Pit Stop: The backbone of a race

They say pit stop is where a race is won or lost. But if you thought the men involved in it are picked specifically to do that job, you are wrong.

In fact, the team’s mechanics, truckies and sometimes even engineers double up as pit crew and they are put through rigorous training – mentally and physically – to attain perfection.

“Many years ago, there was no limitation on the number of people you could bring to a race. But that’s not the case now. The guys working during the race weekend are limited in number. So these guys have to be good mechanics or truckies first and then they have to learn how to do pit stops,” Diego Ioverno, Ferrari’s race operation manager, told DNA.

“No more can you select a crew only for pit stops. Previously, Ferrari use to pick one or two guys in specialised positions. Now, it’s just the mechanics. They build garage, build the car, then do pit duty, pack up and then go to the next race,” he added.

With refuelling banned at the start of the 2010 season, and the long-lasting Bridgestone tyres not renewing the contract with F1 that same season meant that pit stop has lost its charm with some top teams doing the whole race in one pit stop.

But with the introduction of Pirelli tyres last year and the way they have degraded quickly this season, the pit stop gets back its charm. Most of the teams this season are now doing two or three pit stops depending on how abrasive the track surface is.
So, with ban on refuelling, teams were now left with a job to just change tyres in the shortest time possible.

“When refuelling was allowed, there was enough time to change tyres even if you did the quickest refuelling. This was in the past. Now, you have to be consistent while changing tyres. And it has become very quick,” said Ioverno.

"The main challenges are speed and reliability. Not only do we want the pit crew to change wheels at sub-three second but also we want them to do it reliably. We don’t want a very quick one followed by a really slow one. The idea is to maintain consistency,” Paul Seaby, Lotus team manager, told this newspaper.

And, the number of crew engaged during a pit stop may vary from team-to-team. For a midfield team like Sauber, they have 18 people at the pit stop. For Lotus, it goes up to 23 and almost equal number for Ferrari as well. So, how is the selection process conducted?

During the start of the season, employees are invited for a trial. Most importantly, they are willing to double up as pit crew as well, which may be extra burden. After the trials, they are given the position they are more suited for. For example, front and rear jackman have to be well-built to lift the car, while the gunman changing tyres should have quick hands.

Once they are given the positions, they are put through training. “We work with a mental trainer. Lately, with lightning fast pit stops being the order of the day, it has been given more importance,” said Urs Kuratle, the chief mechanic of Sauber.

Ferrari, who have been the pioneers of quick stops, have physical trainers for their crew. “We have a gym at the factory in Maranello and during winter, the crew is put through physical training where trainers monitor their routine. A person has to follow specific set of exercises designed for him according to his position. They are also helped by some group of psychologists to work on their reactions,” said Ioverno.

For Lotus it’s just practice, practice and more practice. They haven’t employed any mental trainers yet. “We don’t do any mental conditioning. The only thing we do is try not to put the crew under any pressure,” said Seaby. Through the year, a team conducts close to 2,000 practice sessions.

Teams also try to use the same guys in the same positions throughout to keep the consistency going. It helps them improve the reaction time as well. Another important factor is where the driver stops. “Also part of the pit crew is the driver because if the driver stops at the wrong position, you are going to lose time during the pit stop as the whole crew has to change their positions,” said Seaby. “Driver has to stop within a radius of 10cm. A slight here or there and it may lengthen the stop,” added Ioverno.

Pit crew explained

• Lollipop man holds the sign in position to remind the driver to keep his brakes on while tyres are being changed. He also gives the driver the sign to depart his pit stall by raising the sign from the front of the driver. Some teams use traffic lights for the whole procedure
• There will be three wheel changers on each wheel, one of which will be a gunman, who screws and unscrews the tyre. Then, there will be one to take off the tyre and one to put on the tyre
• There are two jackmen, one at the front end and one at the rear to lift the car
• Two guys change the nose (if it’s damaged). One takes it on and one to take it off
• One man is positioned with a starter at the back to start the car if it stalls during a stop, two on either side of the car to stop it from wobbling during a stop