Red Bull pit-stop crew have always been known as one of the fastest and most efficient in all of F1, and they continue the trend this year.
The battle between Red Bull and Ferrari has not been as intense it was between the former and Mercedes last year. Last year, the two teams and Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in particular, were at each other’s throats for the entirety of the campaign.
This year has been a bit different. The season started with Ferrari building a formidable lead at the top. It soon changed, and turned the other way round after a difficult couple of months for the Scuderia. Going into the French GP this weekend, Ferrari trail Red Bull by 56 points in the Constructors’ Standings.
The mid-season pit stop analysis is here. The averages are calculated after removing pit stops that are greater than 8s. McL tops the chart with an average of 2.92 followed by RBR and SF. The rest of the teams are averaging in 3s, and Haas are the slowest pit crew so far (1/3). pic.twitter.com/6fhHleuPcA
— Pits To Podium (@pitstopodium) July 21, 2022
The fight between these two teams has not just been on the race track. We all know how valuable pit-stops are, because it’s the only time the crew has to play a huge part in giving their driver some advantage. It’s a matter of a few seconds, but tenths and hundredths of those seconds may change the outcome of a race.
So far this season, it appears as though Red Bull have the fastest pit-stop crew yet again, as their average stop time has been 2.924 seconds, ahead to Ferrari’s 2.992.
Alfa Romeo and Haas meanwhile, are P9 and P10 in these standings. It’s clear that they need to work on their pit-stop tomes in the second half of the season.
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Another battle between Red Bull and Ferrari this weekend at French GP?
Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen have been the main Title protagonists this season. Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz have shown glimpses of some fight for the crown at some stages, but the majority of the F1 community believes it’s gonna be either of the former.
Leclerc currently trails Max Verstappen by 38 points, with 11 races already over. Another 11 races await us, with the next round taking place at the Circuit Paul Ricard this weekend.
🔵⚪️🔴#essereFerrari 🔴 #FrenchGP pic.twitter.com/rG1ChacoBi
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) July 21, 2022
Verstappen knows what it’s like to win in Le Castellet, having done so last season. The Dutchman ended up winning the 2021 Title, and will be hoping for a march towards something similar this year.
