Red Bull chief predicts very different dynamics at pit stops in 2022

Red Bull Racing remains the undisputed king of pit stops. For the fourth year in a row Max Verstappen's team won the DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award. In 2021 Red Bull made the fastest pit stop in thirteen of the 22 races. The team also made the fastest pit stop of the season, in 1.88 seconds during the Hungarian Grand Prix. According to sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, it's in the team's DNA.

Red Bull in search of consistency

On the website of Red Bull Racing, Wheatley discussed the team's fast pit stops. "What we're looking for is consistency." Wheatley is responsible for pit stop performance, from selecting the team members for each position on the crew to calling them in when the car enters the pit lane.

That Red Bull Racing won the DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award again is typical of this team, according to Wheatley. "I think that consistency, that desire to be the fastest, to be the best at what we do, and also to be the safest at what we do, that's in the team: it's in our DNA."

Pit stops in 2022 very different dynamic

Next year's pit stops are going to look very different with the arrival of the new 18-inch wheels. According to Wheatley, Formula 1 is entering a new phase with bigger, heavier wheels. "So the pit stops will have a very different dynamic," he said.

Wheatley admits that the team hasn't practiced pit stops with the new wheels yet, but it certainly won't stay that way. "The key is to get consistency in the pit stops again and that's what we'll be working on all winter."