For years, Mercedes dominated Formula 1 thanks to its engine lead. Not everything had to be perfect and Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff now has to admit that Mercedes is now lagging behind in some areas.
In the period 2014-2020, Mercedes often had such a big lead over the competition that even if something went wrong strategically, they often managed to win the race. However, there was another specific aspect of Formula 1 in which Mercedes was not perfect: pit stops.
In a sport where every tenth of a second counts, Mercedes’ pit stops could never really be called ‘super fast’. According to motorsport boss Toto Wolff, that was simply Mercedes’ approach.
“Our attitude over the past 12 years was that we didn’t have to be world champions in pit stops, we just had to try to avoid slow pit stops,” said Toto Wolff.
“However, we are now in a situation where we realize that we have to do better to become competitive.”
“In terms of equipment, the science around it, we will have to take a step forward to do better than three and a half seconds for a pit stop.”
The difference with Red Bull and McLaren, who can often call themselves the very best in the field of pit stops, is indeed large. Red Bull and McLaren often perform pit stops of less than two seconds, with McLaren performing the fastest pit stop ever in Formula 1 with a pit stop of 1.80 seconds.
VIDEO: McLaren F1 team breaks record for fastest F1 pit stop ever: 1.80 seconds!