The 2023 F1 season was nothing short of a phenomenon for team Red Bull. The Milton Keynes-based team set numerous records during the campaign, sometimes breaking a few that stood for decades. However, there was one prized record of their own that rivals McLaren robbed them of.
2019 may not have been a memorable season for Red Bull, but there was one particular moment from the season that the team holds close to its heart. That moment came at the Brazilian GP when the crew, along with Max Verstappen, set the record for fastest pitstop. The swift maneuvers came to completion in a matter of just 1.82 seconds.
Whirring wheel guns and some synchronized movements from McLaren’s crew saw their rivals’ four-year-old record bite the dust. The McLaren crew and Lando Norris etched their names in the history books for the fastest pitstop by completing it in just 1.80 seconds.
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Para recordar, el récord impuesto en la F1, con McLaren haciendo el pit stop más rápido con 1.80 segundos…
pic.twitter.com/SamExyXOKg— (@DanniMendiola) December 1, 2023
Incidentally, the day was one for Ferrari and Charles Leclerc to celebrate, too. The Maranello-based outfit may not have set the record for the fastest pitstop but a quick 1.93-second tire change saw them register the second-fastest pitstop for the season. The same is likely to have hurt Red Bull, who are known for their quick pit stops.
How Red Bull had the last laugh over McLaren?
McLaren’s 1.80-second pitstop was no mean feat. However, it remains the only Red Bull record that the Woking-based team broke in the entire season. On every other occasion, it was the team from Milton Keynes that gave McLaren’s records a run for their money.
Among those stood the 1988 record that McLaren laid down courtesy of Ayrton Senna’s brilliance. That was the record for the highest percentage of race wins in a season that stood at 93.8%. Come 2023, and that too fell as Red Bull achieved an eye-watering 95.65% win rate.
Moreover, Verstappen also completed a personal milestone at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. The Dutchman pitted as late as the 16th lap and subsequently retook the lead to claim the record for 1000 laps led in a season.
He even suggested to the team that they pit his teammate Sergio Perez before him. Revealing the reason post-race, as quoted by RaceFans, he said, “It was to try and lead for 1,000 laps in the season. I knew that was on the cards.”
The 2023 campaign was nothing short of a magical run for Red Bull. However, the million-dollar question is – Can they keep it going in 2024?
While team principal Christian Horner believes it will be very difficult to keep their run going, it will also be a tall order for any of their rivals to catch up to them. The likes of Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren have been working tirelessly to reduce the gap, but they know more than anyone how difficult it is to do so after their struggles in 2023.
