With all of the data that the sport of Formula 1 has, I find it very odd (and frustrating) that Formula One Management (FOM) have not provided any feeds to this data. By data, I mean season calendars, race results, lap times etc in an API/Web Service type format such as XML to provide developers the chance to create apps and widgets.
The only API of sorts that I found was a Live Timing one for use with the .NET framework. Although I would love to been able to implement some sort of Live Timing application, having to learn .NET did not really appeal to me so my search continued.
Today I came across THE API. The Ergast Developer API for Motorsport which is currently exclusive to Formula 1. The site says little about the developers behind the project but they seem to be determined on building the API to include information from the F1's very first race in 1950. Data can be returned as XML (by default) or JSON.
Some of the API's results include race results, driver line-ups, constructors, fastest laps, circuit information, driver/constructor standings, qualifying information and much more. Better still, it has been developed so that all of this information is based on the season you are searching for. An example search would be:
http://ergast.com/api/f1/2011/circuits/monza/results/
This search would return the full race results of the 2011 Monza Grand Prix including details about the drivers' and constructors, race distance, laps completed, fastest laps and much more.
Sorry for the cliche but the possibilities seem endless with this API which seems to be taking the right steps of providing an almost watertight bank of information about the Formula 1 racing series. An example of the API in use is the next race widget located on the homepage of this site.
Check out the Ergast website for more information and examples about how the API works and the type of data that is available.