F1 News: Red Bull Reveals Staggering Pit Stop Time of 1.45 Seconds

Red Bull does everything fast.

Red Bull senior engineer Rich Wolverson and Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley have indicated potential pit stop times of 1.6 and 1.45 seconds respectively for Red Bull, suggesting a strong possibility of breaking McLaren's pit stop record. The challenge lies in achieving perfect crew synchronization during the high-pressure environment of a Grand Prix.

Key Takeaways:

• Red Bull senior engineer Rich Wolverson suggests achieving 1.6 seconds on individual corner times, with Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley revealing a staggering front axle servicing time of 1.45 seconds.
• McLaren currently holds the fastest F1 pit stop record at 1.8 seconds, set during the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix. Despite this, Red Bull aims to surpass the record, considering the recent benchmark of 1.45 seconds.
• Success in achieving the target time depends on the crew's synchronization during pit stops, with the challenge heightened by the pressure during Grand Prix situations. Before McLaren's record, Red Bull held the title for the fastest pit stop at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, clocking 1.82 seconds.

Red Bull senior engineer Rich Wolverson has suggested that the team can achieve 1.6 second tyre changes on each corner of the car, while Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley went a step further to reveal a staggering front axle servicing time of just 1.45 seconds. The only thing that remains is to convert that into a record-breaking pit stop. But the question is, can Red Bull beat McLaren's record?

Currently, McLaren holds an impressive 1.8-second pit stop record on Lando Norris's MCL60 from the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix. However, the Milton Keynes outfit should be able to beat the record with flying colors, considering the numbers revealed by its staff.

Of course, it all boils down to the crew achieving perfect harmony in servicing the car from the point the car comes to a stop. But there are other factors at play during a Grand Prix pit stop like heightened pressure on the crew to be as quick as possible, when compared to a practice run scenario. But, considering the excellent standard Red Bull has set recently, it may not be that difficult after all. 

Before McLaren's record-breaking pit time, Red Bull held the title for the fastest pit stop from the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, which stood at 1.82 seconds. Revealing what he seems to expect as an achievable pit stop time,  Wolverson explained on the Talking Bull podcast:

“We can get 1.6 [seconds] on individual corner times.

“It’s just getting everything together.”

Getting more optimistic about the target time, Wheatley added:

“On the front axle you get 1.45s, 1.48.

"I look at a pit stop and I see a thing of beauty when it goes as it should do. And it’s that human contribution to motor racing, which I think is extraordinary.”