zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
It Takes 24 People To Pull Off A Two Second F1 Pit Stop
It Takes 24 People To Pull Off A Two Second F1 Pit Stop-May 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:10:44

A photo of mechanics changing the wheels on an Alpha Tauri F1 car.

People watch ; maybe it’s the on-track action, the off-track drama or the mind-bending technology on display in each race car. For some, it could even be the synchronized beauty that that every team carries out each race. If that’s the kind of thing that floats your boat, then good news! We’re about to take a deep dive into everything that has to .

The record for the new regulation , which was set by McLaren during the Qatar Grand Prix when it swapped Lando Norris’ four aging tires for four new ones in the blink of an eye. The stop required a team of around 20 people, each tasked with a very specific role that’s been broken down in a .

In each team, there are engineers that at the front of the car, a person stands on either side of the car to steady it and a trio of engineers makes the tire change at each corner of the car. Plus there are backup engineers at the jacks and tires as well. As the Post explains:

A “wheel-off” mechanic grabs the old tire, and a “wheel-on” mechanic slides the new one into place. The wheel-gun man — most pit crew mechanics are men — loosens and tightens the wheel nut. At most stops, two mechanics adjust the front wing flap angle.

Other team members act as spotters, perform other minor car maintenance and stand by with fire extinguishers, backup equipment and extra tools and parts.

A photo of mechanics working on a Mclaren F1 car.

All this means that an average pitstop in F1 takes less than three seconds thanks to a team of around 24 people, including the driver. In contrast, for a wheel change, and NASCAR crews take almost 10 seconds to change all four tires.

Perhaps making this all the more impressive, engineers carrying out an F1 stop usually only get around 30 seconds warning before they have to rush into action, the Post reports. When that happens, the wheel-on engineer grabs a new tire that’s to heat it up to 158 degrees Fahrenheit. Twenty seconds before the car reaches the pit, that blanket is dropped and the crew runs out to their position in the pit box.

Then, the car finally rolls into the box and stops on a set of markers that ensures everyone is in the right place for the task at hand. As the Post explains:

It is the trickiest part of a pit stop for a driver, the four Haas and Red Bull drivers said through team spokespeople.

“You want to get from whatever the pit limiter is to zero in as shortest time as possible, all while hitting your marks — not stopping too long or too short,” said Kevin Magnussen of Haas.

Two engineers then lift the car up, before it’s steadied in place by another two team members. The , before one worker pulls the old tire off and another slides the new one into place and the bolt is tightened once again. On each wheel, the bolt stays in place, so there’s no fumbling around for the right fitment, which would cost valuable milliseconds.

Another pair of engineers could then swoop in to adjust the levels on the front wing and change the downforce it produces. After that, the car is dropped back to terra firma, given the green light and speeds out the pit lane.

A photo of a Red Bull F1 car in the pits.

The whole process is a minuscule , which can run for about 90 minutes, but it can be make or break for a team’s result. As such, the people undertaking the pitstop train for hours on end to perfect their positions. The Post explains:

Team members largely credited two people for the time improvement: performance coach/physiotherapist Faith Atack-Martin and strategy engineer Faissal Fdil. The pair work together, poring over videos and data to detect the places where the crew can pick up tiny slivers of time.

Atack-Martin trains the crew on strength, core stability and mobility, which cuts down on injuries in their regular team roles in addition to making them fitter for pit stops. They learn strategies to better deal with stress and use visualization techniques to prime their minds and muscles for action.

Rather surprisingly, to me at least, was the revelation that the pit crew all have another job within the team that they’ll carry out over the rest of the weekend. This, according to the Post, is because of limits on personnel that , so some pit crew will be mechanics who help assemble the cars in the buildup to a race and others might have wildly different jobs within the team.

A photo of someone taking an old tire off an F1 car.

The Post’s breakdown makes for a fascinating read for any F1 fan out there. It goes into great detail about the kit used by teams and even breaks down tire strategy that the teams will use over a grand prix. If you want to find out more about the makeup of an F1 pitstop, you can .

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
Just Tell Us Who Nico Rosberg's Replacement Is Already
Just Tell Us Who Nico Rosberg's Replacement Is Already
We may have finally seen Faraday Future’s cross between a Toyota Venza and a robot suppository, but we’re still waiting for the most anticipated car news of 2017 to break. And waiting. And waiting. Come on, Mercedes: tell us who your new Formula One driver is, already. That’s right: despite...
May 10, 2025
When You Really Only Care About Your Bumper
When You Really Only Care About Your Bumper
Look, the rest of the car—I can take it or leave it. Just attach the tow hook to the bumper. That’s all I want back if I get stuck out on track. Don’t bother attaching the hook to anything structural on the car itself that might accidentally pull the whole...
May 10, 2025
This Weird Also-Ran Le Mans Prototype Class Desperately Needs Someone To Care
This Weird Also-Ran Le Mans Prototype Class Desperately Needs Someone To Care
Ginetta, a British marque so semi-obscure that you may have forgotten that people still race Ginettas all the time, its plan to add teams in the World Endurance Championship’s LMP1 privateer class starting in 2018. That’s good, because there’s only one entry in LMP1 privateer this year. Sad! I say...
May 10, 2025
Dakar Rider Hit By Lightning, Finishes Day Anyway
Dakar Rider Hit By Lightning, Finishes Day Anyway
Slovakian rider Ivan Jakes was struck by lightning in the Salar Centenario area on the third stage of the Dakar Rally, reports . Of course it didn’t stop him. Who stops for a pesky little nuisance like lightning on the Dakar? Jakes, who rides a KTM for his own team...
May 10, 2025
Just Sit Back And Watch This Cracked-Out Alfa Romeo 4C Storm Up A Hill
Just Sit Back And Watch This Cracked-Out Alfa Romeo 4C Storm Up A Hill
I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to divine the regulations of hillclimb events, or lack thereof. It seems to be the last bastion of “nearly anything goes” in terms of power and aerodynamics. Do I care about what those specific rules are? Hell naw. Here’s a cracked-out and roided-up...
May 10, 2025
This Is How You Say 'Hi, Mom' From The Dakar Rally
This Is How You Say 'Hi, Mom' From The Dakar Rally
Everyone’s a ham for the camera, but how many of you can wave at the cameras while flying along at 112 mph in the sand? French rider Adrien Van Beveren waved for the cameras atop his Yamaha during Stage 2 of this year’s Dakar Rally. Stage 2 concluded yesterday, and...
May 10, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved