The pit
stops are among the most spectacular moments of a Formula 1 race. Every
fraction of a second is a thrill. The pit crews will again be racing against
the clock during the European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. All too often,
it’s no more than a touch that decides between triumph and failure.
The key moments in a Grand Prix increasingly take place off the track – on
the narrow strip in front of the pit garages. A good performance in the pit
lane can win races, yet finding those vital seconds is a matter of massive
stress, the pit crews having to fulfil the most onerous demands. It’s no
surprise therefore, that the teams take the utmost care when putting
together their rapid response force. “For this job,” says Sam Michael,
WilliamsF1’s Senior Operations Engineer, “the best are only just good
enough.”
Those quick stops for a Formula 1 race car are a huge deal as, once a car is
standing still, everything else needs to be fast and flawless. The pit crew,
clad like astronauts during a space-walk even in the hottest conditions,
pounce upon command. What at first glance looks like complete chaos is in
truth a perfectly studied choreography: 22 people – one job. |
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A scheduled pit
stop should run like this:
0.0 seconds: the car stops. Time starts running.
0.2 seconds: high-powered airguns are applied to the central wheel nuts to
loosen them.
1.0 seconds: the car is lifted at the front by a hydraulic jack and at the
rear by a manual one.
1.5 seconds: the fuelling hose is attached to the tank nozzle. A red light
in the helmet visor tells the refueller that the fuel is flowing – at 12
litres per second.
2.5 seconds: the wheels have been taken off and removed.
3.5 seconds: new wheels are fitted and the wheel nuts tightened. The airguns
are disconnected. A safety pin preventing the wheels from coming loose is
inserted.
3.8 seconds: the car is lowered to the ground again.
4.3 seconds: The driver is signalled to engage first gear. His helmet visor
is cleaned and, if necessary, any debris is removed from the sidepods so
that the engine won’t overheat.
7.0 seconds: The refueller’s helmet visor display switches to green, the
hose is disconnected.
7.3 seconds: The lollipop man raises his sign, signalling that all’s clear.
The stop-and-go traffic in the pit lane is a fascinating spectacle and
always provides exciting moments. But how long a car stands still doesn’t
depend on the performance of the pit crew alone. A wheel change, for
example, is completed in about three seconds, a steering wheel change will
take a good two. But a driver will have to wait for roughly 11 seconds for
new nose. Decisive for the actual stationary period in the pit is how much
fuel is added or whether refuelling takes place at all. Refuelling will, in
the future, become even faster and research is underway to find out how the
flow rate can be increased without compromising safety.
It’s in the pit lane that Formula 1’s heart truly beats. And therefore a
good reason for the Federation International de l’Automobile (FIA) to
reintroduce refuelling. In response to the pit lanes of most Formula 1
circuits becoming wider and therefore safer in the past decade or so, the
FIA went a step further and raised the speed limit to 100 km/h. Due to a
reduction in time arriving for and leaving each pit stop, this means that
teams can consider running with tactics that might include making additional
pit stops. Only in narrow pit lanes, such as Monaco, the limit remains at
80km/h.
For the teams’ strategists, race planning is made more variable, but for the
pit crews the working day has become even more hectic. However, those making
a decisive contribution to their team’s performance are professionals and
cope easily with the strain as this is what they have trained heavily for
over the winter. “Before the season begins, our crew has gone through about
150 pit stops,” Sam Michael explains. Normally, every move is perfect by
then. If not – a special pit-stop car is kept for practice in the company HQ
at Grove in England.
The pit crews are Formula 1’s elite forces. They have to be excellent
mechanics who will not make any mistakes even during the greatest rush.
Their capital is their experience and their nerves. Sam Michael: “Many
unexpected things can happen during a stop. It’s important that everyone
keeps a cool head in these situations because otherwise they’ll make
mistakes.” And that’s the only way that they secure those vital fractions of
a second for their driver, who is counting fully on them, to be able to
return to the track ahead of the competition. Every race strategy stands and
falls with the pit stops.
So, it’s not at all surprising that, when asked for the most critical moment
during a pit stop, Sam Michael just smiles: “The whole stop is one big
critical moment.” |
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