Formula 1 returns to Monza this weekend for round 16 of the 2025 season.
Also known as the ‘Temple of Speed’, the Italian circuit is one of the most historic on the sport’s calendar.
Featuring long straights and multiple high-speed corners, it can often be one of the most exciting, with cars and drivers alike constantly pushing flat out.
Indeed, that’s what Lewis Hamilton did in qualifying for the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, setting a remarkable record in the process.
Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap in Formula 1 history at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix
Heading to Monza in 2020, Hamilton sat comfortably at the top of the Drivers’ Standings.
Piloting his dominant Mercedes W11, the Briton had won five of the first seven races and finished on the podium a sixth time as well.
One of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, Hamilton was full of confidence and at one with a car that was superior to all others on the grid, a potent combination.
It led to a magical moment in qualifying, as Hamilton set the fastest Formula 1 lap in history, averaging a top speed of 164.267mph.
Unfortunately, in a rare error that season, he couldn’t back it up in the race, finishing in seventh (his worst result of the campaign) after being penalised for coming into the pit lane when it was closed.
Still, that should take nothing away from the magnitude of the seven-time World Champion’s achievement.
Lewis Hamilton’s fastest ever Formula 1 lap could be beaten at the 2025 Italian Grand Prix
Hamilton took the record from Kimi Raikkonen, who achieved the feat by averaging a speed of 163.78mph in qualifying for the 2018 Italian Grand Prix with Ferrari.
Since the change of regulations in 2022, however, the cars have become heavier and slower, pushing the lap times backwards.
Yet at Monza in 2024, Lando Norris’ pole position qualifying time was less than five tenths slower than Hamilton’s.
| Year | Qualifying time | Driver | Constructor |
| 2020 | 1:18.887 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 2021 | 1:19.555 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes |
| 2022 (NEW REGULATIONS) | 1:20.161 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 2023 | 1:20.294 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari |
| 2024 | 1:19.327 | Lando Norris | McLaren |
Realistically, then, with developments from 2024 to this season, a driver on the grid could break Hamilton’s record on Saturday at this year’s Grand Prix.
If they don’t, they will be waiting some time to get the chance again, with the new regulations coming into effect in the 2026 season likely to produce lower cornering speeds and less downforce, much to the angst of many drivers.