How Fast Can a Formula 1 Car Go?

Formula 1 cars are among the fastest machines on the planet.

Combining cutting-edge engineering with world-class aerodynamics, the performance of an F1 car is peerless at tackling a circuit at high speeds.

But just how fast can an F1 car go, what are the speed records, and could the cars go even faster?

Officially, the FIA's fastest recorded speed of an F1 car in a Grand Prix is 372 km/h or 231 mph.

The Williams Racing FW38 achieved this during the 2016 Mexican Grand Prix weekend with a 372.5 km/h (231.4 mph) recording when hitting the speed trap in Mexico City.

Valtteri Bottas piloted our 2016 challenger down the long main straight to clock up that blistering speed during the race.

F1's aerodynamic design creates downforce to glue the car to the ground, allowing for incredibly fast cornering speeds, but with oncoming air acting against the car.

However, Mexico City's high altitude of 2240 metres lets F1 cars slice through the thin air thanks to reduced drag from the lower air density.

Bottas powered through the speedometer to that lofty 372.5 km/h figure, beating Kimi Raikkonen's 370.1 km/h (229.97 mph) effort from the 2005 Italian GP.

Something about the Williams Racing and Valtteri Bottas combination created scintillating speeds.

The FW38 recorded what remains the fastest-ever speed in any official F1 session during the European Grand Prix at Baku earlier in that 2016 season.

There was a lot of fanfare about the Azerbaijan capital's maiden race and the 2.2 km stretch of flat-out running from Turn 16 to Turn 1.

Bottas proved that the pre-weekend hype was justified during qualifying when the speed trap recorded his Williams Racing car hitting 366.1 km/h (227.48 mph).

However, the speed trap's location was far before the braking zone, and Bottas continued accelerating towards Turn 1 with his DRS flap open and a slipstream from the car ahead.

The Williams Racing track team confirmed that the FW38 reached 378 km/h (234.88 mph) before Bottas slowed down to start his next lap.

Monza is known as the Temple of Speed due to the high number of straights and drivers spending over 80% of a lap at full throttle.

While no longer the table-topping record, Raikkonen's 370.1 km/h speed at Monza in 2005 is even more impressive, considering the circuit's altitude.

Milan's 120 m elevation is some 2 km lower than Mexico City, meaning Raikkonen's McLaren MP4-20 had to contend with higher drag than Bottas in 2016, who had air around 30% less dense to speed through.

Juan Pablo Montoya went even faster in the sister McLaren one month before the 2005 Italian GP, too.

The Colombian, who took four wins for Williams Racing, recorded a 372.6 km/h (231.52 mph) when testing at Monza ahead of the F1 circus' arrival for the Grand Prix weekend.

However, private testing days did not require cars to pass any scrutineering, so the legality of Montoya's car is unknown, as the car could've had experimental developments equipped.

The fast Finns of Bottas and Raikkonen set their speeds during a race with FIA oversight, though, hence their names reaching the record books.

Monza's layout of long straights and high-speed corners means that the Italian track also boasts all of F1's average speed records with some rapid runs around the 5.793 km circuit.

2020 saw Lewis Hamilton take pole position for Mercedes in qualifying with an average speed of 264.362 km/h (164.267 mph) on his best Q3 effort.

That speed was some 7 km/h quicker than Rubens Barrichello's record for the fastest average speed during a race.

The Brazilian former Williams Racing driver toured Monza in a Ferrari F2004 at 257.321 km/h (159.892 mph) on Lap 41 of the 2004 race.

Ferrari also holds the record for the fastest average race speed, with Michael Schumacher maintaining 247.586 km/h (153.843 mph) through all 53 laps of the 2003 Italian GP despite pitting twice.

All the pre-2011 speed records also came without any DRS assistance, too, highlighting how fast the mid-00s generation of F1 cars was.

Something to consider when assessing the top speeds that F1 cars can go is that the drivers also need to navigate corners when they drive.

Although the mechanical and aerodynamic setup can change to tackle a tight and twisty street track or high-speed rollercoaster, keeping an F1 car balanced and grippy in corners is the key to a fast lap.

Though important, hitting the highest top speeds doesn't translate to being the fastest car in a race.

However, the 2005 car of Williams Racing Brand Ambassador Jenson Button found the limit of how fast F1 machinery can go by staying away from any asphalt or corners.

A modified BAR 007 hit the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah that featured a fin for stability rather than a rear wing when the team attempted to reach 400 km/h.

Former F1 Medical Car driver Alan van der Merwe piloted the car in June 2006 and set an FIA-confirmed speed of 397.36 km/h (246.91 mph).

However, the record averaged two runs in opposite directions to account for any wind assistance, and Der Merwe reached 400.454 km/h (248.83 mph) on one of his runs.

The car had gone even faster during previous testing by topping out at 413.205 km/h (256.75 mph), but this was not during an officially sanctioned drive, so not recognised as the record.