Kubica having to rely on engineers to perform DTM pitstops
Robert Kubica has revealed that his ART team is having to deploy engineers to complete pitstops in the DTM because it doesn’t have sufficient mechanics for the task.
Kubica has entered the DTM this year after a largely unsuccessful comeback in Formula 1 in 2019 with the Williams team, and the Polish driver has partnered with ART for his touring car foray.
While ART has previous experience of the DTM as a factory team for Mercedes between 2015-16 , it is running a rather lean operation on its return to the category as a BMW privateer.
The DTM regulations allow nine people to take part in a pitstop, but Kubica’s pit crew only comprises four mechanics from ART, one from BMW and two additional members responsible for checking tyre pressure and reporting to control supplier Hankook.
This leaves a gap of two personnel which is filled by data engineer Sebastien Couzian and performance engineer Ronan Perlemoine, who lend a hand in the team’s pitstops on top of their primary duties.
The lack of an experienced crew partly explains why ART’s pitstops usually take over 10 seconds, while factory teams are able to complete the same task in around 6.5 seconds.
WRT, the only other privateer team on the DTM grid, operates three Audi RS5 cars and has recorded considerably faster pitstops in recent rounds.
"The other BMW teams are three-car teams with a corresponding number of mechanics and personnel in total," explained Kubica. "We are a small one-car team with a small number of mechanics and also few personnel overall.
“My tyres are changed by people who have been looking at the monitor for ten years and have never touched the car,” he added in an interview with Przeglad Sportowy.
“Big teams have sixteen mechanics. You can choose the people who are best at it. Having a private team with one car you don't have that comfort and that's why the pitstops are slow.
“It is hard to expect someone who has never really lifted a wheel to change it faster than someone who has been doing it for 20 years.”
ART reshuffled its pit crew at the Nurburgring last weekend to reduce the time lost in stops, and Kubica believes the changes have already started to deliver the desired results.
"The whole team is making progress," he said. "Changing wheels is also getting better. The ORLEN Team ART staff often practice pit stops, which is clearly visible throughout the DTM paddock.
"I think we are also making progress in the pit stop area. Saturday's pit stop was perhaps not the fastest in the field, but probably the best in our races. We still have a long way to go, but things are getting better."
Kubica has endured a largely frustrating maiden season in the DTM so far, with a 10th place-finish in the first Assen race marking his only points finish of the year.
The Polish driver appeared set to log his best result of the season in the second race on the Nurburgring sprint layout, having qualified seventh and overtaken the BMW of Sheldon van der Linde to run sixth early on.
But a gearbox problem meant he was forced to head to the pits on lap 8 to retire the car, clocking his first DNF in the DTM.
Related video
Previous article
Muller doesn't blame Green for costly Nurburgring DTM spin
Next article
What the new-look DTM could look like in 2021
About this article
| Series | DTM |
| Drivers | Robert Kubica |
| Author | Rachit Thukral |
WRT Team Audi Sport – 2020 DTM Season Review
DTM 2020: Audi bids farewell
DTM: Hockenheim - Race 2 Highlights
DTM 2020: Race 1 highlights – Hockenheim
DTM: Hockenheim - Race 1 Highlights
The slow-burner threatening to unseat Audi's DTM king
It's taken him a while to emerge as a consistent title challenger, but in the final year of DTM's Class One ruleset, Nico Muller has smoothed the rough edges and has double champion stablemate Rene Rast working harder than ever to keep up in the title race.
Does 2000 hold the answers to the DTM's current crisis?
It's 20 years since the DTM roared back into life at a packed Hockenheim with a back-to-basics approach as the antidote to its high-tech past. Now it's on its knees again, so is it time to recall the lessons learned in 2000?
Ranking the 10 best Audi DTM drivers
Audi last week announced it would be exiting the DTM at the end of 2020, bringing the curtain down on 20 years of continuous participation since the series' reboot in 2000.
Why the DTM must reinvent itself after Audi exit
Audi's announcement that it will withdraw from the DTM at the end of 2020 was the latest blow for a series that has lost three manufacturers in as many years. Some major soul-searching will now be required to assess how it can survive.
Why cynic Berger changed his mind over green tech in racing
DTM boss Gerhard Berger was a detractor of Formula E and held a reluctance for his series to embrace greener engine technologies. However, this cynic's tune has had to change to ensure DTM's existence as the motorsport world moves forward
What the fallout from Aston's engine split means for 2020
Aston Martin's DTM arrival, via the R-Motorsport outfit, was heralded as a salvation of sorts for the series. After plenty of bumps in the road in 2019, the team finds itself in a similar position to the one it was in 12 months ago. Can it get its act together?
How the DTM and Super GT can build on their experiment
The Class One 'Dream Race' staged by the DTM and SUPER GT proved a hit - from a competitive and collaborative standpoint. The next step will be for both parties to ensure a successful trial ends up being more than just that.
Robot pitcrews and hydrogen – is DTM's concept plausible?
DTM organiser ITR has mooted a radical plan for a "truly new and inspiring" future motorsport series. How realistic are its suggestions of automated pitstops and 1000bhp hydrogen-fuelled touring cars?
