Nürburgring Nordschleife Lap Times Records

Official Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time list for street-legal vehicles.

Over the recent years, Nürburgring lap time highscores have appeared quite often in official press releases of automobile manufacturers. Record-beating results have become the essential part of all automobile presentations at dedicated shows. Which sports car is the fastest on the ring? What tires were used during tests? What was the weather? Who was the pilot? Numerous questions and intrigues, ignited by mass media, provide automobile brands with the invisible marketing promotion.

The new lord of the Nürburgring is here. First place among street-legal vehicles — Mercedes AMG ONE with 6:35.18 minutes.

Why test at the Nürburgring Nordschleife?

Nürburgring racetrack became popular among automobile companies and manufacturers when it was found out that there had been no single global standard for performing benchmark and run-in vehicle tests. Every automobile brand already has or strives to build their own test polygon for trial runs of their cars.

Such companies as Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, BMW and others have these test tracks in their disposal. Usually, technical specifications and test results are kept in utmost secrecy. Day after day, vehicles are tested on the native tracks in various modes.

But how to carry out a benchmark test between Mercedes with BMW or, to say, Audi? How to compare time, speed, engine reliability, and suspension performance, on the basis that all manufacturers follow different standards and conditions? How to find out who’s the king there? What to repose on? Where is the entry point? Where are governmental standards? Mercedes cannot run on a BMW track, nor Porsche on a Mercedes track. What will be the move?

The solution came itself on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, a perfect trial polygon. One length for all cars (20.8 km), same number of turns and height differences, same road surface, and same weather. Everyday, lap after lap, automobile manufacturers test their new products nowhere else but there. The one-of-a-kind track architecture, full of abrupt height differences and more than 70 sharp turns and bundles — these properties make Nürburgring the best place to test running gear of a car on high speeds. These are overloads that, occurring during the long test drive, enable to find out bottlenecks in the body, engine, and transmission. They test everything there, from new tires to complex clutch or brake elements. Nürburgring has become a test center or Silicon Valley of automotive industry, a standard and an etalon for lots of global brands. Moreover, it is a great opportunity for benchmark testing under the same conditions. Each manufacturer today bends every effort to show better lap time on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. This has become an obvious and essential differentiator. Best lap time is a kind of guarantee, great marketing, and sales driver for most of new products.

Better lap time — better advertising

It so happens that today, any earnest automobile manufacturer has to test their new product, before introducing it to the market, on the Nürburgring Nordschleife ( full lap is 20.8 km long ) and show fair time. Vehicles are tested by professional pilots or famous drivers, which can give a highscore even more contrast. In some cases ( more often recently ), tests are sponsored by respected automobile publishers ( Sport Auto, Car, The Drive, Top Gear, Car and Driver ), with journalists-drivers acting as pilots.

The devil is in the detail

Usually, tests are kept in stringent secrecy and not announced. Every single aspect is important — air temperature, humidity, asphalt temperature, pressure, weather, etc. Manufacturers fight for seconds to enter the top 10, because it is very classy. Nürburgring Nordschleife, due to its unique architecture, nature, and charisma, enables automobile companies to test their cars to a high standard.

Absolute Record of Nürburgring

5:19.55 minutes — this absolute result was achieved by Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo piloted by a WEC car racer Timo Bernhard.

Early in the morning on June 29, 2018, this hyper car has beaten the previous highscore ( 6:11,13 minutes ) cracked by Stefan Bellof on Porsche 956 in 1983. The prototype Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo is equipped, on the rear axis, with 2.0 L four-cylinder 720 hp gasoline engine with Garret turbocharger; on the front axis, it is equipped with 440 hp hybrid machine with Kinetic Energy Recovery System ( KERS ). Transmission is 7-speed sequential gearbox. Total weight comes to 849 kg.

If you are eager to visit one of these tests and witness the new Nürburgring highscore, we are ready to offer you an unforgettable trip to the exclusive world of Nordschleife with the best observation points and secluded places.

 The list is constantly updated.

Nürburgring Nordschleife lap times list