Blink and you’ll miss it
The phrase "Box, box" means one thing in Formula One: a pit stop. It is one of the most important strategic moments of a Grand Prix and can have a big impact on race outcomes.
Modern F1 pit stops have become ridiculously fast. Many happen in 2.5 seconds or less. During that time a car needs to hit its marks, be raised up on the jacks, four wheelnuts removed and placed back on, four tyres swapped for fresh ones, the car dropped back to the floor and drivers pulling away from the box.
It's a whirlwind of loud noises, fast actions, and split-second decisions. All to get your car back on track in the fastest time possible and execute the Team's strategy.
Around 60 practice pit stops are completed during a typical Grand Prix weekend.
Getting everything right in a pit stop is no easy task. While speed is important, consistency across the season is vital for all pit crews.
To ensure we're consistent across our pit stops and in order to stay sharp, practice stops take place throughout the season, both at the factory between races and during the race weekend itself.
Around 60 practice pit stops are completed during a typical Grand Prix weekend. Thursday is an important day for this, with 20 pit stops usually completed. During this session, the pit crew will swap around roles, so they can be trained up in different activities.
Then there's another session of around 15 stops on Friday morning, plus several practice opportunities during each practice session. 20 more are usually done on Saturday morning and then several are done on Sunday morning too. Some of the more unusual pit stop situations like changing a nose or switching to spare wheel guns are also practiced here.
What about the people involved in an F1 pit stop? As you can imagine, it's a proper team effort and nailing a stop requires every person to work in perfect harmony with one another.
It's like a brilliantly choreographed dance. Practiced time after time, in the build-up to a race, the crews are highly-focused. The stakes are high!
There are up to 22 people involved in an F1 pit stop.
There are up to 22 people involved in an F1 pit stop. They break down to the following roles.
12 crew members are focused on the tyre change process. There are three people on each tyre; one will be loosening and tightening the wheel nut, one will be removing the old tyre and one will be placing on the new tyre.
For this to happen, the car needs to be raised up on the front and rear jacks, which are each operated by a pit crew member. There are two other people off to the side with spare front and rear jacks, in case of a double stack or an issue.
There are two people placed at the middle of the car to keep it steady while it is balanced on jacks, and they also clean radiators, driver visors and mirrors, if required. There are two people on front wing adjust, positioned at each front corner.
Finally, one crew member is overseeing the pit stop and pit lane traffic, with final say on whether the pit stop gantry system can go green and the driver be released. There's also a second team member reviewing the stop from the side, as another pair of eyes. They are also able to stop the light going green if they spot an issue.
Once that green light goes, it means the wheels are secure, the pit lane is free of traffic and the driver can drop the power and exit the box.
Once that green light goes, it means the wheels are secure, the pit lane is free of traffic and the driver can drop the power and exit the box.
Whilst it is hard to pinpoint exactly how long each part of the pit stop phase takes, because it always varies, the process of jacking the car up and taking the wheelnut off takes around four tenths of a second.
The wheel changeover takes roughly one second. It then takes three tenths to gun the wheelnuts back on. Dropping the car down to the floor takes less than a tenth of a second and it takes three tenths for the driver to react to the green light, pull the clutch and start to move away from the box.
22 people, working in harmony to get a car out on track quickly and safely. And it all happens in the blink of an eye.
Watch all the angles of a pit stop with this video captured on the 360 degree camera