41 replies to this topic

[nneads]

Anyone know the highest recorded speed of a F-1 car. Radar Trap Speeds are a recent thing, relatively. Was there say a good timing system for say Monza before 72 when they had the high blanks and Lap speed records. The guys used to really get rolling up the 3 long straights of the old Nurburgring track. Just what is the highest recorded speed of a F-1 car and where and when?

[Globber2000]

I suppose that should be from one of the 1000+ bhp monster turbos of the 80's at Hockenheim.... right? Anyway, I believe a F1 constructor could probably, if they put the heart and money into it, build a car that could beat the current internal combustion engine speed record for cars.

[nneads]

Originally posted by Globber2000
I suppose that should be from one of the 1000+ bhp monster turbos of the 80's at Hockenheim

Quit possible. But does not help in answering question. Just what is the highest recorded speed for a F-1 car.

[Rene]

It was DC at Hockenheim in 2000, at 359.2kph....

Source:http://www.fia.com/p...magne/news2.htm

[Indian Chief]

Originally posted by Globber2000
I suppose that should be from one of the 1000+ bhp monster turbos of the 80's at Hockenheim.... right

Nigel Mansell in his 1988 book said that F1 cars could reach 215 MPH at Hockenheim. That's about 345.9 KPH. I suppose it was lower in the turbo era than it is now since they ran huge wings even at Hockenheim and Monza.

BTW Rene, Alesi managed 363 KPH at Monza in 2001.

[Rene]

Originally posted by Indian Chief
BTW Rene, Alesi managed 363 KPH at Monza in 2001.

Odd, when DC did the 350, it was widely reported as the fastest F1 top speed ever....

[A Wheel Nut]

Originally posted by Rene
It was DC at Hockenheim in 2000, at 359.2kph....

Source:http://www.fia.com/p...magne/news2.htm

A quote from the above link.

Sporting: Hakkinen reported that his MP4/16 was the best handling car he'd ever had at Hockenheim and recorded the highest straight line speed at 359.2kph. Coulthard blistered three sets of tyres down to the canvass and abandoned his final run to conserve rubber for the race.

So, replace Coulthard with Hakkinen, and 2000 with 2001.

[911]

IIRC, DC did set the fastest trap speed at Hockenheim. Back in the turbo days, I believe the Benettons of Berger & Fabi went 221 mph at Monza in 1986. I don't know if that was the fastest turbo top speed, but that was pretty impressive.

[PLAYLIFE]

I had always read about DC at Hockenheim and Alesi at Monza as the highest top speeds recorded in F1.

Regarding the cars of the turbo era, they were quite quick but as mentioned earlier weren't as slippery as they are now.

Official print outs I have from 1986 Australian GP at Adelaide read that the top speed at the end of Brabham Straight was 326kph set by Mansell in the Williams Honda Turbo. Comparatively, Damon Hill set the highest top speed in Adelaide 1993 at a 296kph remarkably slower.

[scheivlak]

Originally posted by Rene
Odd, when DC did the 350, it was widely reported as the fastest F1 top speed ever....

It was, but Alesi beated it a year later (363,4) during the Italian GP.
IIRC Coulthard's speed in Hockenheim 2000 BTW was not during Q but during the race as well; I thought it was something like 361 - anyway, faster than Hakkinen's 359 during practice.
These days top speeds are mostly recorded during the race and not in Q because of the added possibilty of slipsteaming.

[MortenF1]

As far as I know, DC has recorded the fastest top speed, with 366 km/h in '00 I think, at Hockenheimring.

[Jhope]

Originally posted by Indian Chief


Nigel Mansell in his 1988 book said that F1 cars could reach 215 MPH at Hockenheim. That's about 345.9 KPH. I suppose it was lower in the turbo era than it is now since they ran huge wings even at Hockenheim and Monza.

BTW Rene, Alesi managed 363 KPH at Monza in 2001.

Nige wasn't driving a turbo powered car in 1988. The Williams of that season was powered by a Judd engine. And if you look for pictires of that race, you'll notice the Williams' ran very little wing.

[MortenF1]

Having chewed on it for a while now, without bothering to search any magazines, or various sites though, I wonder if DC recorded the record at Indy in '00....(?)

[scheivlak]

Originally posted by scheivlak
IIRC Coulthard's speed in Hockenheim 2000 BTW was not during Q but during the race as well; I thought it was something like 361 - anyway, faster than Hakkinen's 359 during practice.

Found it - A Google search on "Coulthard Hockenheim 361" brought me several sites/pages like this: http://de.groups.yah...tter/message/28 :
"Zwischenzeit hat es David Coulthard geschafft mit 361 km/h einen neuen Geschwindkeitsrekord aufzustellen, und das nahezu unbemerkt."

[Indian Chief]

Originally posted by Jhope

Nige wasn't driving a turbo powered car in 1988. The Williams of that season was powered by a Judd engine. And if you look for pictires of that race, you'll notice the Williams' ran very little wing.

I know that Mansell had a NA Judd engine in 1988, but IIRC he was talking about F1 cars of the 1980s in general, not his 1988 Williams in particular.

Then again, Its been over 3 years since I read that book and I may have forgotten exactly what he meant.

[nneads]

I sure did not think it would be this hard to get an answer to what I thought was a very easy question. Alesi or DC? Anyone find some proof? I have tried and it is tough. For a sport that is about speed, it is hard to find an answer about speed.

[karlth]

Originally posted by nneads
I sure did not think it would be this hard to get an answer to what I thought was a very easy question. Alesi or DC? Anyone find some proof? I have tried and it is tough. For a sport that is about speed, it is hard to find an answer about speed.

The highest straight line speed recorded during a Grand Prix in the 2001 season was set by Jean Alesi (Jordan), at 363.2 Kph (225.7 mph), during the Italian Grand Prix.

I don't think that time has ever been bettered and is the highest top speed recorded in modern F1.

[nneads]

Karlth - Thank you!:)

[Globber2000]

That said, is there any story behind this speed? Was the Honda really better than, say, the BMW that race, or was Alesi missing a wing or something?

[Rene]

Originally posted by Globber2000
That said, is there any story behind this speed? Was the Honda really better than, say, the BMW that race, or was Alesi missing a wing or something?

This is only during a race, when a team is doing straight-line tests, I am sure they break this speed, especially Williams, who have done the most straight-line testing of any of the teams in recent years...

[MortenF1]

Originally posted by nneads
Karlth - Thank you!:)

I'd be willing to bet my left nut on DC holding the speed record in F1, with the aforementioned 366 km/h, on either the old Hockenheim or Indy. I'm 99.99% sure! :

[nneads]

Care to throw some proof this way. I have not been able to find anything on DC at 366. Not that I do not believe you.

[karlth]

The new (1999) record for F1 is 361.8 km/h = 100.5 m/s by David Coulthard at Monza.

The previous (1998) record for F1 was 356.5 km/h (221.5 mph), done by David Coulthard at Hockenheim during the Friday free practices.

A Finnish newspaper gave a slightly different speed: 358 km/h (222.45 mph) The second value is probably closer to the truth, since: "At Hockenheim Norbert Haug said in a interview that they accelerated for 80 meters more (after the TV speed trap) and got close to 360km/h."

[hedges]

Minardi site supports Karlth http://www.minardi.i...f1.asp#velocita

[Indian Chief]

Originally posted by Globber2000
That said, is there any story behind this speed? Was the Honda really better than, say, the BMW that race, or was Alesi missing a wing or something?

Alesi was trying to overtake Verstappen's Arrows at that time and the slipstream helped him achieve that speed.

[Sith]

Originally posted by PLAYLIFE
I had always read about DC at Hockenheim and Alesi at Monza as the highest top speeds recorded in F1.

Regarding the cars of the turbo era, they were quite quick but as mentioned earlier weren't as slippery as they are now.

Official print outs I have from 1986 Australian GP at Adelaide read that the top speed at the end of Brabham Straight was 326kph set by Mansell in the Williams Honda Turbo. Comparatively, Damon Hill set the highest top speed in Adelaide 1993 at a 296kph remarkably slower.

Adelaide 86, Friday morning practice, G.Berger Benetton BMW 351kph, Brabham straight.

[Bart]

Originally posted by Indian Chief
Alesi was trying to overtake Verstappen's Arrows at that time and the slipstream helped him achieve that speed.

You beat me to it, but you are absolutely right.

[Clatter]

Originally posted by Rene


This is only during a race, when a team is doing straight-line tests, I am sure they break this speed, especially Williams, who have done the most straight-line testing of any of the teams in recent years...

I doubt it. When they do straightline tests they are not looking for outright speed, but are normally testing various wing settings. This means they drive up and down at a set speed so that they can directly compare data.

[nmansellfan]

Ok it doesnt count as the top speed record, but i did read somewhere that Nelson Piquet hit 197 MPH (317KM/H) coming out of the tunnel during practice for the 1987 Monaco Grand Prix.

[karlth]

Originally posted by nmansellfan
Ok it doesnt count as the top speed record, but i did read somewhere that Nelson Piquet hit 197 MPH (317KM/H) coming out of the tunnel during practice for the 1987 Monaco Grand Prix.

And Williams' Patrick Head said afterwards that the speed and acceleration had been such that the drivers looked after their qualifying laps like they were on cocaine.

[maclaren]

Originally posted by karlth


The highest straight line speed recorded during a Grand Prix in the 2001 season was set by Jean Alesi (Jordan), at 363.2 Kph (225.7 mph), during the Italian Grand Prix.

I don't think that time has ever been bettered and is the highest top speed recorded in modern F1.

Yep ... Alesi made that record in 2001 and as far as I know it wasn't bettered last season.

[Ferrari_F1_fan_2001]

The Alesi top speed thing was due to 3 factors

firstly the low wing (of course)
the slipstreaming of Jos Verstappen - an extra few Kph's in doing that

and lastly (and what many people forget) - he braked late and missed his breaking point which enabaled him to carry an extra 1 or 2 kph into the first corner. I am 95% sure of this, i watched it a few months back and remember Alesi getting his breaking all wrong and going deep into the first corner, but having said that he still managed to get the speed record. The previous was done by David Coulthard the year before at Monza at 359kph. Lets not get carried away by Alesi's top speed, he sort of slipped up because he was distracted by Jos, but all credit to him, well done Jean, its nice to hold a certain record like that, especially acheiveing it on your last season.

Bravo Jean

[FlatFoot]

What about JPM this year @ Sepang?

He lost his rear wing on lap 1 (Pizzonia rear-ended him) and I recall him setting some sort of hellacious top speed on one of the straights enroute back to the pits.

Suppose that isn't really applicable since he was w/o a rear wing.

[Ferrari_F1_fan_2001]

Originally posted by FlatFoot
What about JPM this year @ Sepang?

He lost his rear wing on lap 1 (Pizzonia rear-ended him) and I recall him setting some sort of hellacious top speed on one of the straights enroute back to the pits.

Suppose that isn't really applicable since he was w/o a rear wing.

He'd have to break way early if he wanted to get his car to stay on the track and not on that nice green grass/

[cheesy poofs]

You still have to marvel at Michael Schumacher's speed of 348 km/h at this year's Canadian GP

[mhferrari]

Sounds just like Alesi, setting the F1 speed record.

Of course he would have only a little wing, he loves overtaking.

[CLX]

Originally posted by cheesy poofs
You still have to marvel at Michael Schumacher's speed of 348 km/h at this year's Canadian GP

Yeah, that was way above my expectations, so now I'm really wondering how fast they'll be going at Monza...

[mhferrari]

Originally posted by nmansellfan
Ok it doesnt count as the top speed record, but i did read somewhere that Nelson Piquet hit 197 MPH (317KM/H) coming out of the tunnel during practice for the 1987 Monaco Grand Prix.

Wow! At Monaco!

[cheesy poofs]

Unlike todays car which can run with minimal wings, cars in the " turbo " era ran with lots of downforce. AFAIK, there were some rather flimsy rear wings in the 1997 season.

That same year, I remember seeing Villeneuve, during private testing at Monza, running without any top rear wing element ! The car was fitted with a lower wing with small end-plates attached.
I can just imagine the speed he must have reached at Monza with that thing !

BTW - If anyone can find a pic of this...

[zfh10]

The McLaren F1 road car set a production car world speed record of 391 km/hr I think, I have a vid of it on my home pc. I wonder if an F1 car can match that?

[Sith]

If they took an F-1 car and put it on the Michigan or Fontana speedway, it would hit 400kph no problem!! (using a relevant set-up)

[VAR1016]

I wonder what top speed Bernd Rosemeyer reached in his Auto-Union strommleinwagen during his 171 m.p.h. lap at the Avus in the 1930s?

PdeRL