Today in Formula 1 A pit stop – that is, the parking in the pits to change the tires – It lasts less than 3 seconds. Sometimes even less than 2. But how is it possible? And what happens exactly in those few moments? To understand it, we must look behind the scenes of one of the most frenetic (and spectacular) moments of modern formula 1. All this is possible thanks to a perfect mix of human coordination And highly advanced technology which can apply the DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award, A prize established in 2015 for the fastest team.
How Formula 1 pit stops work
A pit stop It is a crucial stop that a racing vehicle carries out in the pits during an automotive competition, it is a time when every second counts because the goal is to complete the necessary operations in the shortest time possible to waste less time than the opponents on the track. During a pit stop, beyond 20 mechanics They work like a Swiss watch: each one has a specific role, and each gesture is synchronized to the thousandth of a second. The secret? Everything is in the Team specialization And in the tools they use: the pneumatic gunsfor example, are able to unscrew and screw the dice of the wheels less than half second. Also i Martinetti that lift the single -seater are very fast, and the whole system is controlled by sensors and traffic lights that indicate when it is sure to restart the single -seate. A curious detail? Each wheel has a Central dice onlyspecially designed to be fixed and removed at maximum speed.
Each tire weighs about today 10-11 kg for the front ones while the rear ones approximately 13-15 kgtherefore in total the set exceeds i 40 kg: the mechanics must be very rapid but also physically prepared, because in those few seconds they serve strength, agility and absolute precision. All movements are tested and tried again hundreds of times during daily training, because only one mistake is enough To lose precious tenths or compromise the entire race. The sensors connected to the wheels and automated traffic light systems guarantee that the car can start only when everything is in its place. In short, what we see in a few moments on TV is actually the result of months of preparation, millimeter coordination between human beings and machines, and engineering innovations of the highest level.
From hammers to records under 2 seconds: the evolution of pit stops in Formula 1
Pit stops have not always been so quick and spectacular. In the early years of Formula 1 that is, in the 1950s, the stops in the pits they were long and rudimentary: were used hammers To remove the bolts, the tires were not very easy to handle, and the refueling of the fuel required time. You could remain still stopped over a minutewithout anyone being amazed. The organization was minimal and the pilots often got off the car to help mechanics. The mechanics, without helmets or protections, could employ over 20 seconds Just for the change of a single tire.
In the 80s and 90s, thanks to the introduction of the pneumatic gunsthe parking time in the pits began to descend significantly. But it is with the arrival of the 2000s that the teams began to invest seriously in the Pit stop sciencestudying every retail movement. The real turning point came with the Removal of the refueling of fuel (since 2010), which has made it possible to focus all attention on the tire change and the speed of execution. Today the record of the Faster Stop Pit Stop in history belongs to the team McLarenwhich in Bahrain Grand Prix of 2023 has made a stop alone 1.80 seconds On the Lando Norris single -seater. A time practically invisible to the naked eye.
What happens before a pilot returns to the pits to carry out the pit stop
Even before the pilot stops the single -seater, a real surgical operation has already started in the team. The famous communication via radio arrives from the Muretto Box: “Box, box!”that is, the order to return to the pits in the next lap. Each mechanic already knows what to do: check the tires, the screwdrivers and ensure that everything is ready. The timing is crucial, and the team must be ready at least 15-20 seconds before the car arrives. It is not the pilot who decides when to stop in the pits, but the strategic team following the race. The technicians constantly monitor the conditions of the track, the duration of the tires and other factors to determine the right time for pit stop. Sometimes, the pilot can have a say, especially in the event of difficult weather conditionsbut the final decision is always up to the team.
In the meantime, the pilot must travel the return section to the pit lane strictly respecting the speed limit (Usually 80 km/h) and stop in the box with a millimeter precision. A mistake during the pit stop can cost precious seconds or even retire. In some cases it happened that a wheel was not fixed correctly, forcing the pilot to stop immediately after the box. Or, if the pilot starts too early, it can overwhelm a mechanic or take away the equipment. For this reason, each movement is repeated indefinitely in training.
