Alonso beats Hamilton's record for top speed in 2025

Despite having failed to score a point so far in 2025, two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso set a record last time out in Miami, having recorded the highest top speed so far this year.

Fernando Alonso is yet to score a point in the current F1 season, and if the Spaniard fails to collect a championship point at this weekend's Emilia Romagna GP at Imola, it would equal his worst point-less run to start a season from 2015, going seven races, in which he competed in, without a top 10 finish.

However, Alonso achieved a new record in 2025 last time out in Florida. The Spaniard got a quintuple DRS train as he was was the sixth car in the six-car battle that saw Isack Hajdar, Gabriel Bortoleto, Nico Hulkenberg, Lance Stroll, Oliver Bearman and Alonso enjoy close proximity on the track.

On Lap 5, the Oviedo-born racer recorded a top speed of 355kph, reaching 12673rpm in 8th gear which was approximately 900rpm more than his usual 7th to 8th upshift rpm.

Considering the entire race, the Williams duo Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon and the Ferrari pair Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc reached the highest top speed on average which was partly down to the low-drag aerodynamic configuration of their cars and the frequent tows and activation of DRS.

Having started the race from pole position, reigning champion Max Verstappen only reached 321km/h without DRS. It was party the result of the aerodynamic configuration of his RB21 that included a more loaded rear wing, but it was also down to an early ERS deployment strategy which induced clipping - speed decrease at full throttle due to reduced electric deployment - on the back straight of the Miami International Circuit.