Electric VW breaks Formula 1's 20-year-old Goodwood record

Nick Heidfeld's 20-year-old record of the Goodwood Hillclimb has been beaten by an electric Volkswagen. In 1999 the F1 driver set a time of 41.6 seconds in a MP4/13 Formula 1 car on the iconic hill climb. That time was beaten by 1.7 seconds by two-time Le Mans 24 Hours-winner Romain Dumas in Volkswagen’s ID.R electric race car.

It was a blisteringly fast time and this marks the start of an era where electric cars are on the cusp of taking over motorsport and racing.

Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets agrees and thinks that this shows electric powered cars can outperform petrol engines.

“In setting the new all-time record at the ‘Goodwood Festival of Speed’, the ID.R has once again shown that Volkswagen’s electric powertrain can outperform even the most powerful conventional powertrains,” he said to Wheels.ae.