All-Time Greats: Fastest laps

In the 2015 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX, Kimi Räikkönen once again showed what he is capable of. For the first time in eighteen months, the Finn secured a podium finish and, moreover, set the DHL Fastest Lap. Räikkönen is now on a score of 41 fastest laps in his Formula 1 career. This puts him on a par with four-time world champion Alain Prost. DHL InMotion has ranked the drivers who have regularly posted the fastest race laps in the long history of Formula 1.

Michael Schumacher
It is no surprise that Michael Schumacher tops the table. The German holds the record in almost all motor racing disciplines, so it’s no surprise that he leads the way in this one too. The seven-time world champion notched up an incredible total of 77 fastest laps, which could well remain a record for eternity. Schumacher’s first fastest lap was set in the 1992 Belgian GP and his last in the 2012 German GP. In the 2006 season, Schumacher managed to record the fastest lap in ten out of 18 races. 

Alain Prost
Alain Prost is one of the most successful drivers in Formula 1 history, having claimed four world titles. The Frenchman’s tally of fastest laps is 41, the first of which was posted in his home race, the 1981 French Grand Prix at Dijon. The last occasion on which Prost was the fastest man in the field was Japan in 1991, the penultimate Grand Prix of his career.

Kimi Räikkönen
Although Kimi Räikkönen still needs three more world titles to match Alain Prost’s record, the race in Bahrain at least put him on level pegging with the Frenchman in terms of fastest laps. The Finn won the 2007 and the 2008 DHL Fastest Lap Awards, thereby demonstrating that he is not only ice cool under pressure but also really fast.

Nigel Mansell
With a haul of 30 fastest laps, Nigel Mansell is the most successful British driver in this classification. In his world championship campaign of 1992, Mansell clocked the fastest time in eight races, including the prestigious classics of Monaco and Monza. 

Jim Clark
Jim Clark falls just two fastest laps short of Mansell. The Scot, who took the world championship title in 1963 and 1965, remained loyal to Lotus throughout his career and never drove for any other team. Clark scored his maiden fastest lap in the 1961 Dutch Grand Prix driving a Lotus 21; his final best time came in the 1968 South African GP at the wheel of a Lotus 49.

Mika Häkkinen
Mika Häkkinen celebrated his greatest triumphs, including the world championship title in 1998 and 1999, with McLaren. It is therefore hardly surprising that all his fastest laps came in the service of the illustrious British outfit. Starting with the 1997 Italian GP and finishing with the 2001 Hungarian GP, the Finn was the fastest man on the track 25 times. 

Niki Lauda
Like Häkkinen, Niki Lauda also drove for McLaren. However, the three-time world champion also clocked fastest laps for Ferrari and Brabham, eventually signing off on a total of 24. The last occasion was the 1985 German Grand Prix, even though he finished that particular race down in fifth position. 

Sebastian Vettel 
Sebastian Vettel is currently on 24 fastest laps, level with Lauda’s closing tally. Despite leading the rest of the field by a clear margin in the final stages, the German could never resist the temptation to add the fastest lap to the race win – a habit that was generally frowned on by his Red Bull Racing team who were always worried about pushing the car to breakdown. Since joining Ferrari, Vettel is still waiting for a fastest lap. 

Juan Manuel Fangio
The fact that five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio is only ninth in the All-Time Greats is easily explained: there were far fewer races held in his day. The Argentine competed in 51 Formula 1 races, setting a total of 23 fastest laps. No other driver comes anywhere near matching this incredible success rate of 45 percent. 

Nelson Piquet
At number ten in the charts is Nelson Piquet who won the world championship in 1981, 1983 and 1987. The Brazilian posted 23 fastest laps, twelve of which were as a Brabham driver and eleven for Williams. Piquet’s place in the Top Ten is looking vulnerable, however, because Lewis Hamilton is currently breathing down his neck on a score of 22.

The fifth race weekend of the 2015 season will be staged on the weekend of April 8th - 10th with the FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA PIRELLI 2015 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. So who do you think is going to set the fastest lap at Barcelona?