How the pitstop rules change has left F1 teams scrambling

The technical directive issued by Formula 1 to reduce levels of automation in pitstops has given teams an unwelcome period of adjustment. Although safety was the primary goal, it has already had a significant impact on the title race and puts extra pressure on teams to deliver as the season reaches the business end

Jake Boxall-Legge Sep 28, 2021, 11:44 AM

Upd: Jan 4, 2022, 1:15 PM

When mid-race refuelling was re-banned by Formula 1 for the 2010 season, following a plethora of turgid races and incidents involving trigger-happy drivers leaving the pitlanes with the fuel lines still attached, the speed of pitstops fell dramatically.

Back then, getting close to the three-second bracket in the box was considered an incredible effort. Now, 11 years on, a three-second pitstop time is usually accompanied by a post-race inquest. That's how much expectations have shifted, and the inclusion of increased automation and articulated jacks have pushed pitstops into the occasional sub-2s boundary. At least, until the FIA unveiled a new technical directive for the Belgian Grand Prix to slow pitstops down on safety grounds.

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Author Jake Boxall-Legge

Jake Boxall-Legge Autosport’s Technical Editor. Having studied Automotive Engineering with Motorsport at the University of Hertfordshire, West Country-born Jake's original ambition was to design racing cars. During a year between studies in which he accidentally rekindled a love of writing, he took up a Master's in Motorsport Engineering at Oxford Brookes. Halfway through his master's year, he was offered a place on the Autosport Academy, conducting occasional freelance duties before becoming the press officer for Formula 2 and GP3 in 2018. Autosport offered him a return to the fold later that year to serve as its Technical Editor. His voice appears on a number of videos and podcasts, and can often be found writing about terrible Formula 1 cars in excruciating detail. In his spare time, Jake enjoys baking and blames his failure to make it past the Great British Bake-Off interviews on his tenuous grasp on choux pastry. His dream is to open a brunch cafe - and his willingness to make outrageous puns in inappropriate situations has earned him the contempt of his colleagues.