.g. Twitch, TikTok, Instagram usernames) are fine, as long as they don’t look like clickable URLs or contain aggressive promotion.

If you’re interested in a more visible or formal sponsorship (e.g. displaying your logo), feel free to reach out directly using the Get in touch submission form. I’m open to creative collaborations that still respect the spirit of the project, but they will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Where will my name appear?

Your name will appear as a part of a phrase in the bottom left corner of a chart. Wider charts, such as the FP2 and race pace charts, will contain longer phrases that won’t show up on narrower charts.

How are supporters selected to be featured?

The selection process will be random, based on the chances described in each supporter tier. I will not have any input on which member is selected for each chart. You name can show up on 3 or 4 charts in a single post, or perhaps not show up in a specific article. Last year I posted over 100 articles, each with multiple charts, so you will have ample chances of getting featured multiple times during a season.

Can I choose which chart I appear in?

The selection process will be fully random. I have created a function which randomly selects a name from a database, so it will be up to the probability gods to decide in which chart you are featured. Having said that, signing up for a higher tier—tier 2 or tier 3—will give you more chances of being featured on either the main FP2 race simulation pace (tier 2) or main race pace (tier 3) charts. These charts are the most viewed based on my analytics.

For how long will I be a part of the draw to be featured?

Your name or handle will have a chance of being featured for as long as you are an active member. If you cancel your membership, your name will continue to be featured on the charts that have already been posted, but you won’t get a chance to be featured in the latest charts.

When are the charts published?

I usually publish charts around race weekends. You can expect FP2 charts on Fridays, qualifying charts on Saturdays, and race charts on Sundays or Mondays. I additionally produce some midweek charts throughout the season. If I get more support, I will be able to dedicate more time to this project and create even more articles during the week.

Will I be notified if my name is featured?

I currently don’t have automated notifications, but you check the latest articles around race weekends to spot your name.

I’ve donated in the past—will I be featured?

Yes! I really appreciate the support I’ve received over the years. I’ll be reaching out to past donors and adding names to the supporter list based on the total amount contributed. If you’ve supported the project before, you’ll still have a chance to be featured in the charts.

Is my payment secure?

All payments are processed securely through Buy Me a Coffee. I never see your card or payment info.

Can I change or cancel my tier?

Sure. Memberships are renewed on a monthly basis. If you want to upgrade your membership, or cancel it, you can do so at any time.

What happens if I don’t get featured one weekend?

Do not worry if your name doesn’t show up immediately. The process is random, which makes it very fair. There is a chance that your name won’t show up on a specific article, but then it may show up on multiple charts of a different post.

Can I opt out of being featured in a chart?

Of course. I came up with this idea to give my supporters public recognition, but I understand that some of you may have privacy concerns. If you don’t want your name to be included, I would recommend you to submit the name of a pet or similar since this way you’ll get something tangible in return for your suscription. If you still don’t want to submit a name, but still want to become a member, just let me know and I will not add your name or handle to the charts (but I will still be very grateful for your support).

Can I suggest a new phrase for the charts?

For sure. I already have a database with over 200 different phrases, but I’m sure there are many more that could be featured. If you want to submit a phrase, just use the Get in touch submission form.

I have a question that is not covered in this FAQ

Contact me using the Get in touch submission form or by clicking on the envelope icon at the top of the page to send me an email.

Thank you!

Thank you for reading, for your support, and for being part of the F1pace community. If you’d like to help keep this project running, consider joining the F1pace Supporters Program!.