Lewis Hamilton made his first cameo appearance on Top Gear in 2007, during the British driver’s inaugural Formula One season. His Top Gear test track lap of 1:44.7 wouldn’t have been particularly impressive, except for the fact that the track was wet and the final corner, Gambon, was covered in oil from a grenaded gearbox.
Compared to other F1 stars, Hamilton wasn’t too far off the mark. Nigel Mansell managed a 1:44.6 on a dry track, while Hamilton’s former teammate, Jenson Button, produced a matching time of 1:44.7 on an exceptionally hot day. In the wet, with the track nearly underwater, Kimi Raikkonen turned a lap in 1:46.1.
The fastest lap time among Formula One drivers was set by multiple world champion Sebastian Vettel, who cranked out a lap in 1:44.0. That time stood for two seasons, until Lewis Hamilton had a chance to reprise his role on the show. As Planet F1 tells us, Hamilton completed a lap in the Suzuki Liana (used by all F1 drivers) in a blistering 1:42.9, cutting an impressive 1.1 seconds off of Vettel’s previous record.
In fairness to Vettel, Hamilton was driving under clear and cool conditions, ideal for setting a high-speed lap (once the tires have heat in the, of course). Will Vettel have the opportunity to reprise his lap as well? How about Kimi Raikkonen lapping in the dry?
We’ll see the lap on BBC America next Monday, February 25, but the “behind the scenes” video below (from Top Gear’s Transmission blog) sets it up nicely.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
