Former Ferrari mechanic Francesco Cigarini has offered a detailed look inside the preparation, technology and communication required to execute a Formula 1 pit stop, while also revisiting the serious accident he suffered during the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix. Having spent years as part of Ferrari’s pit crew, Cigarini explained how a tyre change lasting only a few seconds depends on extensive training and tightly controlled procedures behind the scenes.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with F1inGenerale, the former Ferrari crew member described how pit-stop preparation evolved during his time at Maranello, from stopwatch-based practice sessions to increasingly sophisticated injury prevention, video analysis and equipment. He also explained how the Bahrain accident eventually led to him taking on a completely new safety role.
How Ferrari mechanics train for an F1 pit stop
Cigarini explained that Ferrari’s approach changed significantly over the years, with attention to detail becoming even more important after Formula 1 banned refuelling. With the modern stop focused entirely on servicing the car without adding fuel, every movement during the tyre change has to be executed correctly.
In the earlier period of his career, Ferrari conducted its pit-stop training at the Maranello factory. Each wheel was assigned to an engineer, and Chris Dyer, who was Michael Schumacher’s track engineer at the time, measured every individual tyre change. According to Cigarini, their early practice times were around three seconds, which represented the normal benchmark of that era.
Physical preparation then became an increasingly important part of the process. Cigarini credited Fabrizio Borra, Fernando Alonso’s physiotherapist, with introducing the practice of warming up the mechanics’ muscles before pit-stop training. Med-Ex later became involved in efforts to reduce injury risks among crew members.
Other Formula 1 teams were initially sceptical of that approach and some even mocked it, according to Cigarini, but eventually adopted similar methods themselves. During a race weekend, Ferrari’s mechanics would typically complete around ten practice stops, with every attempt carefully examined afterwards.
The crew trained while wearing their complete race equipment in order to replicate genuine Grand Prix conditions as closely as possible. Video footage was also used to analyse individual movements, allowing Ferrari to identify weaknesses and areas in which the procedure could be improved. That focus on repeatability has remained an important part of Ferrari’s pit-stop work, with the team later becoming known for its consistency during tyre changes.
Wheel guns and captive nuts transformed Formula 1 pit stops
Technology also changed the mechanics’ work considerably. Cigarini identified the development of the electric wheel gun as one of the most significant advances. Earlier designs required the operator to press firmly on a control at the rear of the gun to reverse its direction of rotation.
The arrival of electric motors simplified that process. Mechanics could reverse the rotation through a switch while maintaining a secure grip on the wheel gun, making the operation more efficient during a stop in which fractions of a second matter.
Another important development involved the wheel nuts. Cigarini credited Mercedes with initially introducing a system that changed how the nut behaved when a tyre was removed. Previously, the wheel nut remained inside the socket of the gun once the mechanic had released it.
With the newer arrangement, the nut stays attached to the wheel being removed, while the replacement wheel already has its own nut in position. Cigarini explained that the change made the process both quicker and safer, reducing the number of separate actions required from the mechanic during the stop.
How Ferrari pit crew communications work during a race
The former Ferrari mechanic also described the communication system used to prepare the crew for an approaching car. He explained that the sporting director coordinates the process and alerts the mechanics when they need to be ready.
Many crew members prefer not to listen to the driver’s radio traffic because unnecessary communications can become a distraction. Cigarini chose to keep those communications available and would discreetly signal to two fellow mechanics when it was time to prepare.
Timing that movement correctly was important for strategic reasons as well as operational ones. Ferrari could not allow the crew to move into position too early because rival teams observing the pit lane might realise that a stop was imminent, potentially revealing an element of Ferrari’s strategy.
The sporting director also manages procedures when a driver has to serve a time penalty during a pit stop. Cigarini explained that the mechanics are informed when the mandatory five seconds have elapsed, either through a direct instruction to begin or through a countdown.
The crew normally leaves a small safety margin before touching the car. Beginning work even fractionally before the penalty has been fully served can produce an additional sanction, whereas waiting slightly longer merely costs time. For the mechanics, sacrificing a small fraction of a second can therefore be preferable to risking another penalty.
Francesco Cigarini recalls Ferrari’s dramatic 2008 Singapore pit stop
Cigarini joined Ferrari’s pit crew in 2008 and was present for the dramatic Singapore Grand Prix stop that became one of the defining moments of Felipe Massa’s championship campaign. He remembered the incident as shocking and stressed how quickly an apparently routine operation can become disastrous when one element goes wrong.
The stop involved a major mistake with Ferrari’s refuelling operation, and further difficulties followed after the car had travelled towards the end of the pit lane with the refuelling equipment still attached. Cigarini regarded the episode as one of the events that contributed to Massa ultimately losing the world championship that season.
The 2018 Bahrain accident that changed Cigarini’s Ferrari role
A decade later, Cigarini himself was at the centre of a much more serious pit-lane incident. During the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix, Ferrari encountered a problem with its automated pit-stop system as Kimi Räikkönen came in for service.
Cigarini recalled that the release light turned green even though the rear tyre had not yet been removed. He realised that the stop was running behind schedule and then saw the trolley behind him release before the wheel dropped and began to skid. His memory then went blank.
When he regained awareness, Cigarini was lying on the pit-lane surface with his leg bent at a 90-degree angle in front of him. He suffered a complicated open fracture of both the tibia and fibula, with the bones fragmented as a result of the impact. The 2018 Bahrain pit-stop accident ended Räikkönen’s race and left the Ferrari mechanic requiring medical treatment.
The consequences also changed Cigarini’s professional responsibilities. He was subsequently removed from the active pit crew and assigned a newly created position that followed the accident. He became the Controller, operating a remote system designed to prevent the release light from turning green whenever a problem was detected during a pit stop.
That additional layer gave a human operator the ability to intervene when the automated process indicated that the car could leave despite the stop not being safely completed.
What went wrong during Lewis Hamilton’s Spa pit stop
Cigarini also addressed the pit-stop problem involving Lewis Hamilton at Spa. In his assessment, communication concerning an adjustment to the front-wing angle appeared to have reached the relevant mechanic late.
The operator arrived behind schedule but still attempted to complete the adjustment. The episode ultimately ended without more serious consequences, although the delayed intervention added difficulty to the stop. Ferrari’s failure to complete the planned adjustment subsequently became an important part of the analysis of Hamilton’s Belgian Grand Prix pit-stop issue.
Cigarini’s account illustrates how Formula 1 pit stops depend on considerably more than the speed of four mechanics changing tyres. Physical conditioning, repetitive training, communications, technology, strategic secrecy and safety systems all have to function together, with even a small error capable of changing a race or putting members of the crew at serious risk.
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