Red Bull Racing’s pit crew has achieved a remarkable feat, completing a successful pit stop in less than three seconds under the cover of complete darkness.
The Milton Keynes-based outfit is well known for its prolific pit-stop prowess, having won the DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award for six consecutive seasons dating back to 2018.
However, the reigning Constructors’ champions now sought to test its skills to the limit recently by performing a stop without any visibility whatsoever.
After completing three practice stops under blindfold, the Red Bull pit crew took to a blacked out room with blacked-out visors to test themselves.
Following the conclusion of 10 attempts, the crew managed to successfully complete a stop in 2.84 seconds.
“The Pitch Black Pit Stop was a challenge we could literally never see coming our way as a Race Team, but in typical Red Bull fashion, we have come to expect the unexpected,” said Red Bull Racing Sporting Director, Jonathan Wheatley.
“The sense of sight, being able to see the car, your teammates and what you are doing are intrinsic to a successful pit stop, so having that taken away presented some serious hurdles.
“However, what soon became clear is how fluid the Team are in their approach, communication, ability and cohesive spirit; that the task at hand was almost second nature.
“I was really proud of their performance.
“The time of 2.84 seconds is a strong stop even in broad daylight!
“I’m certainly not saying that I would like to turn the lights out in a race, but being able to pull this off so succinctly, in the pitch black, shows what a well-oiled machine the crew is and testament to the fact we have won six consecutive DHL’s Fastest Pit Stop Awards.”
Formula 1 pit crews practice stops throughout a Grand Prix season, making sure every action is swift and precise.
This has enabled F1 teams to complete pit stops in race conditions regularly under two seconds, with McLaren setting the fastest stop of 2023 in 1.80 seconds at Qatar.
Red Bull’s fastest stop of the year came at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with Perez sent away from his pit box after a swift 1.98 seconds stop.
To execute the 2.84 seconds stop under the cover of darkness, Red Bull employed 22 pit crew over 10 attempts across four hours.
Watch the challenge unfold below:
