Fastest laps: The Top Ten of all time

The fastest race lap enjoys a special status among Formula 1 drivers. Drivers such as Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel love to hunt down this prestigious award. The DHL Fastest Lap Award has been awarded since 2007. DHL InMotion presents the Top Ten of all-time greats since 1950.

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. 

Kimi Räikkönen
The Finnish fan favorite edged his way past Alain Prost this season to secure second place in the list of all-time greats with 42 fastest laps in all. 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.

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.

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.

Lewis Hamilton
The three-time Formula 1 champion has won the DHL Fastest Lap Award in each of the past two seasons, 2014 and 2015. Thanks to this performance, he moves up to sixth place in the list of all-time greats, closing in on his two fellow British drivers, Jim Clark and Nigel Mansell.

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. 

Sebastian Vettel 
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. He posted his first fastest lap with Ferrari in the 2015 Russian Grand Prix. 

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. 

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 to matching this incredible success rate of 45 percent.