[Bug]: Formation start is not at formation lap

[simple-technician]

Prerequisites

• I am running the latest version of F1 Sensor
• I have searched existing issues
• I have restarted Home Assistant

F1 Sensor Version

4.0.0

Device

pi 5

Home Assistant Installation Type

Home Assistant OS

System Architecture

No response

Current Behavior

binary_sensor.f1_formation_start is set after the race, not at formation lap.
8 maart 2026
F1 - Session Formation start uitgezet
07:45:00 - 2 uur geleden
F1 - Session Formation start aangezet
06:48:43 - 3 uur geleden

while
F1 - Session Session status is niet meer beschikbaar
07:45:00 - 2 uur geleden
F1 - Session Session status gewijzigd in ended
06:48:39 - 3 uur geleden
F1 - Session Session status gewijzigd in finalised
06:28:39 - 4 uur geleden
F1 - Session Session status gewijzigd in finished
06:26:35 - 4 uur geleden
F1 - Session Session status gewijzigd in live
05:03:28 - 5 uur geleden
F1 - Session Session status gewijzigd in pre
04:01:15 - 6 uur geleden
F1 - Session Session status gewijzigd in ended
04:00:03 - 6 uur geleden

Expected Behavior

binary_sensor.f1_formation_start is set when formation lap starts.

Logs

[Nicxe]

Thanks for the report. I could verify this is an integration bug, the formation marker can be armed retroactively when session metadata refreshes after the session has already gone live or finished. I’m hardening the tracker so it only accepts the marker before the session goes live, which prevents false post-race triggers and keeps automations safe.

[simple-technician]

Thank you.
The binary_sensor.f1_formation_start did not get set between pre and live, but only after the session has ended.
Is this related to the fix above, or does this need further investigation?

[github-actions]

Included in beta release v4.1.0-beta.2.

[github-actions]

Included in release v4.1.0.

[simple-technician]

Using v4.1.0 The binary_sensor.f1_formation_start did not get set between pre and live. In fact, it did not get set at all.
Do I do something wrong? Or does it only work in replay, not live sessions?
I'm using 0s live delay and live sync on formation start.

[Nicxe]

t worked for me, so I think I need a bit more information from you here. Is there anything in the logs? If you enable debug, what does the log look like then?

Have you restarted Home Assistant or changed the delay seconds just before the formation lap starts? How exactly are you using it, do you enable live sync, or what does the full sequence look like on your side?

And in what context are you trying to use the formation lap sensor in the delay sync?

[simple-technician]

I did not change or restart anything; I was asleep when the sprint race started.
I am not using this sensor, because it is new this season and I do not get it to work yet. I would like to use it with my own automation to sync the lights at formation start instead of race start.
I see some errors in the log, but nothing at race start time.
2026-03-14 03:09:45.228 WARNING (MainThread) [custom_components.f1_sensor.signalr] SignalR reconnect failed (504, message='Invalid response status', url='wss://livetiming.formula1.com/signalr/connect?transport=webSockets&clientProtocol=1.5&connectionToken=LnMPLJk9/mz//xidJ2Yn6skx8esFZSFZ1msgwPPEKn6hOmdDN1XISLrEXQ%2B/2LAwxbrPMlbwGjgxP0yBP5USyuWWYyPhHDx1rBpnnvKf3/tdIQ5FYLBuZiit5C8Rnshm&connectionData=%5B%7B%22name%22:%22Streaming%22%7D%5D'). Retrying in 5 s … 2026-03-14 03:09:50.348 WARNING (MainThread) [custom_components.f1_sensor.signalr] LiveBus websocket error: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'messages' 2026-03-14 04:19:50.361 WARNING (MainThread) [custom_components.f1_sensor.signalr] Heartbeat failed: Cannot write to closing transport 2026-03-14 04:41:15.352 WARNING (MainThread) [custom_components.f1_sensor.signalr] Heartbeat failed: Cannot write to closing transport 2026-03-14 05:22:02.838 WARNING (MainThread) [custom_components.f1_sensor.signalr] SignalR reconnect failed (504, message='Invalid response status', url='wss://livetiming.formula1.com/signalr/connect?transport=webSockets&clientProtocol=1.5&connectionToken=m3fGCMy4pz1aDTknTVQ6DUv1TB6ANSrMP/MjV95mh7/RLe%2BwXZXyJt0iUcvC1EQo0RCEZjVoy/BKI4%2B9FQ8KRT7ivr241OK3YJp/RJFpfRuZ/HmJq/6WY3LQsNiPunUQ&connectionData=%5B%7B%22name%22:%22Streaming%22%7D%5D'). Retrying in 5 s … 2026-03-14 05:22:07.970 WARNING (MainThread) [custom_components.f1_sensor.signalr] LiveBus websocket error: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'messages'

The strange thing is that the sensor didn't get set in the live sessions (Race last week and sprint from China), but when I replay the sprint race from this morning everything works.
I'll set the delay to 5s and turn on debug logging for the main race.

[Nicxe]

Thanks for the extra details. I was able to narrow this down to a live-only bug in the formation start detection, so you are not doing anything wrong on your side. Replay can still work correctly while live sessions miss the marker, which is why this has been a bit harder to catch and verify. I’m working on a fix now so the formation start trigger is picked up reliably during live sessions as well, and I’ll update this issue as soon as that patch is ready.