Formula 1 racing is undoubtedly the fastest sport in the world. Sure, NASCAR and IndyCar drivers hit some truly impressive top speeds, but neither sport has the combination of pure top speed and cornering speed that F1 does.
So, how fast do F1 cars go, and what goes into making their mind-boggling top speeds possible? Here’s everything you need to know to understand what makes F1 cars so special, including the incredible amount of fine engineering that goes into getting each vehicle on the track on race weekend.
Don’t forget: You can catch all your favorite F1 drivers, like Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc tearing up the racetrack all season long on DIRECTV!
How Fast Do F1 Cars Go?
Anyone who’s ever watched an F1 race can confirm: F1 cars are really, really fast. At times, it almost looks as if they’re floating, rather than rolling, around the track.
Speed is the number one metric most people pay attention to when watching F1 or optimizing an F1 car, but how fast, exactly, can the average F1 car go? Right now, the top average speed of an F1 car is around 210 to 220 miles per hour (337.9 to 354 kilometers per hour).
The fastest speed ever recorded for an F1 car during a race was 234 miles per hour, notched by Valtteri Bottas during the 2016 European Grand Prix. Honda set the overall speed record for an F1 car during a test at the United States’ Bonneville Salt Flats, where most high-speed records are set, pushing their car up to 245 miles per hour.
F1 Car Speed vs. NASCAR & IndyCar Speeds
F1 is a global sensation, but it isn’t the only popular motorsport in the world: IndyCar and NASCAR, two American racing sports, are also wildly popular and boast vehicles with some impressive top speeds.
Technically, IndyCars, with a top speed of around 236 miles per hour, are slightly faster than Formula 1 cars. But, that’s because the courses they race on tend to have more straightaways or are more commonly oval-shaped, and it takes these vehicles longer to reach their top speeds than an F1 car, which can go from 0-6 in just 2.6 seconds!
NASCAR is also a fast sport, but with a top speed of about 199 miles per hour, NASCAR cars are slower than both F1 and IndyCar cars. This is a product of the sport’s governing body restricting speed after some high-profile incidents that injured drivers — and occasionally spectators — and because NASCAR’s vehicles are generally heavier than F1 cars or IndyCars. Their zero-to-sixty is also about 3.4 seconds, far longer than the other two sports.
How Do F1 Cars Work?
What does it take to push a car to such whiplash-inducing speeds and ensure drivers can rack up those all-important F1 points and earn their hefty salaries? A lot of very complex engineering and cutting-edge technology.
These are some of the fastest, most technologically advanced vehicles on the planet, and it takes some serious science to get them running and keep them running. And it all starts with…
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics is the science of how air interacts with an object moving through it, in this case, a very expensive, very fast car. The physics involved in making sure an F1 car can cut through the resistance the air puts on it and giving the driver the ability to change the vehicle’s configuration at will to take advantage of those physics is one of a constructor’s chief concerns when designing an F1 car.
In F1, engineers have two goals related to aerodynamics: generating downforce and minimizing drag.
Downforce is the downward pressure the car’s components, like wings and the chassis, exert on the vehicle, pressing it into the road’s surface and increasing its grip, handling and cornering speed. Drag is the resistance the car meets as it moves forward.
So, greater downforce and less drag equals a faster car with better handling, two things critical to winning an F1 race. Each F1 car is equipped with numerous aerodynamic components that work towards achieving this goal.
Hybrid Fuel and Engine
F1 cars have special turbo-hybrid engines that uses multiple sources of energy to propel the vehicle. These include:
- The V6 engine: F1 cars have 1.6 L six-cylinder turbocharged engines similar to those powering most consumer vehicles, but these advanced engines are turbocharged and pushed to their absolute limits. Most of the engine power is generated here, but the cars also have…
- The Energy Recovery System (ERS), Motor Generator Units H & K: The car’s energy recovery system is comprised of two types of motor generator units: a Heat Energy Recovery System (MGU-H) and a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (MGU-K). The MGU-H converts heat into electrical energy, while the MGH-K captures energy generated by braking to produce electricity.
- Battery: Like conventional cars, F1 cars also have batteries that collect the energy generated by the car to be used for operation. The cars are also equipped with an Energy Recovery System, allowing drivers to manually deploy this electricity to get a speed boost when it’s needed most … sort of like the mushrooms in Mario Kart.
Drag Reduction System
A more recent innovation is the Drag Reduction System, or DRS. This system allows a driver to open up their car’s rear wing when they’re under a second behind the car ahead of them, which can give them an advantage when they try to pass their rivals.
Tires
F1 tires rely on advanced tire technology, and they’re pretty strange looking compared to the tires you might be used to on a typical car. They have an almost balloon-like appearance with almost no tread at all, opting instead to use stickier compounds to improve grip. Plus, they’re engineered to withstand the high temperatures that come with higher speeds.
Real-Time Telemetry
F1 teams have incredible amounts of data being fed back in real-time from their cars at their fingertips during races. This includes the engine and tire temperatures, brake pressures, fuel efficiency and other metrics, which allows them to make adjustments on the fly and get ahead of any potential part failures that could cost them time, or worse, on race day.
This rich data can also help the team re-strategize during the race to give their drivers a better shot at winning.
That Steering Wheel
An F1 car’s steering wheel looks more like it belongs in a fighter jet or attached to a video game console than in a motor vehicle. The wheel of an F1 car is loaded with all sorts of buttons and indicators, giving drivers incredible levels of control over their vehicle’s performance during a race and lets their team relay information from all of that data they’re receiving.
Yep: F1 drivers are constantly and manually adjusting parts of the vehicle and monitoring readouts … while flying down a racetrack at north of 200 mph!
How Much Does an F1 Car Cost?
So, with all of that engineering and finesse, how much does it cost to build and race an F1 car?
Well, they’re certainly not cheap: Getting an F1 car up to speed (pun intended) currently runs constructors anywhere from $12 million to $20 million. Obviously, a car can’t run without an engine, so that’s where most of the cost is incurred. The chassis can also be pretty expensive.
F1 does enforce a cost cap, designed to ensure each team has a fair shot at winning no matter the financial might available to them. That cap is currently set at $140 million, and it covers all of the materials and activities related to maintaining the car’s performance — the parts, mechanics and other inputs.
And if you dread having to put expensive new tires on your own vehicle, wait until you see the cost of a single F1 tire: about $2,700 per set of four. And, each team burns through about a dozen sets between their two drivers each race — that’s a whopping $35,000 per event.
Watch F1 on DIRECTV
You can catch all of the action during F1’s 2025 season of racing right on DIRECTV! Don’t have DIRECTV yet? Sign up now!
Trouble keeping track of who F1 drivers like Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda and Lando Norris are driving for? Don’t forget to check out the 2025 season driver line-ups.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast do F1 cars go?
F1 cars can reach top speeds of 210-220 mile per hour.
How much does an F1 car cost to build?
F1 cars can cost between $12 million and $20 million to build.
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