Who has the best top speed after the free practice sessions at Monza?
As the F1 is in Italy this weekend at the Monza circuit where top speed is crucial, it's time to take a closer look at the good and bad students. Spoiler: there are significant differences.
In Monza, there is no secret: you need a fast car on the straight line. On the Italian track, top speed plays a crucial role on a circuit where 77% of the lap is taken foot to the floor. During the third free practice session, Carlos Sainz set the fastest time, being faster than Max Verstappen on all the fast sections, while the Dutchman dominated him in the corners and under braking.
So, before the qualifying session, it is necessary to take stock of the forces at play and the top speeds of each driver.
| Ecurie | Vitesse (en km/h) | |
| 1 | Williams | 347 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 344 |
| 3 | AlphaTauri | 344 |
| 4 | Haas | 343 |
| 5 | Red Bull | 341 |
| 6 | Alfa Romeo | 341 |
| 7 | Aston Martin | 340 |
| 8 | McLaren | 337 |
| 9 | Mercedes | 336 |
| 10 | Alpine | 335 |
As expected, Williams is formidable this weekend. The British team has been capitalizing on a car with very high top speed since the beginning of the season, making it very difficult to overtake, even with the DRS open. Behind them, Ferrari’s speed (344km/h) explains the best times achieved by Sainz in FP2 and FP3, positioning the Spaniard as one of Max Verstappen’s main rivals for pole position.
We should also be wary of Mercedes and McLaren, who have been in good form in recent weeks, but both teams concede 10km/h of top speed to Red Bull. Unfortunately, Alpine is the weakest link (only 335 km/h). The French team has been nowhere since the beginning of the weekend, and Pierre Gasly’s podium finish at Zandvoort seems like a distant memory. But with two Grand Prix winners in the team, one of them having won at Monza, we should never underestimate the “team France”.
