Greater Noida, Oct 29 (IANS) It is fascinating to watch the men in a Formula One Grand Prix pulling off a pit stop in less than four seconds. They say it is just practice that makes them change tyres at a mind-boggling speed.
No wonder, pit stops are a spectacular part of motorsports and an efficient crew can make a world of difference to the outcome of a race by addressing problems that can result in losing the race or even getting the car into a crash.
The moment a car zooms into the pit as the driver gets a radio call for a stop, three pit crew members jump into action in a crazy exercise. In a matter of second the vehicle is literally serviced and is vrooming on the track again.
The crew knows that even a small slip can easily cost their team a race win, couple of places on the grid and even the championship in some cases.
One takes out the tyre, another member called a gunman unscrew the nuts and the third puts the tyre back to complete the remarkable act in a jiffy.
Ever since the ban on refuelling came into effect last season, the average duration of a pit stop has come down to barely five seconds from ten. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton recorded the fastest pit stop time in last year, his crew completing the job in 3.4 seconds!
Pete Simmons, who has been doing the pit stops for Williams for the last 13 years, says he does his ‘dangerous’ profession with ease.
‘We practice pit stops 50-100 times during a race weekend and do it in the factory as well. There is no room for error so we better get it right for saving our jobs,’ Simmons told IANS outside the William’s garage at the Buddh International Circuit, venue for the Indian Grand Prix.
Simmons narrates how the crew was run down by the then Williams driver Kazuki Nakajima during the 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix.
‘He knocked all three of us down. He came in so fast and veered off in the pit lane, injuring us severely. That was actually a freak accident,’ he recalled.
Luke Dublin does the pit stops for the McLaren team and is in love with his job.
‘I have been doing this for more than five years and I love it. It is a routine for us but everytime a driver comes in, it is a challenge for all of us in the pit lane,’ he said.
On the refuelling ban, Dublin said: ‘We had one more guy refuelling the tanks at that time. It used to be a bit tougher then.’
A fraction of a second can be decisive when speed is the essence of motorsports. So everyone moves at a breakneck speed.
(Bharat Sharma can be contacted at bharat.s@ians.in)
