Pit Stops, how many people does it take to change four tyres?. We analyze what happens during the passage of a car into the pits.

The devil lurks in the details, says a very famous saying that is well suited to the world of motorsport. In a race weekend, precision and perfection are the masters: a few thousandths less can guarantee a start on pole position, a few more centimeters can condemn to the bottom of the grid or even to a bitter DNF. Nothing is therefore left to chance: every action is practiced over and over again, so that instinct can take over reason. Yet, perhaps no procedure is more studied and trained than that of the Pit Stop. A crucial moment of each GP, we analyze what happens during the passage of a car into the pits.

Let’s start by saying that the Pit Stop is a procedure that varies from category to category, with more or less men required and with different actions allowed or prohibited. Today we will focus on how it is done in Formula 1. The art of parking is a set of movements studied at the table to make the stay of the cars in the pitch in front of the pits as short as possible. This practice has evolved over the years following the increasingly complex nature of the cars of the Maximum Series.

Only listing what changes it has undergone over the years would require a separate article, of which only one paragraph should be devoted to the practice of refueling. We will therefore limit ourselves to explaining by whom and how a modern Pit Stop is carried out today, analyzing the complex movements with which today it is possible to send a car with fresh tires back on the track in less than two seconds.

Let’s start by saying that Formula 1 is the category of motorsport that requires the highest number of mechanics for a single Pit Stop. To understand how much there is to do on a single car, let’s list the different roles that the technicians play during this delicate process. For the removal of a single tire there are assigned three members of the crew: the mechanic at the drill, which unscrews the single bolt that locks in position the wheel and fixes the new one, an attendant to the removal of the old tire and one insertion of the new.

Since mathematics is not an opinion, and there are “usually” four tires as a rule, this already brings us to twelve necessary mechanics. To allow this operation, the car needs to be raised off the ground. This is where two team members come into play, and they are necessarily the first to take action with special trolleys they raise the front and the back. The role of the front guard is very risky, because the driver’s errors in judgment can lead to unpleasant consequences. Most often this is aided by a support mechanic, ready to take his place in case of any inconvenience.

Once the machine is deprived of contact with the ground, two additional mechanics hold it steady at the cockpit, stabilizing it and facilitating the operations of colleagues. Two mechanics are assigned to make any adjustments to the front wing, but their services are not always required. Finally, two or more mechanics oversee the operations and the Pit Lane. Their signal is essential to ensure the driver can restart safely. Calculator in hand, we have twenty-one mechanics working in unison in less than 15 square meters. Now that’s a real gathering!