Quickest laps could have been, at occasions, of restricted significance in Formulation 1; nonetheless, Lewis Hamilton’s quickest race lap within the Singapore Grand Prix marked his sixteenth consecutive season with the feat, which shouldn’t be understated.
Michael Schumacher was the earlier file holder, having achieved quickest laps yearly from his first full F1 marketing campaign, in 1992, to his preliminary retirement on the finish of the 2006 season.
Hamilton made his F1 debut the next 12 months, taking a runner-up spot in 2007 and the world title in 2008 with 13 poles and 9 wins general, however simply three quickest laps – earlier than he failed to realize any in 2009, which was a tricky season for McLaren. That 12 months, he got here closest on the Italian GP, with a 0.063s deficit on Drive India’s Adrian Sutil.
Since then, Hamilton has bought at the very least one quickest lap yearly. Let’s take a look at how he did it.
2010 – 5 quickest laps
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren MP4/25
Photograph by: Sutton Photographs
Hamilton is the oft-forgotten title contender of the 2010 season, wherein no one bought extra quickest laps than him – 5, as many as Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. Within the final 12 months of the pre-Pirelli and pre-DRS period, the McLaren driver prevailed at Shanghai, Barcelona, Spa-Francorchamps, Interlagos – by 0.004s over Alonso – and Yas Marina.
2011 – Three quickest laps
The 2011 season arguably was Hamilton’s worst, as team-mate Jenson Button took the higher hand amid quite a few errors by his junior. Hamilton nonetheless achieved three quickest laps at Barcelona, the Nurburgring and Monza – the latter by 0.020s over Button.
2012 – One quickest lap
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren MP4-27
Photograph by: Sutton Photographs
McLaren had a really aggressive automotive in 2012, as proven by the staff’s eight poles and 7 wins, however Hamilton took only one quickest lap… within the eventful, rain-affected title decider in Brazil – the place monitor situations have been at their finest between laps 34 and 39. Hamilton lapped in 1m18.069s, outpacing Button by 0.039s, however retired in a collision with Drive India’s Nico Hulkenberg.
2013 – One quickest lap
Hamilton moved to Mercedes for 2013, however the staff was but to change into the powerhouse it now’s. The Briton gained only one race, in Hungary, and set the quickest lap in Italy with a 1m25.849s that was 0.651s sooner than anybody else. That was on the antepenultimate lap, when Hamilton overtook former team-mate Button on the principle straight, taking advantage of the slipstream.
2014 – Seven quickest laps
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1 W05
Photograph by: Sutton Photographs
Mercedes grew to become omnipotent within the new turbo hybrid period, and so did Hamilton, who took his second world title with seven quickest laps in Malaysia, Britain, Germany, Italy, Singapore, Japan and Brazil. His margin reached 0.894s at Sepang (he admittedly had a later pitstop for recent tyres, however so did team-mate Nico Rosberg) and 1.222s at Marina Bay (the place he had a a lot later pitstop than anybody).
2015 – Eight quickest laps
Hamilton’s most prolific season. Mercedes’ supremacy continued, and Hamilton prevailed in Australia, China, Spain, Britain, Italy, Japan, Brazil and Abu Dhabi. He was a whopping 1.002s sooner than Rosberg at Suzuka.
2016 – Three quickest laps
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1 W07 Hybrid
Photograph by: Mercedes AMG
A remarkably low variety of quickest laps given how dominant Mercedes nonetheless was, and it may have been even fewer. Hamilton was 0.066s faster than Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in Monaco, whereas he loved a 0.080s and 0.0163s benefit over Rosberg in Austria and Belgium respectively.
2017 – Seven quickest laps
Hamilton had a brand new team-mate in Valtteri Bottas, and Mercedes was now being challenged by Ferrari, however he nonetheless took quickest laps in China, Bahrain, Spain, Canada, Austria, Britain – that’s six in 9 races – and Singapore. More often than not, he had little or no margin on Vettel or Pink Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen.
2018 – Three quickest laps
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1
Photograph by: Alessio Morgese / Luca Rossini
One other season with Ferrari as Mercedes’ fundamental opponent, and Hamilton took quickest laps in Germany, Italy and the USA solely. That Monza one was extraordinarily tight, with an 0.008s hole to Vettel. At Austin, having pitted some 10 to fifteen laps later than his rivals, Hamilton was 0.854s sooner than Verstappen.
2019 – Six quickest laps
Mercedes was dominant once more as F1 reintroduced a bonus level for the quickest lap. Hamilton prevailed on six events – together with Monza, the place he co-holds the file for many quickest laps at a single monitor. In that prevalence, his margin was 1.020s in comparison with Vettel, however that was all the way down to a late pitstop.
Nevertheless, Hamilton did lose quickest laps to late pitstops by Vettel at Paul Ricard and Verstappen on the Hungaroring.
2020 – Six quickest laps
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W11 Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri AT01, Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo Racing C39 and Lance Stroll, Racing Level RP20 on the restart
Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photographs
One other six quickest laps throughout that COVID-impacted season, on the Hungaroring, Silverstone, Monza, Mugello, Portimao and Imola – every of these with giant margins, between 0.4s and 1.2s.
Hamilton’s dominance was so vital that, main the Hungarian GP, he had a late pitstop for brand spanking new tyres, snatching the quickest lap and retaining the win anyway.
Within the Italian GP, famously gained by Pierre Gasly, Hamilton set 13 occasions that have been ok to steer the fastest-lap desk; nevertheless, a stop-go penalty for pitting when the pitlane was closed value him the victory.
Late pitstops from rivals disadvantaged Hamilton of two quickest laps: Carlos Sainz within the Styrian spherical and Bottas in Spain.
2021 – Six quickest laps
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12
Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photographs
In his titanic title combat in opposition to Verstappen, Hamilton set six quickest laps – as many because the Dutchman – at Imola, Monaco, Spielberg, Zandvoort, Austin and Jeddah. His benefit was at all times bigger than 0.6s, however was typically all the way down to a late pitstop.
In the meantime, Pink Bull’s Sergio Perez snatched the quickest lap away from Hamilton with late pitstops in Britain and Brazil, costing him two priceless factors within the tight championship race; so did AlphaTauri’s Gasly in Hungary.
2022 – Two quickest laps
Mercedes struggled within the first 12 months of F1’s new ground-effect period. Hamilton nonetheless set quickest laps on advantage at Silverstone and the Hungaroring, the place he completed third and second respectively. That’s two fewer than team-mate George Russell’s 4, however Mercedes’ new race driver did nevertheless profit from late pitstops on three events.
2023 – 4 quickest laps
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W14
Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photographs
Hamilton prevailed on advantage in Monaco and Mexico, whereas taking advantage of late pitstops in Belgium and Singapore. He completed all 4 races within the high 4.
Canada was one other race the place Hamilton was aggressive, taking third on the rostrum, however a late pitstop by Perez denied him the quickest lap.
2024 – Two quickest laps
Hamilton set consecutive quickest laps for the primary time since 2020, taking honours in Monaco and Canada – although he completed solely seventh and fourth on the highway – with 0.404s and 0.039 margins on Verstappen and Russell respectively.
He misplaced a 3rd quickest lap to Lando Norris, who pitted late in Las Vegas, the place Mercedes took a one-two with Russell on the highest step of the rostrum.
2025 – One quickest lap
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photograph by: Shameem Fahath / Motorsport Network
Hamilton set the quickest lap within the Singapore Grand Prix with a 1m33.808s that was 0.765s sooner than second-quickest Gasly. The brand new Ferrari racer set that point proper after his lap 46 pitstop for used delicate tyres, in a 62-lap race.
This was Hamilton’s 68th quickest lap; Schumacher stays the file holder on 77, with Kimi Raikkonen third on 46.
Hamilton additionally went quickest within the Shanghai race however was disqualified over a technical breach, so misplaced the fastest-lap accolade.
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