Pit stop
In motorsport, a pit stop is the short-term stopping of a vehicle in the pit to refuel, fit new tires, make small repairs and / or mechanical adjustments, or replace the driver. Several activities are also allowed. The rules of the respective motor sport prescribe which one exactly. The pits are usually part of the pit lane of a section of the track that runs parallel to the start / finish straight and is connected to the actual race track at each end. There are also garages on the edge of the pit lane (usually one or two per team). The cars are prepared in these garages before the race. Then the mechanics of the respective team stay in them until they are needed again. The driver remains in the vehicle (except when changing drivers).
The sections of the race that result from pit stops are called stints .
Pit stops as a tactical tool
Pit stops (for example in Formula 1 ) can be decisive for the race. If your own pit stop is completed faster than that of the competitor, you can possibly overtake him indirectly. One possible tactic for this is the undercut . That is why the mechanics train regularly to get the work done as quickly as possible.
With the fuel ban in Formula 1 since the 2010 season, the optimal pit stop (with tire changes) should be shortened to 1.8 seconds.
The current world record and therefore current fastest pit stop reached the team Red Bull Racing at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2019 in São Paulo than you Max Verstappen on lap 21 handling services within 1.82 seconds.
In addition, a large number of employees are required for this, for example, in other racing series, the number of pit crews or a minimum length of stay of the vehicles in the pit lane are prescribed as tactical means to reduce costs and prevent pit stops.
Since the amount of gasoline and the condition of the tires have a significant impact on the race pace, while pit stops cost time, it is important and decisive for the race to have the correct number of stops, the amount of gasoline and the tires used (there are harder and softer, the former last longer, but The latter offer a little more grip ) to be determined before the race. That is why the teams in the higher racing classes in particular use their own strategists who are supposed to work out the best possible racing strategy. One of the best in his field is former Ferrari strategist Ross Brawn . Brawn helped Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher to win the 2004 French Grand Prix with a four-stop strategy that was only changed during the race . Until then, no one had ever won a Formula 1 race with four pit stops.
Pit stops as a penalty
A pit stop can, however, also be a stop-and-go penalty . Depending on the racing series, the race management can impose penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct. With the stop-and-go penalty, the person concerned has to stay in the box for a certain time, usually 10 seconds. During this time, repairs, tire changes, etc. are not permitted on the car. This penalty should not be confused with the drive-through penalty , in which a certain driver has to drive through the pit lane once.
Dangers of pit stops
The pit stop is one of the riskiest activities during a race. Since fuel can leak and drip onto the hot exhaust pipe, even with ultra-modern tank systems, there is always a risk of fire. For this reason, it is mandatory for the mechanics, the driver and everyone else who may be present in the pit lane (for example reporters or other team members; this is stipulated by the respective regulations of a racing series) to wear fireproof clothing. An example of a fire accident is the fire when Dutch Formula 1 driver Jos Verstappen refueled in a Benetton Ford at the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim in the 1994 season . Because the tank hose was positioned at an angle, gasoline could flow out and ignite. Thanks to the fireproof clothing, however, no one was seriously injured. Only Verstappen suffered a few minor burns. At the beginning of that season, refueling was allowed again in Formula 1 and has been banned again since 2010.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Red Bull: Pit stop in 1.8 seconds ( Memento from April 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), article on www.formel1.de, accessed on March 19, 2010.
