Formula One, abbreviated to F1, is the highest class of open-wheeledauto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body.[1] The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants and cars must conform.[2] The F1 World Championship season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held usually on purpose-built circuits, and in a few cases on closed city streets.[3] Drivers are awarded points based on their position at the end of each race, and the driver who accumulates the most points over each calendar year is crowned that year's World Champion.[4] At each Grand Prix, the driver who completes the quickest lap of the circuit is said to have completed the fastest lap. The driver who set the fastest lap in a Grand Prix was awarded a point from the 1950 season to 1959. The point was reintroduced in the 2019 season,[a] but was discontinued at the end of the 2024 season.[5][6] As of the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, 139 different drivers have set a fastest lap in a Formula One Grand Prix.[7]
Michael Schumacher holds the record for the most fastest laps with 77 during his career.
Michael Schumacher holds the record for the highest total of fastest laps with 77. Lewis Hamilton is second with 67, while Kimi Räikkönen is third with 46.[7]Gerhard Berger has the most fastest laps among non-world champions, with 21.[8][9]Alberto Ascari holds the record for the most consecutive fastest laps, with seven from the 1952 Belgian Grand Prix to the 1953 Argentine Grand Prix.[10] Schumacher and Räikkönen hold the record for the most fastest laps in one season with 10. Schumacher achieved this during the 2004 season, Räikkönen matched this in the 2005 and 2008 seasons.[11] Hamilton holds the record for the most seasons with at least one fastest lap (17).[12] Schumacher and Hamilton hold the record for most consecutive seasons with a fastest lap (15).[13] Hamilton has the record for fastest laps at most different circuits and Grands Prix (27).[14][15]
^"2020 Formula One Sporting Regulations"(PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). 7 April 2020. pp. 3–4. Archived(PDF) from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
^"2019 DHL Fastest Lap Award". Formula1.com. Formula One World Championship Limited. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
.svg){kind=small}
