The 2013 Season

So Webber had a 2.05 second pit stop at Malaysia. Four teams (IIRC) had stops under McLaren's 2012 record of 2.31. All four of Webber's stops on the day were quicker than that. Vettel's quickest was 2.13.

I find this especially amusing because the TR were changed for 2012 to prohibit the use of helium, team's gas of choice in their air guns. This was done to reduce costs but was expected to slow pit stops measurably.

Oops.

For "just a drinks company," I find Red Bull by and large do this F1 thing extraordinarily well.

Now I read that RBR have calculated that the combined mechanisms for changing a tyre require a minimum of 1.7 seconds, meaning that is the new target time for a spot-on perfect pit stop. Until someone re-engineers the wheel nut (or sneaks in a little helium), then all bets are off. But as improbable as it seems, I think it quite likely we will see a sub-2 second pit stop before season's end.

If I counted correctly, RBR (and I presume all the other teams as well) involve at least 17 pit crewmen in the stop. Each end of the car gets one jack man (2). Each wheel gets one gun man (6), one wheel-on man(10) and one wheel-off man (14). One lollipop man (15), one fire extinguisher man (16), and a starter man (17), who does nothing apart stand by in case the driver stalls his car's engine leaving the box. That's enough bodies to man a football team and a basketball team, with enough left over for half a game of table tennis.

The teams are allowed to bring 60 operational members to each race, which doesn't include caterers and physiotherapists and Hamilton's dog's personal assistant and the like. Except teams have been caught using a physio guy to hold out the pit board, which Charlie Whiting were none to happy about. So he made another new rule.

Another loophole plugged. Oh dear. Seems you can't get away with nothing any more. Maybe Hamilton's dog could be trained how to hold a pit board ....
 
Red Bull were certainly on their game at Sepang.
MAL13_pit.webp


Of course, over a three- or four-stop race, a difference of 0.5s or so per pitstop may make a difference to your finishing position. Sometimes.
 
Or if you are in your 30s in a world where people live into their 70s, 80s, 90s and beyond. I still feel young and I'm 33. I do get your point, though.
 
She's been reasonably successful though, and improving. And she's Dutch, so I guess I'll support her until it turns out she's not very good.
 
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