Red Bull won the fastest pit-stop award for the fourth consecutive year in 2021 but the job is not so easy as it seems.
Red Bull has been consistent in serving their driver with fast pit stops throughout the year and ultimately leading Max Verstappen to the championship.
Red Bull’s sporting director Jonathan Wheatley explained what goes behind being so formidable in the pit lane. He also laid out what are they looking for from their pit crew.
Wheatley said, “I think one of the most exciting and interesting aspects of my role is the overall responsibility for the team’s pit-stop performance.”
“I can be a bit of a double-edged sword. Things don’t always go right. But it’s something that I have taken a tremendous amount of enthusiasm for and I have enjoyed so much over the years.”
Furthermore, he said that the teams had incredible four-year success in the DHL trophy. “I think that consistency; that desire to be the fasted; to be the best at what we do and also to be the safest at what we do. It’s in the team, in our bones, in our DNA.”
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Red Bull says it’s all about human endeavour
For a pit crew member, it is important to have great core stability. It’s all about human performance. Wheatley further explained that a pit-stop often gets confused with equipment but ultimately it’s a human effort.
“So we work very hard with the guys in terms of their mindset and also with their core stability. You don’t want any injuries, you want the same people at the last race as at the first race,” he further added.
“We are entering a new phase in Formula 1, the 2022 cars with 18-inch wheels, big heavy wheels. Frankly, as I sit here today, we haven’t even tried one pit-stop practise with those types of wheels.”
“It’s just going to take an entirely different dynamic next year. There’s going to be massive key in getting consistency and that’s what we’ll be working on all winter,” Wheatley concluded.
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