Pit crew members—the unsung heroes behind a driver’s success—are known for their blistering speed in changing tires during an F1 race. But that is not their only job.
Calum Nicholas recently debunked the myth, revealing that pit stops are actually their secondary duty and that all of them are ‘specialists.’
In a recent conversation with talkSPORT, the Red Bull mechanic revealed, “Pit stops for us in the F1 paddock is sort of our secondary job. Everybody in the pit crew, we have a primary role. For myself, it’s PU assembly. For a lot of the others, it is electricians, engineers, IT technicians“.
However, that is not to say that pit stops are easy or neglected by any means.
Nicholas revealed in an interview last year on the Road to Success podcast that pit stops are perhaps the most “underrated job.”
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“It’s intimidating because the car’s going to come past you and you’ve essentially got to chase the rear crash structure,” Nicholas said.
These technicians have split-seconds to make important decisions, as they can make or break a driver’s race. Potentially even their whole season. One small mistake and months of hard work and millions of dollars could go down the drain. That’s why the amount of pressure they are always under is immense.
So, if performing pit-stops are so hard, why don’t teams just recruit specialists dedicated just for it?
F1’s operational staff cap
Unfortunately, teams cannot go on a hiring spree. F1 regulations state that a maximum of 58 operational personnel can be part of the team at a time. This includes engineers, mechanics, electricians, the pit crew, two race drivers, and one substitute driver.
With limited staff in the paddock, F1 team members often take on multiple roles and must be well-versed in various tasks. Additionally, strict budget cap rules present another challenge that teams must manage.
Since the salaries of the three highest-paid staff members are included in the budget cap, teams must hire wisely and ensure every penny is well spent. Besides, it wouldn’t make much sense to employ a group solely for pit stops, which last just a few seconds.
Still, the efficiency of pit crew members is mind-blowing. Working in perfect synchronization under immense pressure, especially when the stakes are high, is why Nicholas called it one of the most “underrated” jobs in F1.
