The mid-season rule change that 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, 11:30 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 studied engineering at university, as his original ambition was to design racing cars. He was bad at that, and thus decided to write about them instead with an equally limited skillset. The above article is a demonstration of that. In his spare time, Jake enjoys people, places, and things.