Fastest lap
Encyclopedia
In motorsport
, the fastest lap is the quickest lap run during a race. Some series, like A1 Grand Prix
and the GP2 series
, award bonus points to the driver/team with the fastest lap. In Formula One
, where until 1960
drivers were awarded a point for setting fastest lap, Michael Schumacher
holds the current record for the most fastest laps with 76.
In Grand Prix motorcycle racing
, which includes the 80cc, 125cc, 250cc, 350cc, 500cc, Moto2 and MotoGP classes, no point is awarded for the fastest lap. Giacomo Agostini
holds the current record for the most fastest laps with 117. Valentino Rossi
, who still actively races in MotoGP, is in second place with 86 fastest laps.
, 120 different drivers have made fastest race laps. German driver Michael Schumacher
has achieved the highest number of fastest laps with 76. He is followed by Frenchman Alain Prost
with 41 and Finnish driver Kimi Räikkönen
with 35. Since 2007, an award
is given to the driver with the most fastest laps in a season.
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
, the fastest lap is the quickest lap run during a race. Some series, like A1 Grand Prix
A1 Grand Prix
A1 Grand Prix was a 'single make' open-wheel auto racing series. It was unique in its field in that competitors solely represented their nation as opposed to themselves or a team, the usual format in most formula racing series. As such, it was often promoted as the "World Cup of Motorsport"...
and the GP2 series
GP2 Series
The GP2 Series, GP2 for short, is a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2005 following the discontinuation of the long-term Formula One feeder series, Formula 3000. The format was conceived by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, while Ecclestone also has the rights to the name GP1...
, award bonus points to the driver/team with the fastest lap. In Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
, where until 1960
1960 Formula One season
The 1960 Formula One season featured the eleventh FIA World Championship of Drivers, the third International Cup for F1 Manufacturers and numerous non-championship Formula One races...
drivers were awarded a point for setting fastest lap, Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
holds the current record for the most fastest laps with 76.
In Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...
, which includes the 80cc, 125cc, 250cc, 350cc, 500cc, Moto2 and MotoGP classes, no point is awarded for the fastest lap. Giacomo Agostini
Giacomo Agostini
-Non-riding career:Like John Surtees and Mike Hailwood before him, Agostini raced in Formula One cars. He competed in non-championship Formula One races in 1978. He competed in the European Formula 2 series in a Chevron B42-BMW and British Aurora Formula 1 with his own team and a Williams FW06...
holds the current record for the most fastest laps with 117. Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi, , is an Italian professional motorcycle racer and multiple MotoGP World Champion. He is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name – seven of which are in the premier class.Following his father, Graziano Rossi,...
, who still actively races in MotoGP, is in second place with 86 fastest laps.
Formula 1
In Formula OneFormula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
, 120 different drivers have made fastest race laps. German driver Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
has achieved the highest number of fastest laps with 76. He is followed by Frenchman Alain Prost
Alain Prost
Alain Marie Pascal Prost, OBE, Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur is a French racing driver. A four-time Formula One Drivers' Champion, Prost has won more titles than any driver except for Juan Manuel Fangio , and Michael Schumacher . From 1987 until 2001 Prost held the record for most Grand Prix...
with 41 and Finnish driver Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi Matias Räikkönen , nicknamed Iceman, is a Finnish racing driver, who will drive in Formula One for Lotus in . After nine seasons racing in Formula One, in which he took the Formula One World Drivers' Championship, he competed in the World Rally Championship from 2009-2011.Räikkönen entered...
with 35. Since 2007, an award
DHL Fastest Lap Award
The DHL Fastest Lap Award is awarded to the driver with the most fastest laps in a Formula One season. The trophy is the first such award to honour drivers with the most fastest laps. According to Bernie Ecclestone, the award, "recognises the very things that make Formula 1: speed and...
is given to the driver with the most fastest laps in a season.
Top ten riders in Grand Prix motorcycle racing with fastest laps
(riders in bold are currently active)| Rider | Fastest laps | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Giacomo AgostiniGiacomo Agostini -Non-riding career:Like John Surtees and Mike Hailwood before him, Agostini raced in Formula One cars. He competed in non-championship Formula One races in 1978. He competed in the European Formula 2 series in a Chevron B42-BMW and British Aurora Formula 1 with his own team and a Williams FW06... |
117 |
| 2 | Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi, , is an Italian professional motorcycle racer and multiple MotoGP World Champion. He is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name – seven of which are in the premier class.Following his father, Graziano Rossi,... |
86 |
| 3 |  Ángel NietoAngel Nieto Ángel Nieto Roldán born January 25, 1947 in Zamora, was a multi-time Grand Prix motorcycle roadracing World Champion. He is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with 13 Grand Prix World Championships to his name.... |
81 |
| 4 |  Mike HailwoodMike Hailwood Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood, MBE, GM was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer regarded by many as one of the greatest racers of all time. He was known as "Mike The Bike" because of his natural riding ability... |
79 |
| 5 |  Michael DoohanMichael Doohan Michael "Mick" Doohan AM is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion, who won five consecutive 500 cc World Championships. Only Giacomo Agostini with eight and Valentino Rossi with seven have won more.-Biography:Originally from the Gold Coast, near Brisbane, Doohan attended St... |
46 |
| Dani Pedrosa Dani Pedrosa Daniel "Dani" Pedrosa Ramal is a Grand Prix motorcycle racer. Pedrosa grew up in a village near Sabadell called Castellar del Vallès. He is the youngest world champion in 250cc Grands Prix... |
46 | |
| 7 | Max Biaggi Max Biaggi Massimiliano "Max" Biaggi is an Italian motorcycle racer and winner of the 2010 World Superbike Championship. Throughout this racing career, he has won the 250cc World Championship four times, and finished as runner-up in both the 500cc and MotoGP championships... |
42 |
| 8 | Phil Read Phil Read Phillip William Read is an English former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer nicknamed "The Prince of Speed." Although he would often be overshadowed by his contemporary, Mike Hailwood, he would become the first man to win world championships in the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc classes.-Biography:In 1964,... |
36 |
| 9 |  Jim RedmanJim Redman James Albert Redman MBE is a six-time World Champion motorcycle road racer.As a young man, he emigrated to Rhodesia , where he began his racing career. He earned a factory ride with Honda for the 1960 season. He would go on to claim four consecutive 350cc World Championships from 1962 to 1965... |
35 |
| 10 | John Surtees John Surtees John Surtees, OBE is a British former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver from England. He was 500cc motorcycle World Champion in 1956 and 1958–60, Formula One World Champion in 1964, and remains the only person to have won World Championships on both two and four wheels... |
34 |
| Carlo Ubbiali Carlo Ubbiali Carlo Ubbiali is an Italian nine-time World Champion motorcycle road racer. In the 1950s, he was a dominant force in the smaller classes of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.-Career:... |
34 |