Watch Red Bull Pull off the Fastest Pit Stop in Formula 1 History
The Milton Keynes-based team smashed its own record on Sunday at the German Grand Prix.
During Sunday's terrific German Grand Prix, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing rewrote the record for the fastest pit stop ever seen in Formula 1, changing all four of a car's tires in just 1.88 seconds.
With constantly changing weather conditions and teams unsure which tire was ideal for the racing surface, the German Grand Prix featured a record 78 pit stops, and with so many opportunities to practice, it was almost inevitable that teams would pull off a few good ones. Red Bull mechanics chalked up multiple quick stops that afternoon, with a 2.04-second stop on Max Verstappen's car on lap 25, and a 2.11-second stop on lap 41, but its best of the day—and F1's fastest ever—came on lap 46.
Verstappen's fifth and final pit stop of the race was the team mechanics' ninth, but they showed no fatigue as they jacked up the Dutchman's car, stripped it of wet-weather tires, and popped on a set of slicks. Their perfectly coordinated stop meant that Verstappen spent just 1.88 seconds stationary, allowing him to chase down race leader Lance Stroll in short order and pass him for a race lead he didn't give up.
In completing the 1.88-second stop, Red Bull Racing raised the bar that it set itself at this year's British Grand Prix, when it completed a 1.91-second stop. Previously, this F1 record belonged to Williams, which pulled off a 1.92-second stop at the 2016 European Grand Prix in Azerbaijan.
Red Bull and Williams have the F1 grid's two fastest pit crews, and they regularly compete for the fastest stop at each race. Of the season's 10 fastest pit stops so far, five belong to Williams and five to Red Bull, though the latter dominates the top three, and Williams has yet to record a stop below 1.97 seconds this season.
"The pit stop crew were unbelievable today," proclaimed Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing's team principal. "That was the reason for sending our chief mechanic, Phil Turner, up to collect the Constructors' Trophy, as he did an amazing job."