While the importance of fastest laps in Formula 1 might fluctuate, Lewis Hamilton’s achievement of securing the fastest lap in the Singapore Grand Prix for the 16th consecutive season should be given due recognition.
Previously, Michael Schumacher held the record, having achieved fastest laps every year from his debut full F1 season in 1992 up to his initial retirement at the conclusion of the 2006 season.
Hamilton commenced his F1 journey the subsequent year, securing a second-place finish in 2007 and claiming the world title in 2008 with an impressive 13 pole positions and nine victories. However, he only managed three fastest laps before failing to record any in 2009, which was a challenging year for McLaren. His closest attempt that year was at the Italian GP, where he lagged behind Force India’s Adrian Sutil by a mere 0.063s.
Since then, Hamilton has achieved at least one fastest lap each year. Let’s examine his accomplishments year by year.
2010 – Five fastest laps
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren MP4/25
Photo by: Sutton Images
In 2010, Hamilton was a strong contender, often overlooked, achieving the highest number of fastest laps, equaling Fernando Alonso’s five. In the final year before the introduction of Pirelli tires and the Drag Reduction System, the McLaren driver excelled at Shanghai, Barcelona, Spa-Francorchamps, Interlagos – with a mere 0.004s lead over Alonso – and Yas Marina.
2011 – Three fastest laps
The 2011 season could be considered among Hamilton’s least impressive, as his teammate Jenson Button outshone him amidst various errors from Hamilton. Nevertheless, Hamilton secured three fastest laps at Barcelona, the Nurburgring, and Monza – surpassing Button by 0.020s in the latter.
2012 – One fastest lap
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren MP4-27
Photo by: Sutton Images
McLaren possessed a highly competitive vehicle in 2012, evidenced by their eight pole positions and seven victories. However, Hamilton only managed one fastest lap in the dramatic, rain-affected title-deciding race in Brazil, where track conditions were optimal between laps 34 and 39. Hamilton recorded a lap time of 1m18.069s, edging out Button by 0.039s, but was forced to retire after a collision with Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg.
2013 – One fastest lap
For the 2013 season, Hamilton switched to Mercedes, though the team had not yet reached its current dominant position. He secured just one race victory in Hungary and set the fastest lap in Italy with a time of 1m25.849s, a significant 0.651s faster than anyone else. This occurred on the third-to-last lap, when Hamilton overtook his former teammate Button on the main straight, capitalizing on the slipstream.
2014 – Seven fastest laps
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1 W05
Photo by: Sutton Images
Mercedes established itself as the dominant force in the turbo hybrid era, with Hamilton securing his second world title, achieving seven fastest laps in Malaysia, Britain, Germany, Italy, Singapore, Japan, and Brazil. At Sepang, his lead was 0.894s (despite a late pit stop for fresh tires, similar to his teammate Nico Rosberg), and at Marina Bay, it was an impressive 1.222s (where his pit stop was significantly later than others).
2015 – Eight fastest laps
This season marked Hamilton’s most prolific in terms of fastest laps. Mercedes maintained its dominance, and Hamilton triumphed in Australia, China, Spain, Britain, Italy, Japan, Brazil, and Abu Dhabi. He achieved a staggering 1.002s lead over Rosberg at Suzuka.
2016 – Three fastest laps
