The secret behind the Red Bull pit stop: 'Combination of several factors'

F1 News

29 December 2020 at 19:26
Last update 29 December 2020 at 22:16
  • GPblog.com

Red Bull Racing dominated the timesheet when it comes to the fastest pit stops in 2020. According to Christian Horner, the speed in changing tyres comes mainly from the hard work of the mechanics.

Practice, practice and more practice

Red Bull won the title of fastest pit stops in 2020 for the third year in a row. "The secret lies in a combination of several factors. It all starts with our sports director Jonathan Wheatley and chief mechanic Phil Turner and the roots are in hard training," Horner explains according to AS.com.

"After that, it's all about the details and practice, practice and more practice. We're working on small improvements that ultimately make a difference," Horner says. Consistency is also an important point according to the British team boss. "Because it's not enough to have one quick pit stop per race, you don't want to make mistakes with the other three."

Competition within the team

Within the team there is healthy competition between the mechanics, who all compete for a spot at the pit stop. "The men are proud when they make such a quick stop. All the mechanics want to be part of this crew and there is healthy competition to decide who can join them," Horner explains. The team of mechanics who make the pit stops possible rotates throughout the season.