Watch the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo’s Nürburgring lap

Watch the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo break the Nürburgring lap record

Revisiting the Nürburgring lap record by Porsche that has stood the test of time

January 23, 2025

Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo driving on track at the Nürburgring

In 2018, 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard set the fastest lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife in a Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo. A record that remains unbeaten to this day

On 29 June 2018, the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo set the record for the fastest lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife race circuit. Driven by top racing driver Timo Bernhard, the 919 lapped the famous 20.832 km-long (12.94 miles) circuit in Germany in 5 minutes 19.55 seconds at an average speed of 233.8 km/h (145.3 mph). And it’s a record that still stands to this day (as of January 2025).

Timo Bernhard is no stranger to the Nordschleife. He’s won the Nürburgring 24 Hours five times. Timo has also twice taken overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, including with Porsche in 2017, and is a two-time FIA World Endurance Championship winner – in 2015 and 2017 – with the Porsche 919 Hybrid.

Close-up of Porsche driver Timo Bernhard in helmet at Nürburgring — Concentration and focus: Timo Bernhard gets into the zone before setting off on his record-breaking Nürburgring lap record in the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo on 29 June 2018 Photo: Porsche

The Evo version of the Porsche 919 Hybrid that Timo piloted to its record-breaking lap at the Nürburgring is based on the 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning racecar. However, it had been freed from some of the restrictions that govern its performance in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The car that Timo drove at the Nürburgring had the power of its hybrid powertrain increased to 1176 PS. Weighing only 849 kgs, and with active and enhanced aerodynamics, the car could produce 50 per cent more downforce than the WEC model. It recorded a top speed during the record-breaking lap of 369.4km/h (229.5mph).

Watch the 919 Hybrid Evo’s record-breaking Nürburgring lap

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“The Evo was perfectly prepared and I have done my best on this lap,” Timo said after his record-breaking feat. “Thanks to the aerodynamic downforce, at sections I never imagined you can stay on full throttle. I’m pretty familiar with the Nordschleife. But I got to learn it in a new way.”

With his achievement, Timo broke a record that had stood for 35 years. In 1983, Stefan Bellof set a lap time of 6 minutes 11.13 seconds time in his 629 PS Rothmans Porsche 956 C during practice for the WEC 1000 km of Nürburgring Sports Car race, at an average speed of over 200km/h (124mph).

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