What difference did F1's fastest pitstops of 2022 make?

Pit crews relentlessly rehearse their craft. After all, it’s far more logical for teams to save 0.5s every time the tyres need changing rather than risk a prang by asking their driver to find that time on track. But are these practice efforts in vain, or can the slickest of stops define somebody’s day?

We’ve rated the fastest stops from 2022 according to the impact they had on the driver’s race, where one signifies no meaningful difference and 10 denotes game-changing transformation. The spread of results certainly shows speed isn’t everything…

Bahrain

McLaren's brake woes in Bahrain meant Ricciardo's quick stop counted for little

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Who: McLaren – Daniel Ricciardo
When: Lap 17
Stop duration: 2.31s
Effectiveness rating: 2/10

Daniel Ricciardo would have preferred not having brakes that threatened to combust every time he so much as looked at the left pedal because the front ducts were too small. This problem impacted far more than being swapped onto new tyres 0.02s faster than Carlos Sainz on his way to 14th.

Saudi Arabia

Unreliability meant McLaren's pitstop promise wasn't reflected in Ricciardo's race result

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Who: McLaren – Daniel Ricciardo
When: Lap 8
Stop duration: 2.41s
Effectiveness rating: 1/10

A similar story in Saudi Arabia. Departing the Jeddah circuit at 04:00 on Saturday morning after drivers had debated boycotting the race due to a nearby missile strike, only to retire his McLaren on lap 35 with mechanical failure, likely linger in Ricciardo’s mind more than stopping a tenth faster than his team-mate.

Australia

Red Bull delivered the good regularly for Perez in the pits in 2022, but it rarely had much impact on his race - and did little in Melbourne to mitigate Ferrari's advantage

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Who: Red Bull – Sergio Perez
When: Lap 20
Stop duration: 2.27s
Effectiveness rating: 2/10

Charles Leclerc was dominant down under as he triumphed 20.5s ahead of runner-up Sergio Perez, who was in turn 5s ahead of Lewis Hamilton after Max Verstappen retired. Given a one-stop strategy was the optimum, Red Bull seizing its chance to pit Perez 0.15s faster than anyone else had little to no influence.

Imola (Italy)

Norris took the only McLaren podium of 2022 after his rapid stop at Imola

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Who: McLaren – Lando Norris
When: Lap 19
Stop duration: 2.27s
Effectiveness rating: 5/10

This rating might be considered generous. But let’s suppose that the fastest stop of the race for Lando Norris – when intermediates were ditched in favour of mediums – contributed to the good form which allowed the Brit to superbly score the only non-Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes podium of the year. 

Miami (USA)

Power loss in Miami hurt Perez more than his pitstops gained him back as he finished fourth

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Who: Red Bull – Sergio Perez
When: Lap 41
Stop duration: 2.33s
Effectiveness rating: 2/10

It’s back to a nominal rating for an inaugural Miami GP. A faulty sensor that suddenly sapped engine power on lap 19 of 57 hobbled Perez. While the pain was limited with a reset, he was still robbed of 6mph on the straights for the remainder. Enjoying the two fastest stops of the race did little to ameliorate this loss.

Spain

Quick pitstops count for nothing if the car isn't reliable, as Ferrari discovered with leader Leclerc in Barcelona

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Who: Ferrari – Charles Leclerc
When: Lap 21
Stop duration: 2.23s
Effectiveness rating: 1/10

Courtesy of some Maranello magic shortly after Red Bull had required an additional 0.36s to complete its best stop for early spinner Verstappen, polesitter Leclerc could neatly add to his early 13s advantage. But the rapid service was rendered moot by the lead Ferrari’s MGU-H and turbo packing up on lap 27.

Monaco

Perez benefitted from a quick turnaround to put pressure on Ferrari on his way to victory in Monaco

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Who: Red Bull – Sergio Perez
When: Lap 16
Stop duration: 2.30s
Effectiveness rating: 7/10

It was his earlier switch to intermediate tyres, plus the fumbled double-stack for Ferrari, which played a greater part in Perez winning in Monaco. But, at least by gaining 0.4s over nearest threat Leclerc during the first round of pitstops, Red Bull was able to increase the pressure on its rival before Ferrari folded.

Azerbaijan

Alonso took seventh in Baku on a weekend when Alpine's aerodynamic experimentation backfired

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Who: Alpine – Fernando Alonso
When: Lap 18
Stop duration: 2.74s
Effectiveness rating: 2/10

A front jack can cost £200,000 and lasers are used to devise the perfect position for a wheel gun. AlphaTauri brought pitstops down to earth in Baku by using lashings of duct tape in a 21.41s stop to repair Yuki Tsunoda’s DRS flap. Alpine’s rapid work for seventh-placed Fernando Alonso was largely inconsequential.

Canada

Albon beat Gasly in a nip and tuck battle over 13th, although the cumulative effect of younger tyres had a bigger role than the speed of the turnaround itself

Photo by: Williams

Who: Williams – Alex Albon
When: Lap 48
Stop duration: 2.38s
Effectiveness rating: 5/10

Alex Albon finished 0.29s ahead of Pierre Gasly. Albon’s first stop was 0.09s slower than his AlphaTauri adversary’s but Williams then managed the 2.38s service, 0.27s faster than Gasly’s second stop, for a net gain of 0.18s. That went some way to securing the position. But younger hard tyres played a greater role.

Britain

Alonso took fifth at Silverstone as a late safety car - and Leclerc's fading tyres - created an exciting finish

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Who: Alpine – Fernando Alonso
When: Lap 33
Stop duration: 2.43s
Effectiveness rating: 2/10

A driver takes a sizeable jolt at the best of times when their car is dropped off its jacks. Norris took an even bigger blow in FP2 when the rear lifter failed, to send his wheel-less McLaren crashing straight onto its floor. Alpine faced no such issues in its non-race-defining service of Alonso.

Austria

Ricciardo was a lapped ninth in Austria despite managing the best pitstop of the race

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Who: McLaren – Daniel Ricciardo
When: Lap 12
Stop duration: 2.25s
Effectiveness rating: 2/10

While the pitlane speed limit introduces a degree of uniformity, there’s scope to gain time with a decent run through the entry and exit lanes. Ricciardo spent the least time in the pitbox, but Nicholas Latifi enjoyed the quickest run from start to finish. His total time was 21.206s compared with Ricciardo’s 21.356s.

France

Threat of undercut from Verstappen heaped pressure on Leclerc, who then crashed - although the speed of the stop itself wasn't a factor

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Who: Red Bull – Max Verstappen
When: Lap 16
Stop duration: 2.44s
Effectiveness rating: 5/10

Leader Leclerc was informed over team radio that his pursuer Verstappen had just pitted. Leclerc then pushed too hard on ageing mediums, spinning into the barriers. So, Leclerc was very much under pressure from the Red Bull stop. But more because of the threat of the undercut rather than the tyre change itself.

Hungary

Faster pitstops than Leclerc helped Perez stay ahead of the Ferrari man, who had slipped back from early race contention on the disastrous hard tyres

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Who: Red Bull – Sergio Perez
When: Lap 42
Stop duration: 2.19s
Effectiveness rating: 5/10

The 0.359s that Perez finished ahead of Leclerc suggests his two stops – a combined 1.45s faster – proved pivotal. However, the small interval came after a late virtual safety car, when Perez let his tyres cool too much. Prior to that he had been 3.42s clear. That reduces, but doesn’t eliminate, the role of those quick stops.

Belgium

Alonso finished a distant fifth at Spa, with Alpine's efforts in the pits making little difference to his race

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Who: Alpine – Fernando Alonso
When: Lap 11
Stop duration: 2.22s
Effectiveness rating: 2/10

Alonso’s rapid stop had little impact. But Leclerc showed why it’s not just what happens in the pitbox that counts. His Ferrari sat stationary for 5.41s as mechanics freed a visor tear-off that had clogged the front-right brake duct. But the bigger cost was a 5s penalty for exceeding the pitlane speed limit by 0.06mph.

Netherlands

Clipping a Ferrari wheelgun upon exiting the pits didn't help Perez on his way to fifth

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Who: Red Bull – Sergio Perez
When: Lap 14
Stop duration: 2.09s
Effectiveness rating: 2/10

The most notable part of Perez’s swift service at Zandvoort was running over a Ferrari wheel gun when he sped away from the pitbox. But that nicely feeds into Sainz’s same-lap shocker. A final-corner call to pit led the red crew to misplace the rear-left tyre to leave the Spaniard sitting prone for an agonising 12.7s.

Italy

Smoking brakes hampered Perez in his recovery from a 10-place grid drop as he only finished sixth

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Who: Red Bull – Sergio Perez
When: Lap 42
Stop duration: 2.10s
Effectiveness rating: 3/10

A 10-place grid penalty for swapping powertrain components and a persistent brake fire placed Perez down in fifth at the time of his rapid 2.1s stop. But it was not the short duration of this pit visit that counted. Instead, a late switch to softs (in a slower stop) enabled him to steal the fastest-lap point from Leclerc.

Singapore

Red Bull serviced Verstappen fractionally quicker than Russell, but a scruffy race for the champion nullified its impact

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Who: Red Bull – Max Verstappen
When: Lap 35
Stop duration: 2.46s
Effectiveness rating: 2/10

Verstappen had to abort his Q3 lap to leave enough in the tank to provide a fuel sample. He lined up eighth and then fumbled his launch by triggering anti-stall. Then he locked up in pursuit of Norris, undoing his recovery efforts. These defined the world champion’s night massively more than stopping 0.03s quicker than George Russell.

Japan

AlphaTauri's rapid turnaround had a negligible impact on Gasly's race after he was penalised for speeding past red flags as he recovered from this incident

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Who: AlphaTauri – Pierre Gasly
When: Lap 19
Stop duration: 2.45s
Effectiveness rating: 2/10

Kudos to Faenza for the fastest pitstop in a race, a feat it hadn’t achieved since 2016. But Gasly had already hit debris to lose his front wing and force an unscheduled service. His subsequent speedy efforts to catch the pack during a red flag incurred a 20s penalty. Topping the charts by 0.01s therefore availed him little.

USA (Austin)

Red Bull serviced Perez significantly quicker than it managed with Verstappen, who still went on to pass Hamilton for the win

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Who: Red Bull – Sergio Perez
When: Lap 14
Stop duration: 2.13s
Effectiveness rating: 2/10

The pitstop that really mattered in Austin was the botched 11s job for Verstappen, which thrust Hamilton into contention for victory. But the Dutch ace was able to retake the lead with seven laps to go. That underlined the importance of a happy car and driver combination more than saving a tenth or two in the pits.

Mexico

Ricciardo couldn't make the most of the season's fastest pitstop due to a penalty for clashing with Tsunoda

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Who: McLaren – Daniel Ricciardo
When: Lap 44
Stop duration: 1.98s
Effectiveness rating: 3/10

The return of a sub-2s pitstop despite the introduction of bigger tyres and wheel rims for 2022 merits more than a one or two out of 10. But the quickest service of the season and Ricciardo’s late pace on softs – which marked the strongest stint of a dismal campaign – were wasted by his 10s penalty for tagging Tsunoda.

Sao Paulo (Brazil)

Perez once again benefitted from the fastest pitstop at Interlagos, but traffic after he rejoined cost him a place to Hamilton

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Who: Red Bull – Sergio Perez
When: Lap 23
Stop duration: 2.04s
Effectiveness rating: 2/10

Red Bull needed to better the fastest pitstop in F1 history (Verstappen, 1.82s, 2019 Brazilian GP) to gain a good effectiveness score. Perez resumed from his first stop on the rear of Valtteri Bottas and was massively delayed for the next lap. That dropped him behind eventual runner-up Hamilton.

Abu Dhabi

McLaren's quick turnarounds helped Norris finish just ahead of Ocon in the 2022 finale

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Who: McLaren – Lando Norris
When: Lap 15
Stop duration: 2.32s
Effectiveness rating: 8/10

Norris and Esteban Ocon were running near-identical strategies in their dice for sixth. The McLaren driver held on by a second. His two stops ranked first and fourth. Ocon’s two were a combined 0.34s slower. So, Ocon might have gained DRS and been able to pass on the dash to the line had Alpine been neater.

There’s a trophy for it…

While our analysis indicates the majority of the season’s fastest stops didn’t prove tactically transformative, pit work remains a keen avenue of competition between the teams – and there’s even a trophy for it.

Since 2015 F1’s official logistics partner, DHL, has presented the Fastest Pitstop Award to the team with the best stops over a season. The points rubric works just like the world championship and, last year, Red Bull won for the fifth time in succession. It reigned supreme in 10 of the 22 events, scoring 534 points to second-placed McLaren’s 427.

Slick pitstops can also have a wider effect on team morale. Despite a patchy season on track for McLaren, outgoing team principal Andreas Seidl reckons having one of the best crews in the business will pay dividends once new factory infrastructure comes on line and elevates car performance.

He tells GP Racing: “We were able to make a huge step forward [McLaren was eighth in DHL’s charts in 2021]. It’s important for the entire team to see that in specific areas already, we are able to fight with the best in the sport.”

Red Bull team manager Jonathan Wheatley is presented with the DHL Fastest Pitstop award in Abu Dhabi

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool