Red Bull finished the 2018 Formula 1 season as the swiftest overall pit crew for the first time, though opponent Ferrari wound up with the fastest individual stop.
A new award was introduced in 2015 by Formula 1 partner DHL and teams are recognised for their tyre changes in the pit lane.
Since 2017 a scoring system has been used to determine the best overall operation.
As per the manner in which teams and drivers score championship points in Formula 1, under the 25-18-15 etc system, DHL issues points for the fastest 10 stops at each Grand Prix.
Red Bull set the best pit stop time at five Grands Prix and finished with 466 points, ahead of Ferrari – quickest at seven Grands Prix but less consistent – on 403 points.
Ferrari nonetheless finished with the fastest pit stop of the year as it serviced Sebastian Vettel in just 1.97s during the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The fastest pit stop recognised by DHL still stands at the 1.92s taken by Williams at the 2016 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Mercedes, who won the award in 2017, set the quickest pit stop time at only two Grands Prix but its consistency netted it third overall, on 354 points, during its fifth successive title-winning campaign.
Williams struggled for pace and finished last in the Constructors’ Championship but it clocked the best pit stop time at four races, and DHL’s scoring system awarded it fourth overall.
Williams has typically been one of the most efficient pit crews in the hybrid era, winning the 2016 award, before placing second in 2017.
Sauber was comfortably the most improved team as its on-track performance gains were reflected in the pit lane.
In 2017 it only once undertook a pit stop fast enough to be registered within the top 10 at any Grand Prix, meaning that under DHL’s system it scored a mere point.
This year it was the fastest pit crew at three Grands Prix and finished fifth on the leaderboard, on 219 points, ahead of McLaren, which also made year-on-year gains.
Toro Rosso and Haas were next up while Force India slipped from fifth to ninth, leaving Renault at the back of the pack.
The French manufacturer nonetheless scored 32 points compared to the lacklustre eight it accrued last year, though the results signal that this is an area the team can focus on as it strives to move up the grid in 2019.
NB: Should any team undertake more than two pit stops at a Grand Prix then only their fastest two qualify for the DHL standings.
2018 points (2017 in brackets)
1. Red Bull – 466 (344)
2. Ferrari – 403 (251)
3. Mercedes – 354 (472)
4. Williams – 257 (442)
5. Sauber – 219 (1)
6. McLaren – 140 (62)
7. Toro Rosso – 133 (155)
8. Haas – 73 (130)
9.Force India – 44 (155)
10. Renault – 32 (8)
Fastest individual pit stops:
1. Ferrari, 1.97s (Brazil)
2. Red Bull, 2.08s (Abu Dhabi)
3. Ferrari, 2.09s (Germany)
4. Williams, 2.10s (Hungary)
5. Red Bull, 2.15s (Australia)
6. Mercedes, 2.15s (China)
7. Williams, 2.18s (Azerbaijan)
8. Red Bull, 2.18s (Austria)
9. Ferrari, 2.20s (Italy)
10. Williams, 2.20s (Singapore)
