diff --git a/test/functional/test_framework/mininode.py b/test/functional/test_framework/mininode.py
--- a/test/functional/test_framework/mininode.py
+++ b/test/functional/test_framework/mininode.py
@@ -132,8 +132,9 @@
     def is_connected(self):
         return self._transport is not None
 
-    def peer_connect(self, dstaddr, dstport, *, net):
+    def peer_connect(self, dstaddr, dstport, *, net, factor):
         assert not self.is_connected
+        self.factor = factor
         self.dstaddr = dstaddr
         self.dstport = dstport
         # The initial message to send after the connection was made:
@@ -448,9 +449,13 @@
 
     # Connection helper methods
 
+    def wait_until(self, test_function, timeout):
+        wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout,
+                   lock=mininode_lock, factor=self.factor)
+
     def wait_for_disconnect(self, timeout=60):
         def test_function(): return not self.is_connected
-        wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout, lock=mininode_lock)
+        self.wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout)
 
     # Message receiving helper methods
 
@@ -461,7 +466,7 @@
                 return False
             return self.last_message['tx'].tx.rehash() == txid
 
-        wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout, lock=mininode_lock)
+        self.wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout)
 
     def wait_for_block(self, blockhash, timeout=60):
         def test_function():
@@ -469,7 +474,7 @@
             return self.last_message.get(
                 "block") and self.last_message["block"].block.rehash() == blockhash
 
-        wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout, lock=mininode_lock)
+        self.wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout)
 
     def wait_for_header(self, blockhash, timeout=60):
         def test_function():
@@ -479,7 +484,7 @@
                 return False
             return last_headers.headers[0].rehash() == int(blockhash, 16)
 
-        wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout, lock=mininode_lock)
+        self.wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout)
 
     def wait_for_merkleblock(self, blockhash, timeout=60):
         def test_function():
@@ -489,7 +494,7 @@
                 return False
             return last_filtered_block.merkleblock.header.rehash() == int(blockhash, 16)
 
-        wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout, lock=mininode_lock)
+        self.wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout)
 
     def wait_for_getdata(self, hash_list, timeout=60):
         """Waits for a getdata message.
@@ -503,7 +508,7 @@
                 return False
             return [x.hash for x in last_data.inv] == hash_list
 
-        wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout, lock=mininode_lock)
+        self.wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout)
 
     def wait_for_getheaders(self, timeout=60):
         """Waits for a getheaders message.
@@ -517,7 +522,7 @@
             assert self.is_connected
             return self.last_message.get("getheaders")
 
-        wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout, lock=mininode_lock)
+        self.wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout)
 
     def wait_for_inv(self, expected_inv, timeout=60):
         """Waits for an INV message and checks that the first inv object in the message was as expected."""
@@ -531,13 +536,13 @@
                 self.last_message["inv"].inv[0].type == expected_inv[0].type and \
                 self.last_message["inv"].inv[0].hash == expected_inv[0].hash
 
-        wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout, lock=mininode_lock)
+        self.wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout)
 
     def wait_for_verack(self, timeout=60):
         def test_function():
             return self.message_count["verack"]
 
-        wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout, lock=mininode_lock)
+        self.wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout)
 
     # Message sending helper functions
 
@@ -554,7 +559,7 @@
             return self.last_message.get(
                 "pong") and self.last_message["pong"].nonce == self.ping_counter
 
-        wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout, lock=mininode_lock)
+        self.wait_until(test_function, timeout=timeout)
         self.ping_counter += 1
 
 
@@ -679,8 +684,8 @@
             else:
                 self.send_message(
                     msg_headers([CBlockHeader(block) for block in blocks]))
-                wait_until(
-                    lambda: blocks[-1].sha256 in self.getdata_requests, timeout=timeout, lock=mininode_lock)
+                self.wait_until(
+                    lambda: blocks[-1].sha256 in self.getdata_requests, timeout=timeout)
 
             if expect_disconnect:
                 self.wait_for_disconnect(timeout=timeout)
@@ -688,8 +693,8 @@
                 self.sync_with_ping(timeout=timeout)
 
             if success:
-                wait_until(lambda: node.getbestblockhash() ==
-                           blocks[-1].hash, timeout=timeout)
+                self.wait_until(lambda: node.getbestblockhash() ==
+                                blocks[-1].hash, timeout=timeout)
             else:
                 assert node.getbestblockhash() != blocks[-1].hash
 
diff --git a/test/functional/test_framework/test_framework.py b/test/functional/test_framework/test_framework.py
--- a/test/functional/test_framework/test_framework.py
+++ b/test/functional/test_framework/test_framework.py
@@ -109,6 +109,8 @@
         # know the parser options during setup.
         self.parse_args()
         self.set_test_params()
+        # optionally, increase timeout by a factor
+        self.rpc_timeout = int(self.rpc_timeout * self.options.factor)
 
     def main(self):
         """Main function. This should not be overridden by the subclass test scripts."""
@@ -172,6 +174,11 @@
                             help="set a random seed for deterministically reproducing a previous test run")
         parser.add_argument("--with-axionactivation", dest="axionactivation", default=False, action="store_true",
                             help="Activate axion update on timestamp {}".format(TIMESTAMP_IN_THE_PAST))
+        parser.add_argument(
+            '--factor',
+            type=float,
+            default=1.0,
+            help='adjust test timeouts by a factor')
 
         self.add_options(parser)
         self.options = parser.parse_args()
@@ -412,6 +419,7 @@
                 rpc_port=rpc_port(i),
                 p2p_port=p2p_port(i),
                 timewait=self.rpc_timeout,
+                factor=self.options.factor,
                 bitcoind=binary[i],
                 bitcoin_cli=self.options.bitcoincli,
                 coverage_dir=self.options.coveragedir,
@@ -574,6 +582,7 @@
                     rpc_port=rpc_port(CACHE_NODE_ID),
                     p2p_port=p2p_port(CACHE_NODE_ID),
                     timewait=self.rpc_timeout,
+                    factor=self.options.factor,
                     bitcoind=self.options.bitcoind,
                     bitcoin_cli=self.options.bitcoincli,
                     coverage_dir=None,
diff --git a/test/functional/test_framework/test_node.py b/test/functional/test_framework/test_node.py
--- a/test/functional/test_framework/test_node.py
+++ b/test/functional/test_framework/test_node.py
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@
     To make things easier for the test writer, any unrecognised messages will
     be dispatched to the RPC connection."""
 
-    def __init__(self, i, datadir, *, chain, host, rpc_port, p2p_port, timewait, bitcoind, bitcoin_cli,
+    def __init__(self, i, datadir, *, chain, host, rpc_port, p2p_port, timewait, factor, bitcoind, bitcoin_cli,
                  coverage_dir, cwd, extra_conf=None, extra_args=None, use_cli=False, emulator=None, start_perf=False, use_valgrind=False):
         """
         Kwargs:
@@ -146,6 +146,7 @@
         # Cache perf subprocesses here by their data output filename.
         self.perf_subprocesses = {}
         self.p2ps = []
+        self.factor = factor
 
     AddressKeyPair = collections.namedtuple(
         'AddressKeyPair', ['address', 'key'])
@@ -419,7 +420,7 @@
         return True
 
     def wait_until_stopped(self, timeout=BITCOIND_PROC_WAIT_TIMEOUT):
-        wait_until(self.is_node_stopped, timeout=timeout)
+        wait_until(self.is_node_stopped, timeout=timeout, factor=self.factor)
 
     @contextlib.contextmanager
     def assert_debug_log(self, expected_msgs, unexpected_msgs=None, timeout=2):
@@ -437,7 +438,7 @@
             raise AssertionError("Expected debug messages is empty")
         if unexpected_msgs is None:
             unexpected_msgs = []
-        time_end = time.time() + timeout
+        time_end = time.time() + timeout * self.factor
         debug_log = os.path.join(self.datadir, self.chain, 'debug.log')
         with open(debug_log, encoding='utf-8') as dl:
             dl.seek(0, 2)
@@ -634,7 +635,7 @@
         if 'dstaddr' not in kwargs:
             kwargs['dstaddr'] = '127.0.0.1'
 
-        p2p_conn.peer_connect(**kwargs, net=self.chain)()
+        p2p_conn.peer_connect(**kwargs, net=self.chain, factor=self.factor)()
         self.p2ps.append(p2p_conn)
         if wait_for_verack:
             # Wait for the node to send us the version and verack
diff --git a/test/functional/test_framework/util.py b/test/functional/test_framework/util.py
--- a/test/functional/test_framework/util.py
+++ b/test/functional/test_framework/util.py
@@ -248,9 +248,10 @@
 
 
 def wait_until(predicate, *, attempts=float('inf'),
-               timeout=float('inf'), lock=None):
+               timeout=float('inf'), lock=None, factor=1.0):
     if attempts == float('inf') and timeout == float('inf'):
         timeout = 60
+    timeout = timeout * factor
     attempt = 0
     time_end = time.time() + timeout
 
@@ -310,7 +311,7 @@
     """
     proxy_kwargs = {}
     if timeout is not None:
-        proxy_kwargs['timeout'] = timeout
+        proxy_kwargs['timeout'] = int(timeout)
 
     proxy = AuthServiceProxy(url, **proxy_kwargs)
     proxy.url = url  # store URL on proxy for info