The Pit Stop
A pit stop is when a driver leaves the racing circuit and drives down the pit lane — a slower lane running alongside the main straight — to stop at their team's garage. A crew of up to 20 mechanics changes all four tyres simultaneously, and sometimes makes aerodynamic adjustments to the car.
The fastest pit stops in history take around 1.8–2.0 seconds. The tyre change itself — four wheel guns operated by four mechanics, with four more lifting the car on a jack — is a choreographed operation practiced thousands of times. A slow stop of 4–5 seconds can cost a position or more.
The Undercut and Overcut
Teams pit at different times to gain strategic advantages. The undercut: pit before your rival, get new faster tyres, set fast laps while they're on old rubber, and come out ahead after they pit. The overcut: stay out longer, extend your stint while your rival pits, and use track position to stay ahead.
The decision of when to pit is made in real time by strategists watching live tyre data, rival pace, track position, and weather forecasts. It is one of the most complex decisions in sport.
The Three Compounds
Pirelli supplies all teams with three dry-weather tyre compounds at each race: Soft (red — fastest but degrades quickest), Medium (yellow — balanced), and Hard (white — slowest but most durable). Drivers must use at least two different compounds during the race. Teams must choose which compounds to use and when — a decision that defines the entire race strategy.
There are also Intermediate (green) and Full Wet (blue) tyres for rain conditions. A driver who correctly calls for wet tyres at the right moment can gain enormous amounts of time.
The pit lane speed limit is 60 km/h (80 km/h at some circuits). Speeding in the pit lane results in a time penalty. Teams have been penalised for exceeding the limit by as little as 1 km/h.
La limite de vitesse dans la voie des stands est de 60 km/h. Dépasser la limite entraîne une pénalité de temps. Des équipes ont été pénalisées pour avoir dépassé la limite de seulement 1 km/h.
The best pit stop I ever saw was Red Bull at the 2019 Brazilian GP — 1.88 seconds. All four tyres. Done. I have watched the video at least 50 times. It is basically a magic trick.
Le meilleur arrêt aux stands que j'ai vu c'était Red Bull au GP du Brésil 2019 — 1,88 seconde. Les quatre pneus. Terminé. J'ai regardé la vidéo au moins 50 fois. C'est pratiquement un tour de magie.