Back in 2004, the BMW-powered Williams of Juan-Pablo Montoya set the fastest ever lap at Monza, averaging almost 262 km/h (163 mph). This is what it looked like.
The lap, which took place during per-qualifyer, opened with Montoya exiting the “Parabolica” and heading onto the pit straight, as his screaming V10 roared towards mind boggling speeds. Those of you who remember those days probably feel a bit melancholic, hearing that amazing noise again – as opposed to today’s hybrid units.
Those cars, such as this Williams FW26 raced by Montoya in this video, are in a way something we’re trying to get back to, in terms of F1 car specs. The wider tires, the lower rear wings, it almost makes you wonder why things happened the way they did in terms of design across the years.
Also, that particular F26 Williams started life in 2004 with a completely different nose (looked like a Walrus), however the team had to redesign the front end because they weren’t getting the results they wanted by mid-season.
Anyway, as you’re watching this footage, rest assured that Montoya was fighting that car a lot more than drivers are having to “struggle” with theirs in today’s Formula One, and that makes this lap even more special.
The final lap time was 1:19.525 and if you’re any sort of racing fan, you’ll definitely not want to miss this.