The Longest Race in Formula One History

The history of Formula One auto racing can be traced back to the European Grand Prix championships of the early to mid 20th century. The organization officially launched operations as Formula One in 1946, embracing Federation Internationale de l’Automobile regulations. The first World Championship of Drivers came four years later. As technology evolved and Formula One grew in popularity, the organization updated rules and spread races and national championships throughout Europe and Africa.

The exact nature of a Formula One race varies from one event to the next, but races typically last about 90 minutes. Rules state that a race cannot take more than two hours to complete, yet the average time per track at the 20-plus Formula One tracks around the world can differ notably. That said, several Formula One races have taken more than 120 minutes to complete.

The longest race in Formula One history was the seventh round of the 2011 F1 season, the Canadian Grand Prix. Held under heavy rain, the race set a Formula One record with a combined six safety cars and red flags. One suspension lasted two hours, easily putting the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix at the top of the list of longest Formula One races ever completed.

The race began after a rainstorm, leaving the track wet and slippery. Conditions were so questionable that the safety car completed five full laps before racers were allowed to pull ahead. Sebastian Vettel initially led the field with a near five second lead over Fernando Alonso. On the second lap, however, McLaren teammates Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton crashed, the latter being forced to drop out of the race. Button was later hit with a penalty for speeding on a safety lap, but the following 24 laps proceeded without incident.

The race was suspended when the rains returned, resulting in a two hour delay. Shortly after the resumption, Button crashed again, this time into Alonso. Once again, Button was able to repair his car and return to the race, albeit in last place, while Alonso was forced to retire. While the race was already several hours old at this point, the madness had only just begun.

Over the following few dozen laps, Button slowly drove his way back into the race, eventually moving into second position behind Vettel. He did so while navigating a string of additional crashes and race suspensions. Vettel, for his part, was driving the durable RB7 and appeared unbothered by conditions, set to claim his sixth victory of the 2011 season. Unbelievably, a minor error on the final lap allowed Button to pull ahead and squeeze out the victory. It was the British driver’s 10th career win. In addition to the penalty, multiple wrecks, and a tire puncture, Button won the race despite never leading a single full lap.

The exact race time was four hours and four minutes, beating the 1951 Indianapolis 500 record by seven minutes. Button won the race at an average speed of just 46 miles per hour, the slowest Grand Prix average speed of all time. The 1951 French Grand Prix, meanwhile, stands as the longest Formula One event by distance at just under 374 miles.