Today I added the final set of Grand Prix results to the Ergast API, 16 years after the original launch. The API was a quick hack written mostly on British and European trains to and from work. It was a basic LAMP stack which became increasingly difficult to maintain in recent years as the Linux platform evolved beneath it.
When I started I probably underestimated the effort required to update and check the results throughout the season, with social events and holidays getting in the way – particularly in recent years when I’m often on a yacht during race weekends. I also didn’t anticipate how user’s would ignore the terms and conditions and in some cases create an unintentional DDOS.
On the positive side I’ve had messages from people all over the world who have developed amazing apps and shared their enthusiasm for working with F1 data. Thank you for your contributions and supportive messages.
I’m very pleased that the team at Jolpica have stepped in to provide a solid replacement which will allow me to retire the Ergast API early next year.
Cheers,
Chris
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