It took a lot of variables for
Max Verstappen to pit next to
Lewis Hamilton at the
Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The result is etched on the eyes of every
Formula 1 viewer in the world.
Revision pit stop rules
For example, a very weak pit stop by
Red Bull Racing's usually flawless team and a poor stop by Mercedes was to blame for the two drivers to end up next to other on the track. In his
column on Redbull.com Christian Horner outlines the reasons for the poor pit stop.
"
There was a rare human error in our pit stop, as a result of the new technical guidelines, but nevertheless something we have to learn from," Horner assessed. According to the revised technical guideline, 0.2 seconds must elapse between the final signal and the green light for drivers to leave the pit box. With the pit stop record currently held by
Red Bull Racing at 1.82 seconds, we will see pit stops under 2 seconds less frequently.
Neck to neck
Horner conceded that the poor pit stop was the start of a series of coincidences that ultimately led to a crash: "The slow stop meant that Max was no longer on the track where he should have been. Mercedes made the situation worse by faltering with their own stop on Hamilton's car, leaving both drivers neck and neck."