F1 | Max Verstappen breaks a 22-year-old Monza record
Max Verstappen, driving the Red Bull RB21, has broken a Ferrari record that had stood since 2003. Michael Schumacher held the previous record at Monza with the F2003-GA, completing 53 laps at an average speed of 247.586 km/h. Verstappen was faster by 54.513 seconds.
Max Verstappen has written a historic page in Formula 1 that somewhat went under the radar in terms of its significance: the Italian Grand Prix, the 1,140th race in F1 history, became the fastest ever held.
The four-time world champion’s Red Bull RB21 covered all 53 laps at an astonishing average speed of 250.706 km/h! The race lasted just 1 hour, 13 minutes, 24.325 seconds, moving in the direction Stefano Domenicali envisions for the future—shorter, more compact events that cater to the expectations of younger fans seeking faster-paced races.
In addition to marking Red Bull Racing’s 125th victory and his own 66th, Max Verstappen finally surpassed a record that had stood since 2003—22 years ago. That era coincided with Michael Schumacher’s dominant run with Ferrari.
Schumacher, in fact, won in the F2003-GA in 1 hour, 14 minutes, 19.838 seconds, holding a record that was finally beaten by Verstappen by 54.513 seconds. Reading these numbers highlights how modern F1 has evolved, giving ground-effect cars a record that is unlikely to be challenged by the 2026 cars, which are expected to be significantly slower.
The 2003 race was characterized by two pit stops for tire changes, whereas this year’s Monza GP required only one. Yet, can a race that lasts just 70 minutes truly satisfy the 369,000 spectators who attended over the weekend? Does the high cost of tickets justify such a short event? Fans who wanted to experience this new format for future races already had solid arguments to support their stance. However, watching a Grand Prix at the Temple of Speed is a very different experience from witnessing a roughly one-hour race on a tight, twisty circuit like Monte Carlo.
The RB21, with trimmed wings to achieve higher top speeds, delivered a historic triumph to Red Bull’s Milton Keynes trophy cabinet. Yet, Verstappen, without the benefit of DRS or slipstreams, reached “only” 352.5 km/h, while Alexander Albon in the Williams FW47-Mercedes touched 364.1 km/h. This is still far from Kimi Räikkönen’s 370 km/h peak in 2005, surpassed only by Juan Pablo Montoya’s 372.2 km/h during testing in the McLaren MP4-20, not in an official race.
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