The fastest pit stop in Formula 1
General
Speed is essential in Formula 1, especially at pit stops. At a pit stop, tyres are quickly changed into a new set. This is just one example of how fast things can go in Formula 1.
Formula 1 is thus mainly about speed. Teams therefore try to save time everywhere. The best way to do this is at pit stops. First, a pit stop consisted of a tyre change and refuelling, but since 2010 refuelling has been abolished. Since then, pit stops have become faster and faster.
DHL Fastest Pitstop award
Since 2015, DHL introduced an award to ensure that pit stop times were seriously tracked. The award was given at the end of a season to the team that often delivered the fastest pitstop in that particular season. After two years, things changed. Now teams can earn points in the same way as the F1 championship, ranging from 25 points for the fastest stop to 1 point for the tenth fastest tyre change.
So far, Red Bull Racing has won the award most often, delivering the fastest pit stops five years in a row. This season, Red Bull is once again on top with a pit stop of 1.98 seconds. In addition, Red Bull holds the record for the fastest pit stop along with Max Verstappen at 1.82 seconds. This was at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix.