During the recent Grand Prix of Italy, the Scuderia Ferrari team managed to execute one of the fastest pit stops ever performed during a Formula 1 race, allowing Fernando Alonso to vault ahead of race leader Jenson Button.
Alonso himself acknowledged the fact immediately after the race, when he commented that he was surprised at how quickly the guys changed the wheels. Three point four seconds was the time it took for the sixteen personnel involved in the operation -- two on the jacks, front and rear, one on the lights, one watching the traffic in pit lane, three men per wheel -- to send Alonso back on track.
That’s a great time, under the average so far for the Ferrari crew (3.7 sec.) but not as good as their best in a race, which happened at the Canadian Grand Prix, when the pit stop was completed in 3.3 sec., which at the time, allowed Alonso to get ahead of Hamilton, who had stopped on the same lap.
“Since the start of the year, we have performed over 1300 pit stop practices, at the track and at the factory,” said Diego Ioverno, head of race operations, car assembly and gearbox.
“In the weeks when there are no Grands Prix, we train three times, carrying out around thirty simulations per day,” he added.
Thanks to Ferrari’s timing system, let’s take a closer look at the detail of the procedure; starting from the moment Fernando stopped his F10 in the pit lane.
+0.35 sec.: car lifted up by the two jack men
+0.70: wheels with the soft tires come off
+1.40: wheels with the hard tires in position
+2.30: first wheel locked on and arm up to confirm
+2.60: second wheel locked on
+2.70: third wheel locked on
+2.90: fourth wheel locked on
+3.40: car on the ground and green light
Alonso put the power down and rejoined the race, just in front of the McLaren of Button. And the Spaniard went on to capture victory in front of the delighted tifosi.
Alonso himself acknowledged the fact immediately after the race, when he commented that he was surprised at how quickly the guys changed the wheels. Three point four seconds was the time it took for the sixteen personnel involved in the operation -- two on the jacks, front and rear, one on the lights, one watching the traffic in pit lane, three men per wheel -- to send Alonso back on track.
That’s a great time, under the average so far for the Ferrari crew (3.7 sec.) but not as good as their best in a race, which happened at the Canadian Grand Prix, when the pit stop was completed in 3.3 sec., which at the time, allowed Alonso to get ahead of Hamilton, who had stopped on the same lap.
“Since the start of the year, we have performed over 1300 pit stop practices, at the track and at the factory,” said Diego Ioverno, head of race operations, car assembly and gearbox.
“In the weeks when there are no Grands Prix, we train three times, carrying out around thirty simulations per day,” he added.
Thanks to Ferrari’s timing system, let’s take a closer look at the detail of the procedure; starting from the moment Fernando stopped his F10 in the pit lane.
+0.35 sec.: car lifted up by the two jack men
+0.70: wheels with the soft tires come off
+1.40: wheels with the hard tires in position
+2.30: first wheel locked on and arm up to confirm
+2.60: second wheel locked on
+2.70: third wheel locked on
+2.90: fourth wheel locked on
+3.40: car on the ground and green light
Alonso put the power down and rejoined the race, just in front of the McLaren of Button. And the Spaniard went on to capture victory in front of the delighted tifosi.