McLaren showed how the pit stop is going

At McLaren, as with other Formula 1 teams, a lot of attention is paid to the fast and well-coordinated work of mechanics during pit stops.

The team’s fastest pit stop of the season took just 2.1 seconds and was recorded at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Although some remember that at that time Oscar Piastri’s team of mechanics seemed to have serviced his car in exactly two seconds – this is exactly the time that appeared on TV screens on the 19th lap of the race.

But the officially recorded time of that pit stop is still 2.1 seconds. However, these are details, and the point is not in them, but in the fact that McLaren has created a kind of visual aid for pit stops. This is a poster describing all the roles and responsibilities of all 19 people involved in working with the car on those few occasions when Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri pull into the pits.

Let’s list everyone, starting with the mechanic who works with the front jack – on the poster he is easily identified by the black arrow on a yellow background.

Then three people work on each wheel of the machine: one removes the wheel, another puts in a new wheel, and the third works with a wrench.

On both sides of the cockpit there is another person, who are called “stabilizers” – as you understand, their job is to stabilize the car during a stop in the pits.

There are two mechanics at the back of the car: one is responsible for lifting onto the rear jack, the second is next to the spare jack – just in case.

It is worth mentioning two more mechanics who occupy positions at the front of the car: they perform different, but very important functions. One is responsible for adjusting the angle of attack of the front wing to the drivers’ wishes, and the second gives the green light when the car is allowed to leave the pits.

2.1 seconds is not a record and at the same Hungarian Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing mechanics worked 0.3 times faster with Sergio Perez’s car, for which the team received a special DHL award. But McLaren then took second place in the ranking of the fastest pit stops.

And the record still stands with Red Bull: during the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen’s car was in the team’s pits for just 1.82 seconds. But, probably, such indicators are a thing of the past, since heavier 18-inch wheels are now used in Formula 1, and this factor should also be taken into account.