Charles Leclerc in Baku - Photo: Race Pictures

Pit lane speed limit raised in Singapore for strategy options

20:17, 02 Oct

Updated: 22:27, 02 Oct

byShayni Solanki

To increase strategy options, the FIA has increased the pit lane speed limit from 60 kph to 80 kph for the Singapore Grand Prix.

Earlier this year, the FIA announced that select Grands Prix will introduce raised pit lane speed limits in order to maximise strategy options.

The difference will create a six-second gain for drivers in the Singaporean pit lane, making what used to be a fairly long pit visit a much shorter one.

"It will make the two-stop a little bit faster and closer to the one-stop."

- Charles Leclerc

During the Thursday press conference, multiple drivers were asked about the change.

"I never drove with 60 here, so I don’t really care, actually," Isack Hadjar began.

"Maybe it makes the two-stop more affordable, if anything. That’s it. It’s less time in the pits. It’s better for racing, and that’s all really."

Spectators saw the increased pit lane speed limit deployed in Zandvoort, with not much noticeable difference made to the strategy.

The first instance of a raised speed limit in Singapore will be during both Friday practice sessions, with the changes being reviewed after each session.

As the pit lane is over 400 metres, raising the limit by 20km/h will speed up the one-stop strategy by six seconds.

Leclerc: "It will be faster"

Charles Leclerc said: "It will be faster. It will make the two-stop a little bit faster and closer to the one-stop.

"Whether it will change significantly the strategy, I don’t know. It remains a track where it’s difficult to overtake, so for that reason, you don’t want to stop too often.

"We’ll see how it goes. It also depends on how much the tyre is degrading, and for now we don’t know yet."

Agreeing with Hadjar and Leclerc, Alex Albon claimed: "it's closer - there are more options now, but it's still hard to overtake here."