You might not be able to own an Formula One car, but some lucky people who can afford the best supercars are able to own vehicles just as fast, if not faster, than an F1 car. Below you can uncover which commercial cars are the fastest around right now, and we’ll even discuss the fastest electric cars, such as the McLaren.
How fast are F1 cars?
F1 vehicles are exceptionally quick off the mark on the straights. They can easily exceed 200 miles per hour and reach 60 miles per hour from a standstill in less than three seconds.
The current record for the fastest car in this category was recorded at the 2016 Mexico Grand Prix by Valtteri Bottas, measuring in at 231.4 miles per hour. But the man with the fastest laps in Grand Prix history is Germany’s, Michael Schumacher.
Are there any consumer cars that can keep up?
Some commercially available cars are just as fast if not faster than F1 cars. This is because Formula 1 vehicles are not just built for speed; engineers put most of their emphasis on the aerodynamics and handling of these vehicles. The bottom line is that speed isn’t everything.
Obviously, the cars available to buy that reach the speeds of F1 cars aren’t just any regular cars. These are expensive supercars, such as:
- McLaren F1 – the first-ever road car from McLaren could reach speeds of 240mph, thanks to a V12 engine and 600+ hp.
- Buggati Veyron – Volkswagen engineers should be proud of their Buggati Veyron that has topped 250mph. Their Sport model has gone even faster.
- Koenigsegg Agera RS – this supercar almost made it to 280mph and is the fastest car in the world right now.
Are there any high-speed electric cars?
For petrol heads, the roar of a revving engine across the tarmac is what gets the heart pumping. Now McLaren has attempted to copy and paste this level of excitement and adrenaline into the forthcoming electric vehicle era, starting with a hybrid car called the McLaren Artura. It entered production in the first quarter of 2021.
This won’t be the last electric supercar from McLaren as the company has just received a £550 million cash injection mostly earmarked for electric vehicles.
One of the challenges of making this electric vehicle a fast car and maintain the F1 reputation is to cut weight. Electric batteries are not lightweight, and McLaren is having to find ways to balance engineering a fast car that handles well while also changing the weight dynamics.
How fast is the McLaren Artura?
The McLaren Artura is one of the fastest electric vehicles made to date, reaching 60 miles per hour in under three seconds, close to that of an F1 car. Its top speed is estimated at around 205 miles per hour, somewhat comparable to the best Formula One vehicles, too, despite being purposefully limited to this speed.
