Race laps or qualifying laps?
Officially, lap records can only be set during a race when the cars are in a ‘realistic’ condition. That means they’ll have worn tyres and a variable fuel load, so won’t be at their optimum performance. That’s what counts as a lap record.
However, we all know that all race cars will go faster in qualifying, when they have minimal fuel and brand new tyres. So below I’ll list both the official lap record set during a race, plus the unofficial fastest ever recorded lap which is likely to have been set during qualifying.
Monaco F1 lap record
The official lap record for a Formula 1 car around the 2.074 mile Monaco Grand Prix circuit is 1:12.909 set by Lewis Hamilton in 2021 driving the Mercedes W12.
That was set during the race which is why it’s the official lap record.
Faster lap times will be set in qualifying when the cars are lighter and have fresh tyres on. So, the fastest ever lap of the Monaco Grand Prix circuit is 1:10.166 set by Lewis Hamilton in qualifying for the 2019 race.
Monaco F1 top speed
The highest ever speed recorded at the Monaco Grand Prix is 293.5kph / 182mph set by Max Verstappen during the 2018 race.
That speed was recorded at the speed trap which is inside the tunnel, just before the drivers hit the brakes for the Nouvelle Chicane. You can see the speed trap marked by the letter T on the Monaco circuit map below.
Monaco F1 average speed
The highest average speed over a single lap recorded during a race, based upon Lewis Hamilton’s 2021 race lap record, is 102.4mph / 164.8kph. Averaging over 100mph on the narrow streets of Monaco is an incredible feat.
The highest overall average speed, based upon Lewis’ 2019 qualifying record, is 106.4mph / 171.2kph
Formula E
The race lap record for the Formula E series at the Monaco E-Prix is 1:31.119 set by Jake Dennis driving for Avalanche Andretti in 2023. That’s a whole 20 seconds slower than the Formula 1 record.
The overall qualifying lap record, and fastest ever Formula E lap of Monaco, is 1:28.773 set by Sacha Fenestraz during the final part of qualifying in 2023.
Formula 2
The Formula 2 lap record at Monaco is 1:19.309 set by none other than Charles Leclerc when he was driving for Prema Racing during the 2017 F2 champsionship. His average speed over that lap was 151.5kph / 94.1 mph.
That lap time is around 9 seconds slower than the best F1 lap time. The difference comes from less power (1000bhp in F1 vs around 600bhp in F2) and a lack of aerodynamic downforce compared to the F1 cars.
Charles Leclerc’s lap time in 2017 was good enough to just beat Alex Albon to the lap record who set a lap time 0.012 seconds slower than Leclerc in the same year, making their mark as stars of the future.
Formula 3
The Formula 3 lap record at Monaco is 1:23.278 set by Gabriele Mini during qualifying in 2023. The lap time gave him an average speed of 144.3kph / 89.6mph over a lap of the Monte Carlo circuit.
Formula 3 cars only have around 400bhp so are at a big power deficit compared to F2 an F1.
Porsche Supercup
The Porsche Supercup race lap record at Monaco is a 1:33.867 set by Larry ten Voorde in 2024.
Larry also has the overall lap record, setting a 1:32.846 lap time in qualifying for the 2024 race.
These lap times are only a couple of seconds slower than the Formula E lap times, the 500bhp Porsche 911s putting on a great performance around the street circuit.
