Max Verstappen rewrote F1 history at Monza with a 1:18.792 lap to set the fastest average speed ever, now starting from P5 at the 2026 Italian GP

Max Verstappen (Image: F1) Monza has earned its nickname as the ‘Temple of Speed’ and Max Verstappen put on one of the most unusual displays of speed at the 2025 Italian Grand Prix.The Red Bull driver left Monza with not one but two remarkable F1 speed records, the fastest qualifying lap in Formula 1 history by average speed and the fastest full-distance Grand Prix ever recorded.

Verstappen’s record qualifying lap

The first record came in the qualification. Verstappen set a sensational time of 1:18.792 in the third lap and pole position is still up for grabs. The time was just 0.077 seconds faster than Lando Norris, who briefly moved to the top of the timesheets with a time of 1:18.869.However, the real significance of Verstappen’s lap was his average speed. He completed the 5.793 km Monza circuit at 264.682 km/h (164.466 mph), making it the fastest lap ever recorded in F1 by average speed.Verstappen’s lap narrowly beat the previous benchmark set by Lewis Hamilton at Monza in 2020. Hamilton set a 1:18.887 lap at an average speed of 264.362 km/h.DriverYearLap TimeAverage speedMax Verstappen20251:18,792264.682 km/hLewis Hamilton20201:18.887264.362 km/h Kimi Räikkönen20181:19.119263.587 km/hThis achievement was particularly impressive as Monza requires teams to run extremely low downforce settings. Drivers need maximum speed in a straight line while having enough stability to attack the strong braking zones of the circuit.

The fastest Grand Prix in F1 history

Verstappen is not finished. After taking pole position, he turned it into victory on Sunday, winning the 53-lap Italian Grand Prix in 1:13:24.325. More importantly, he averaged 250.706 km/h (155.791 mph) throughout the race.This made the 2025 Italian Grand Prix the fastest full-distance race in Formula 1 history by average speed, breaking Monza’s other long-standing record. The previous benchmark was held by Michael Schumacher, who won the 2003 Italian Grand Prix with an average speed of 247.585 km/h. Schumacher finished this race in 1:14:19.838.Verstappen therefore beat Schumacher’s 22-year-old record by almost 3.1 km/h.

From the field to fifth place in 2026

For the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, the picture is very different. Verstappen was unable to repeat his 2025 qualifying heroics on Saturday, clocking a 1:22.070 in Q3, which puts him sixth in the opening qualifying classification. After Oscar Piastri was penalized three places on the grid, Verstappen moved up to fifth on the grid.Pierre Gasly stunned the field to take his first F1 pole for Alpine in 1:21.786, while George Russell qualified second. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton occupy the second row, with Verstappen starting behind them.That said, the contrast is stark: 12 months ago Verstappen broke the all-time average speed record at Monza from pole position; this year he starts fifth while Gasly leads the field.Nevertheless, Verstappen’s record remains one of the most remarkable achievements associated with the circuit.