In a breathtaking display of speed and precision at the 2025 Italian Grand Prix qualifying session, Max Verstappen delivered a headline-making performance by setting the fastest lap ever recorded in Formula One. His time of 1 minute 18.792 seconds, clocked on the iconic high-speed Monza circuit, shattered the previous record and cemented his place in F1 history.
The lap averaged a scintillating 164.46 mph, or 264.681 km/h, surpassing Lewis Hamilton’s 2020 record of 1:18.887.
The session was a tense and nail-biting affair in the temple of speed. Lando Norris of McLaren momentarily held provisional pole with a blistering lap of 1:18.869, only to be eclipsed moments later by Verstappen’s masterstroke. Norris ultimately settled for second place, trailing by just 0.077 seconds, while his teammate and championship leader Oscar Piastri clinched third.
“I think that final lap was pretty decent and to get pole here for us is big,” Verstappen said, acknowledging both the challenge and significance of his performance at a track where Red Bull had notably struggled last year.
On the Formula 1 official site, he offered a deeper reflection: “Around here with the low downforce, it’s always very difficult to nail the lap – under braking it’s easy to make mistakes also, but Q3 felt good… happy with the laps, and of course to be on pole here for us is fantastic.”
This achievement carries added emotional weight. In the 2024 edition of the Italian GP, Verstappen famously decried his car as an “undriveable monster” and qualified a disappointing seventh, eventually finishing sixth. Fast forward to 2025, and he has turned that narrative on its head.
Max Verstappen has just completed the fastest lap in F1 history ⚡️
That’s an average speed of 264.68 km/h #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/0ZPSEZWkP4
— Autosport (@autosport) September 6, 2025
Behind the scenes, Ferrari, competing at their home race in Monza, delivered mixed results. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton posted respectable fourth and fifth-place times, though Hamilton will drop to 10th on the grid due to a prior race penalty from the Dutch Grand Prix. Mercedes appeared further down the order, with George Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli qualifying sixth and seventh respectively.
Just a year ago, Monza was a difficult weekend for Verstappen and Red Bull. The car lacked grip and stability, and criticism of its drivability had set a somber tone. But this weekend’s display saw a complete transformation—not only in pace but also in execution. Verstappen managed to extract peak performance when it mattered most.
The internal changes at Red Bull Racing add to the narrative. With Christian Horner’s exit and Laurent Mekies stepping in, questions swirled around the team’s focus and direction. Verstappen’s commanding lap silences many of those concerns and signals renewed internal resolve.
Ferrari, hungry for glory in front of their tifosi, fell short on timing—leaving fans hopeful but still waiting for a breakthrough. Meanwhile, McLaren drivers, despite showing strong early in qualifying, couldn’t hold off Verstappen’s late-charge brilliance.
Monza’s layout—characterized by long straights and high-speed sections—is arguably the ultimate test for aerodynamic efficiency and driver bravery. Achieving the fastest average lap in F1 history here is no small feat. It’s a feat that synthesizes engineering excellence, driver courage, and split-second precision.
Verstappen’s lap broke Hamilton’s five-year-old benchmark—a record long regarded as untouchable. But it wasn’t a gradual build-up to the record—it was a sudden, electrifying moment, snatched in the final seconds of Q3. The lap was emblematic of what defines Verstappen: an ability to pull extraordinary performance from the car when pressure peaks.
In radio communications, the excitement was palpable. Verstappen’s repeated “Yes guys, yes. That is unbelievable,” captured the raw emotion of the moment.