F1 News
New pit stop rule causes Red Bull visible problems
- GPblog.com
Red Bull Racing has been delivering very fast pitstops for years. However, the new pit stop rule introduced by the FIA this year seems to have a negative effect on the Austrian racing team. The teams have to wait 0.15 seconds longer before they can drive away again. It caused Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez some grumpiness. What goes wrong in the team?
In terms of pit stops, Red Bull's fortunes have not been good over the last two races. While Verstappen had a pit stop of more than 11 seconds during the Italian GP, Pérez had a disappointment two weeks later when he was allowed to pit after 8,9 seconds. The Austrians are working hard to solve the problems.
Problems at Red Bull
The pit crew went wrong for Verstappen due to the software that indicates when the Dutchman is allowed to leave the pit again. Red Bull's crew changed Verstappen's tyres within two seconds, but an error in the wheel gun's software meant the driver was not given the signal to drive off. The absence of the green light eventually caused him to lose a lot of time.
Two weeks later Pérez was the victim in Russia. The Mexican entered the pit lane to change his tyres and had to wait 8.9 seconds before being allowed to drive off. This stop had nothing to do with the new regulations. A problem with the right rear wheel meant Red Bull had to do extra work to get Pérez back on track.
Hope for Verstappen and Pérez
Although all details count in top sport, the problems experienced by Red Bull seem to have arisen more or less by chance. The coming races will show whether the Austrians can regain their good form during the pitstops.