Announced changes to pit stop rules tweaked and postponed

The controversial changes to the pit stop regulations recently announced by the FIA will come into force during the Belgian Grand Prix, where they were previously planned for the race weekend in Hungary. This was announced by the regulatory body of Formula 1.

The rule change will not only be postponed but also slightly modified, as The Race confirms. The widely criticised 0.2-second minimum that the FIA wanted to see between releasing the wheel gun and lowering the jack has been removed.

Instead, the FIA will have this 0.2 seconds delay guaranteed by means of an intelligent wheel gun. This will allow engineers to have a relatively greater impact on the speed of the pit stop.

Mindgames

The changes to the pit stop regulations are largely the work of Mercedes. Amidst heated discussions between the team and title challenger Red Bull Racing Mercedes expressed concerns over the speed of Red Bull's pit stops. According to the team, pit stops faster than two seconds pose a safety risk, as there is a greater chance of a wheel not being fastened properly.