F1
Quickest, youngest, shortest... We look at some of Formula One's most incredible records!
Formula One demands the very best from the finest racers across the globe. While their participation itself makes them heroes, they become legends when they etch their names in the very fabric of the sport. Here's a look at some of these records.
Fastest pit stop – Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix
The record: 1.82 seconds
1.82 seconds. That's all it took for Aston Martin Red Bull Racing to swap all four wheels of Max Verstappen's RB15 in Interlagos last season, breaking a record the team already owned. The previous record was an almost equally impossible time of 1.88 seconds, but Aston Martin Red Bull Racing really raised the bar in Brazil, setting a standard we can imagine other teams battling to even match for years to come.
Carrying out pitstops that are out of this world has become a bit of a speciality of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing. Along with five pitstop speed records in 2019 alone, the team literally took to the skies for a pitstop in zero gravity, changing all four tyres on a thoroughbred Red Bull Racing F1 car thousands of metres above the earth. Check out that video below:
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Fastest ever lap – Kimi Räikkönen, 2018 Italian Grand Prix
The record: 263.587kph (163.785mph) - average speed
Ferrari finally was in the pole position of the 2018 Italian Grand Prix after an eight-year drought. While Vettel was on the top in the first two sessions, it was Räikkönen who set the best final sector for the day and took the pole with a time of 1:19.199 minutes, becoming the fastest lap in F1 history. Juan Pablo Montoya previously held the record with an average speed of 262.242kph (162.950mph) at the 2004 Italian Grand Prix.
Quickest career fine – Sebastian Vettel, 2006 Turkish Grand Prix
The record: 6 seconds
Sebastian Vettel has broken just about every record in Formula One, from Youngest World Champion to the most consecutive wins, but there’s one record he won’t be shouting about.
During his first F1 appearance at the 2006 Turkish Grand Prix, Vettel drove out of the garage, sped in the pit lane, and was penalised just six seconds into his F1 career.
Youngest winner – Max Verstappen, 2016 Spanish Grand Prix
The record: 18 years and 227 days old
Max Verstappen began breaking records the very moment he made it into F1 with Toro Rosso. At 17 years and 166 days old, the Dutchman became F1's youngest ever driver on his debut in Australia and then took the record for F1's youngest ever points scorer at the very next race in Malaysia.
Fast forward just 24 races and on his debut for Red Bull Racing in Spain, Verstappen became the Netherlands' first ever F1 winner, the youngest driver to lead a race, the youngest driver to score a podium finish, and of course, the youngest driver to win a race, taking the record away from Sebastian Vettel who joined the Dutchman on the podium that day.
Closest gap in qualifying – 1997 European Grand Prix
The record: 0.000 seconds between first and third
The title finale of the 1997 F1 season was already a tantalising affair when Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve went into the final round at Jerez separated by just one point. However, an extraordinary qualifying session ahead of the race made things even more exciting.
Villeneuve set a qualifying time of 1m 21.072s to grab provisional pole position, then, minutes later, Schumacher set an identical time. Even more unbelievable was that Villenueve’s team mate Heinz-Harald Frentzen then crossed the line to post exactly the same time as the two title contenders. Three cars, three identical times measured to one-thousandth of a second.
Fastest race – 2003 Italian Grand Prix
The record: Average speed of 247.585kph (153.842mph)
No surprises to hear that the fastest ever Formula One race was held at Monza. The 2003 Italian Grand Prix was won by Michael Schumacher, with an average speed of 247.585kph (153.842mph) in just 1 hour 14 minutes and 19.838 seconds, also making it the shortest ever F1 race that wasn’t affected by red flags.
Highest top speed – Juan Pablo Montoya, 2005 Italian Grand Prix
The record: 372.6kph (231.523mph)
A year after setting F1’s fastest ever lap, Juan Pablo Montoya returned to Monza to set another all-time record during the Italian Grand Prix weekend, hitting a top speed of 372.6kph (231.523mph) the fastest ever recorded in Formula One.
Smallest winning margin – 1971 Italian Grand Prix
The record: Top three separated by 0.09 seconds
There’s been some incredible finishes in Formula One, but nothing quite compares to the finish of the 1971 Italian Grand Prix, that saw five cars slipstream each other to the finish line.
Peter Gethin took the win from Ronnie Peterson by just 0.01 seconds, while François Cevert was just a mere 0.09 seconds from victory. Mike Hailwood was fourth 0.18 seconds back and Howden Ganley, who finished only 0.61 seconds behind, made it the closest top five finish in history.
Shortest career – Marco Apicella, 1993 Italian Grand Prix
The record: 800 metres (2,600ft)
Many Formula One drivers have competed in just a single Grand Prix, but none were shorter than Marco Apicella’s one and only Formula One appearance at the 1993 Italian Grand Prix.
The Italian driver impressed Eddie Jordan enough to give him a one-off drive in his home race for the Jordan team, but after being involved in a multi-car collision at the first corner on the very first lap, Apicella’s F1 career was over in just a few seconds.
