When Red Bull changed all four tyres on Max Verstappen's car in 1.80 seconds at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, the stop was so fast that the television director barely had time to switch to the pit lane camera before the car was already gone. That single stop represents the culmination of seven decades of evolution — from mechanics with hand wrenches to choreographed teams of 20 people performing a ballet at the edge of human reaction time.
The 1950s-1970s: When Pit Stops Were Tea Breaks
In the early decades of Formula 1, pit stops were neither fast nor frequent. Tyres were durable enough to last an entire race, and refuelling was the main reason to stop. Mechanics used hand-operated wheel braces, and a typical tyre change could take 30 seconds or more.
The attitude toward pit stops was fundamentally different. They were seen as an interruption to be minimised, not an opportunity to be exploited. Teams planned to stop as few times as possible because every second in the pit lane was a second lost to competitors on track.
The 1950s and 1960s also lacked the safety infrastructure that modern pit stops take for granted. There were no speed limits in the pit lane, no designated pit crew areas, and no standardised procedures. Pit lane incidents were common and sometimes fatal.
The 1980s: The Wheel Gun Changes Everything
The introduction of the pneumatic wheel gun in the early 1980s was the single most important technological innovation in pit stop history. A wheel gun uses compressed air to spin the wheel nut on and off in a fraction of a second, replacing the slow manual process of the hand wrench.
The impact was immediate. Pit stop times dropped from 30+ seconds to under 10 seconds. But the real change was psychological: for the first time, a pit stop cost so little time that it became a strategic option rather than a last resort. Teams could consider pitting for fresh tyres because the time cost was manageable.
The wheel gun also required a new kind of pit crew member — someone trained specifically to operate the tool quickly and accurately under pressure. This was the beginning of the specialist pit crew.
The 1990s: Refuelling Adds Complexity
The 1994 season reintroduced refuelling during races (it had been banned after 1983), and the pit stop became significantly more complex. Now teams had to change tyres and pump fuel simultaneously, adding the fuel rig to the choreography.
Refuelling created new strategic possibilities. Teams could run lighter fuel loads and pit more frequently, which changed the competitive calculus of every race. But it also made pit stops longer — typically 6-8 seconds — because the fuel transfer time dominated.
The refuelling era also introduced new risks. Fuel fires were a real danger, and several high-profile incidents — including Jos Verstappen's fuel fire at the 1994 German Grand Prix — highlighted the need for improved safety procedures. Fire marshals became standard at every pit stop.
2005: One-Set Rule and the Art of Not Stopping
The 2005 season introduced a rule requiring drivers to use a single set of tyres for qualifying and the entire race. Pit stops for tyre changes were only allowed for punctures or wet weather. This rule was a strategic experiment that eliminated the pit stop as a strategic tool.
The result was mixed. On one hand, it produced races where tyre management became the dominant narrative. On the other hand, it removed one of the most dramatic elements of race strategy. The rule was dropped after one season.
2010-Present: The Sub-Two-Second Stop
The 2010 ban on refuelling was the catalyst for the modern pit stop era. Without fuel to pump, the only task was changing four tyres. And without the fuel rig dictating the minimum stop time, teams began competing to see how fast they could complete a tyre change.
The evolution was rapid:
- 2010: Fastest stops were around 3.0-3.5 seconds
- 2013: Times dropped to 2.5 seconds as teams refined their techniques
- 2016: Sub-2.3-second stops became routine for top teams
- 2019: Red Bull set the current record of 1.80 seconds at the Brazilian Grand Prix
The modern pit stop involves approximately 20 people, each with a specific role:
- 3 crew per wheel (1 gun operator, 2 tyre carriers) = 12 people
- 2 front jack operators (1 primary, 1 backup)
- 2 rear jack operators
- 1 lollipop or traffic controller
- 2 stabilisers (one on each side to keep the car steady)
- 1 fire extinguisher operator
The choreography is rehearsed hundreds of times. Teams practice pit stops at their factories between races, building the muscle memory that allows 20 people to act as a single unit. A mistake by any one person — a dropped wheel nut, a slow gun operator, a misjudged jack release — can add seconds to the stop or cause an unsafe release penalty.
The Strategic Weapon
In modern F1, the pit stop is not just a service operation — it is a competitive weapon. The difference between a 2.0-second stop and a 3.0-second stop is one second of track position, which can be the margin between emerging ahead of a rival or behind them after the pit cycle.
The undercut — pitting before the car ahead to use fresher tyres to gain time before the rival pits — depends on a fast stop. A slow stop can destroy an undercut attempt. Conversely, a very fast stop can make an undercut work even when the tyre advantage is marginal.
Teams also use pit stop speed strategically at certain circuits. At tracks where pit lane time is relatively short (because the pit lane speed limit and pit lane length create a small penalty), pitting more often can be viable. At tracks with long pit lanes, every stop carries a higher time cost.
What to Watch For
- The gun operator's movement — the fastest crews have the gun on the wheel nut before the car has fully stopped.
- The rear jack operator — they must lift and lower the car in perfect sync with the front jack, or the car will tilt and slow the tyre change.
- The lollipop/traffic controller — they decide when to release the car, balancing speed against the risk of an unsafe release.
- Pit stop times on the broadcast graphic — compare between teams. A 0.3-second advantage per stop compounds across multiple stops in a race.
- The choreography under pressure — a safety car period compresses the pit window and often triggers multiple cars pitting simultaneously, testing the crew's ability to perform when the queue is long.