Fastest Lap

The Fastest Lap of a race is a term which describes the quickest lap time set during a race (excluding practice and qualifying sessions). It is distinct from the Lap Record which describes the fastest lap time ever set on a particular circuit (though the two occasionally coincide).

The fastest lap of a race is usually set near to the end of the race, when fuel levels are lowest and the overall car weight is at its minimum. However, this was not always the case. Prior to 2009, when mid-race refuelling was allowed, the car's weight varied throughout the race. As a result, the fastest lap was often set midway through a race.

Between 1950 and 1959, a bonus World Championship point was awarded to the holder of the fastest lap for each race. Due to limitations in timing precision at the time, this was occasionally shared. In fact, at the 1954 British Grand Prix, seven drivers shared the bonus point for fastest lap. This award returned for the 2019 season, with top-ten finishing drivers eligible.

The fastest lap is also one part of the Hat-trick and Grand Chelem.

Records

Total fastest laps

	Driver	Fastest Laps	Race starts	Percentage
1	Michael Schumacher	77	306	25.16%
2	Lewis Hamilton	67	351	19.09%
3	Kimi Räikkönen	46	349	13.18%
4	Alain Prost	41	199	20.60%
5	Sebastian Vettel	38	299	12.71%
6	Nigel Mansell	30	187	16.04%
7	Max Verstappen	32	203	15.76%
8	Jim Clark	28	72	38.88%
9	Mika Häkkinen	25	161	15.52%
10	Niki Lauda	24	171	14.03%
Source:

Most fastest laps in a season

	Driver	Season	Entries	Fastest Laps	Percentage	WDC
1	Michael Schumacher	2004	18	10	55.55%	1st
	Kimi Räikkönen	2008	18	10	55.55%	3rd
	Kimi Räikkönen	2005	19	10	52.63%	2nd
4	Mika Häkkinen	2000	17	9	52.94%	2nd
	Max Verstappen	2021	22	6	40.91%	1st
6	Nigel Mansell	1992	16	8	50.00%	1st
	Michael Schumacher	1994	16	8	50.00%	1st
	Michael Schumacher	1995	17	8	47.05%	1st
	Lewis Hamilton	2015	19	8	42.11%	1st
10	Nelson Piquet	1986	16	7	43.75%	3rd
	Alain Prost	1988	16	7	43.75%	2nd
	Michael Schumacher	2002	17	7	41.18%	1st
	Michael Schumacher	2006	18	7	38.89%	2nd
	Mark Webber	2011	19	7	36.84%	3rd
	Sebastian Vettel	2013	19	7	36.84%	1st
	Lewis Hamilton	2014	19	7	36.84%	1st
	Lewis Hamilton	2017	20	7	35.00%	1st
	Valtteri Bottas	2018	21	7	33.33%	5th
Source:

Highest percentage of fastest laps in a season

	Driver	FLs	Races	Season	Percentage
1	Alberto Ascari	6	8	1952	75.00%
2	Juan Manuel Fangio	5	8	1951	62.50%
3	Jim Clark	6	10	1963	60.00%
	Jim Clark	6	10	1965	60.00%
5	Jim Clark	5	9	1962	55.55%
	Michael Schumacher	10	18	2004	55.55%
	Kimi Räikkönen	10	18	2008	55.55%
8	Mika Häkkinen	9	17	2000	52.94%
9	Kimi Räikkönen	10	19	2005	52.63%
10	Juan Manuel Fangio	4	8	1956	50.00%
	Nigel Mansell	8	16	1992	50.00%
	Michael Schumacher	8	16	1994	50.00%

Most consecutive fastest laps

	Driver	FLs	Season(s)	Races
1	Alberto Ascari	7	1952–1953	1952 Belgian Grand Prix–1953 Argentine Grand Prix
2	Kimi Räikkönen	6	2008	2008 Spanish Grand Prix–2008 British Grand Prix
3	Michael Schumacher	5	2004	2004 Bahrain Grand Prix–2004 European Grand Prix
4	Jackie Stewart	4	1969	1969 Monaco Grand Prix–1969 British Grand Prix
	Gilles Villeneuve	4	1979	1979 South African Grand Prix–1979 Belgian Grand Prix
	Nigel Mansell	4	1991	1991 Canadian Grand Prix–1991 British Grand Prix
	Kimi Räikkönen	4	2005	2005 French Grand Prix–2005 Hungarian Grand Prix
Source:

Youngest drivers to set fastest lap

	Driver	Age	Race
1	Max Verstappen	19 years, 44 days	2016 Brazilian Grand Prix
2	Lando Norris	20 years, 235 days	2020 Austrian Grand Prix
3	Nico Rosberg	20 years, 258 days	2006 Bahrain Grand Prix
4	Charles Leclerc	21 years, 166 days	2019 Bahrain Grand Prix
5	Esteban Gutiérrez	21 years, 280 days	2013 Spanish Grand Prix
6	Fernando Alonso	21 years, 321 days	2003 Canadian Grand Prix
7	Bruce McLaren	21 years, 322 days	1959 British Grand Prix
8	Sebastian Vettel	21 years, 353 days	2009 British Grand Prix
9	Daniil Kvyat	22 years, 19 days	2016 Spanish Grand Prix
10	Lewis Hamilton	22 years, 91 days	2007 Malaysian Grand Prix
Source:

v·d·e

Nominate this page for Featured Article