2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 Topples the McLaren Senna's VIR Lap Time
It was good while it lasted, but our production-car lap record around Virginia International Raceway's challenging 4.1-mile Grand Course has finally fallen. We're actually a little surprised the 789-hp McLaren Senna's 2:34.9 lap stood this long, but nevertheless, records are set to be broken, and the 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1's 2:32.3 has claimed the top step of the podium.
Where does the ZR1 get ahead of the Senna? Some side-by-side video analysis reveals a little bit here and a little there. First off, horsepower is a hell of a thing, and the ZR1 isn't short of it. The 1064 horses from its twin-turbo 5.5-liter V-8—275 more than the Senna's twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 could muster—are on full display along the front straight where the ZR1 reaches a staggering 180 mph (in the video above) to the Senna's 173 mph (in the video below).
Without a proper data reduction, there's no way to tell exactly how many g's the ZR1 pulls through Turn 1, but it certainly looks to be every bit of the Corvette Z06's 1.22 g's worth of lateral acceleration. In the uphill esses is where Corvette test pilot Aaron Link flexes on the Senna, entering the puckering corner complex north of 165 mph without touching the brakes until the final right-hander. For reference, the Senna enters the uphill esses at a still-impressive 154 mph. While our minimum speed through Turn 10—a blind corner with a massive drop-off—dropped to 92 mph, the ZR1 maintains triple-digit speeds with the help of its massive Michelin Pilot Cup 2R tires.
The ZR1's horsepower blows the doors off the Senna on the back straight too, hitting 173 mph to the McLaren's 169 before getting into the binders and braking into Bitch. As with the Senna, Link battles the ZR1's mega power out of the slower corners to avoid wheelspin. The rear tires light up exiting Bitch, likely costing him a little time and keeping him from a 2:31.
Interestingly, the Senna appears to outpace the ZR1 in the squiggles while exiting the infield. We're anxious to get behind the wheel of the $175K-plus American powerhouse—and even more excited to see what we can get out of the ZR1 ourselves when we take one to Lightning Lap.
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