United States Grand Prix – Top Speed Analysis
At the 2025 United States Grand Prix, telemetry data offered an interesting look into how top speeds evolved between qualifying and the race. While qualifying top speeds generally reflect each car’s aerodynamic efficiency and drag level under similar conditions, race speeds are far more dynamic — influenced by slipstream effects, DRS availability, and race situations such as overtakes or defensive driving.
💡 In an F1 race, drag alone doesn’t determine the highest top speed — the strength of the slipstream does!
Top Speeds in Qualifying
| Driver | Team | Top Speed (km/h) |
|---|---|---|
| Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 329 |
| Carlos Sainz | Williams | 328 |
| Nico Hülkenberg | Sauber | 327 |
| Liam Lawson | RB | 325 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | RB | 325 |
| Alexander Albon | Williams | 325 |
| Esteban Ocon | Haas | 324 |
| Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 324 |
| Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 324 |
| Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 324 |
| Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 324 |
| Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 323 |
| Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 323 |
| Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | 323 |
| George Russell | Mercedes | 323 |
| Oliver Bearman | Haas | 323 |
| Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 322 |
| Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 322 |
| Lando Norris | McLaren | 321 |
In qualifying, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both recorded 324 and 323 km/h respectively — placing Ferrari in the mid-range of the trap speeds. This suggests that the Scuderia opted for a slightly higher downforce setup compared to low-drag runners like Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli or Williams’ Carlos Sainz, who topped the charts at 329 and 328 km/h.
Race Top Speeds – 15 Fastest Laps Recorded
| Driver | Top Speeds (km/h) | Average (km/h) |
|---|---|---|
| Lance Stroll | 342, 336, 334, 333, 331, 331, 330, 329, 328, 327, 327, 327, 326, 326, 331 | 331 |
| Colapinto | 339, 333, 328, 327, 326, 315, 315, 314, 314, 314, 312, 311, 311, 311, 314 | 317 |
| Hülkenberg | 338, 333, 330, 326, 324, 314, 314, 314, 314, 313, 312, 312, 312, 311, 314 | 317 |
| Ocon | 338, 331, 330, 328, 327, 325, 322, 318, 316, 315, 315, 314, 314, 313, 317 | 318 |
| Albon | 337, 336, 335, 334, 334, 332, 332, 329, 327, 324, 322, 319, 318, 317, 317 | 323 |
| Lawson | 336, 335, 334, 333, 332, 330, 329, 329, 328, 327, 325, 323, 319, 318, 316 | 324 |
| Antonelli | 336, 335, 334, 333, 332, 331, 330, 328, 325, 323, 320, 318, 316, 315, 314 | 322 |
| Norris | 334, 333, 331, 330, 330, 329, 329, 328, 329, 329, 329, 328, 326, 325, 325 | 328 |
| Bortoleto | 334, 331, 331, 331, 330, 329, 329, 329, 329, 329, 329, 328, 327, 326, 324 | 328 |
| Bearman | 335, 334, 332, 328, 324, 320, 320, 315, 315, 315, 315, 314, 314, 314, 315 | 319 |
| Tsunoda | 334, 332, 320, 313, 313, 311, 311, 311, 311, 311, 311, 310, 310, 310, 310 | 315 |
| Hadjar | 333, 332, 332, 331, 326, 326, 326, 319, 317, 317, 315, 315, 315, 315, 315 | 320 |
| Piastri | 331, 329, 328, 326, 326, 326, 324, 317, 314, 312, 311, 311, 311, 310, 309 | 317 |
| Hamilton | 331, 329, 328, 326, 326, 324, 315, 314, 313, 312, 312, 312, 312, 311, 311 | 317 |
| Leclerc | 331, 331, 329, 315, 314, 313, 312, 312, 312, 312, 312, 312, 311, 311, 311 | 316 |
| Alonso | 330, 326, 323, 317, 317, 316, 312, 312, 311, 311, 311, 310, 310, 310, 310 | 315 |
| Gasly | 329, 327, 324, 320, 319, 317, 316, 311, 311, 311, 311, 311, 310, 310, 308 | 315 |
| Verstappen | 329, 312, 311, 311, 311, 311, 312, 312, 312, 312, 312, 311, 311, 311, 311 | 314 |
| Russell | 326, 326, 315, 313, 313, 313, 312, 312, 312, 312, 312, 311, 311, 311, 314 | 314 |
Ferrari analysis – contrasting trends for Leclerc and Hamilton
For Ferrari, the data paints a telling picture of the SF-25’s aerodynamic philosophy. Lewis Hamilton averaged 317 km/h in the race, while Charles Leclerc averaged slightly less at 316 km/h — both showing a modest increase compared to their qualifying trap speeds (323 and 324 km/h). This indicates that Ferrari’s setup leaned towards higher downforce, prioritizing cornering stability and tyre life over raw straight-line pace.
While this approach limited their one-lap potential on the long back straight at Austin, it provided greater consistency during the race. Hamilton in particular benefited from DRS opportunities and efficient power delivery from the hybrid system, maintaining a competitive race pace even in traffic.
However, when comparing with McLaren’s Lando Norris — who had the lowest top speed in qualifying (321 km/h) but the highest average race speed (328 km/h) — Ferrari’s straight-line efficiency gap becomes apparent. This underlines that while McLaren managed to offset drag through slipstream and race conditions, Ferrari’s higher drag level limited their overtaking potential in open-air runs.
Key insights
- 🟠 Lando Norris: Lowest top speed in qualifying, yet the highest average in race – a clear case of slipstream advantage.
- 🟢 Lance Stroll: Reached 342 km/h in race, a +19 km/h delta compared to qualifying, despite ranking only 12th in speed traps.
- 🔴 Ferrari (Hamilton & Leclerc): Consistent but not outstanding in top speed, confirming a focus on medium–high downforce setup aimed at tyre longevity and traction.
Ultimately, this comparison between qualifying and race top speeds reveals that Ferrari’s setup at the Circuit of the Americas was more efficiency-oriented rather than drag-minimised. While this helped both Hamilton and Leclerc maintain tyre performance across stints, it left them vulnerable on the straights against rivals benefiting from stronger slipstream or DRS effects.
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