The fierce competition between Formula 1 teams is not just on the track, pit crews also battle it out to achieve every last marginal edge they can.
This is why a huge amount of effort goes into practice and understanding pit stops to ensure every last second is accounted for, which is part of the reason why they have got faster and faster over the years.
Red Bull is the undisputed king of F1’s official award for the fastest pit stops in a season. The team won the crown for six years in a row since it was introduced in 2015, with them currently holding seven of the top 10 fastest so far in 2024.
At the Spanish Grand Prix it was Max Verstappen who excelled on track by taking his seventh victory in a row, but Lando Norris put the team under threat with his blistering pace in the McLaren.
This is why it required impressive pit stops and strategy to overcome the challenge, something that earned praise from advisor Helmut Marko. Red Bull came close to breaking an F1 world record currently held by McLaren.
Red Bull come close to F1 world record
McLaren broke the world record for the fastest pit stop in F1 at the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix after they changed all four tyres on Lando Norris’ car in just 1.8 seconds.
This beat the previous benchmark set by Red Bull at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix which was officially timed at 1.82 seconds. McLaren’s effort is heralded as more impressive given the increased diameter of the 18-inch wheels which were introduced in 2022.
Red Bull has come close to breaking that record twice this season, most recently during the Spanish GP when Verstappen’s first pit stop was timed at 1.9 seconds.
The team matched their effort at the Chinese Grand Prix earlier in the season, when they produced another 1.9-second stop on Verstappen during a double-stack with Sergio Perez.
Who has achieved the fastest pit stops so far in 2024?
Ferrari initially led the way with the quickest pit stops at the opening round of the season in Bahrain for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, but Verstappen’s stop in China was the first to dip below the two-second barrier.
Ferrari improved to 1.94 seconds at the Miami Grand Prix with Leclerc, while it was Red Bull that produced the fastest stops the following weekend in Imola.
Alpine currently has the seventh-fastest pit stop with Esteban Ocon, while Ferrari has two spots in the top ten with Leclerc.
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