Fixed Pitstop time

[Just_a_fan]

With modern camera systems, there is no need for a human being to be holding a camera in the pit lane. Just have remotely operated cameras by each pit box and a few dotted around the pits in general and you've got it covered.

[dave34m]

Here's a scenario, what if a team managed to do it in 1 second?

But in order to accomplish that, they do something dangerous,

Well now you're being silly.
Just because there has been an incident some people are so quick to try and make this sport so safe that there isn't any possibility of anyone ever getting hurt again. I don't like it, I am well aware of the dangers of being in pit lane during a race but I still love to be there despite the dangers.

[peanutaxis]

Fixed pitstop time?

Nah, it's part of the spectacle.

[i70q7m7ghw]

How long has refuelling been banned? About 3 years, and already 2-3 second pit stops are part of the life blood of Formula 1

I would much rather see positions change on track rather than in the pit stops.

[Tim.Wright]

How long has refuelling been banned? About 3 years, and already 2-3 second pit stops are part of the life blood of Formula 1

I would much rather see positions change on track rather than in the pit stops.

Ironically, refuelling was banned because every one were happy to follow each other on the track and then leapfrog positions in the pits by short filling on one of the fuel stops.

In other words, it was an attempt to take the racing out of the pits and back on to the track. Now that everyone's pits stops are basically the same length, the drivers are forced to pass for position on the track.

[ESPImperium]

Ive always said it, and will keep saying it, Tyre torque sensors that keep the car on the brake until all 4 tyres reach the needed pressure all managed with the ECU and a standardised wheel nut and gun that runs off compressed natural air, lets slow down the pit procedures. Also have less team personnel out in the pit lane as well, have 4 per wheel, 2 jack guys and 2 other assistants, 10 people maximum.

As for unsafe releases, id have each team go to a traffic lights system with a proximity sensor that the green can only be given once a car is outside the proximity of the distance needed for the car to be safely released.

Also one car per lap per team, no double shuffle/stacking in the pit lane. Unless there is a 25 second gap on track, in whitch case a double shuffle can be done.

A pit stop should always be a penalty in my book, and it will make teams design cars that can manage their tyres better, and in some cases teams to take downforce off of their cars.

[Tim.Wright]

The reality is, its a very difficult task to come up with a system which reliably detects a correctly fitted wheel and that isn't tricked by things like crossed threads, different temperatures, rain etc etc...

I simpler task (but still quite challenging) in my opinion would be to put a mechanical latching system that attaches and tightens a kevlar restraint (like the current wheel tethers) around the wheel mounting boss when it is torqued up. Then the wheel itself is positively attached to the car...

[Absolutelee]

I feel like I heard somewhere some time (good sources I know ) that refueling would b much much more dangerous nowadays because of the live electronics from the KERS system. I could be mixing ideas though

[Cuky]

I feel like I heard somewhere some time (good sources I know ) that refueling would b much much more dangerous nowadays because of the live electronics from the KERS system. I could be mixing ideas though

They had refueling and KERS together in 2009 and there was no more danger than year before. And if I am not mistaken, drivers are instructed to use up all KERS power on their inlap, whether it is in race or in practice

[adrianjordan]

Okay so I've been suggesting this for a while now, but surely the easiest way to reduce the chances of a wheel not being attached properly is to have multiple wheel nuts...

[Clew]

I think this is an isolated incident and should be treated as one. FIA / FOM knee jerk reaction is just silly. Don't get me wrong, I feel terrible about what happened to Paul Allen, but this has been and always will be a dangerous sport. Loose wheels hitting anyone is not a common occurrence.
Journalists and cameramen should only be paying attention to the car in the box at hand...not looking up or down pit lane for anything else....like a drunken sod carrying a sign about the track.

[ringo]

Here's a scenario, what if a team managed to do it in 1 second?

But in order to accomplish that, they do something dangerous,

Well now you're being silly.
Just because there has been an incident some people are so quick to try and make this sport so safe that there isn't any possibility of anyone ever getting hurt again. I don't like it,

So... there must be blood?

[ringo]

With modern camera systems, there is no need for a human being to be holding a camera in the pit lane. Just have remotely operated cameras by each pit box and a few dotted around the pits in general and you've got it covered.

How about wheel change robots?
I'm not too keen on adding too much technology. The camera crew in the pits is actually part of the human element we need in the sport. If things could slow down a bit, we'd enjoy the sport a bit more.
In fact i'd like to see someone come onto the track waving the checkered flag as the cars zoom by. lol.

A minimum pitstop time is not as bad as it sounds. We have pit lane limiters.
It's almost the same concept, it's for a safety reason. Why haven't they made the cars race down the pits and make it part of the spectacle? Safety is all. The actual pitstop to me is part of the pitlane drive. It should just be done and over with.
The 2 second madness is like putting a lime and spoon race in the middle of a 400m relay.
I'm a refueling fan myself and i prefer the racing to be done on track at full tilt 100% full power mode, pit stop time doesn't even factor into what's entertaining for me. It's not worth the safety risks, or the complete destruction of a team's weekend when a car leaves the pits with a wheel wobbling off, it just looks silly.
When we take a step back and look on the sport, there's not much off the track itself that is so sacred that it can't be changed, especially if it's not the actually racing.
This is not a knee jerk reaction by the way, it doesn't affect me if the rules don't change. But IMO if they do consider a fixed time, it wouldn't be as bad as we are making it out to be. The racing will still be good. Things will look more sensible for sure.

[Blanchimont]

IMO, the paradox about the pit lane rule changes is that it should reduce the risks, but in reality it could increase them.

Let me explain. With the new rules the pit lane speed limit comes down from 100 to 80 km/h at most of the tracks. This will take additional time and teams will look where they can gain back these one or two seconds. And the most probable solution to this is, that teams will say, let's try to be quicker with the wheel change.

So, the procedures of the gunmen will be looked at again and again to find that last tenth. It'll not contribute to safety to further hurry up the wheel change!

[i70q7m7ghw]

I think Gary Anderson has quite a logical solution:-

The lesson of the German Grand Prix, in which a cameraman in the pits was injured by an errant wheel from Mark Webber's Red Bull, is that Formula 1 pit stops need to be slowed down.

They have got so fast - the top teams are routinely changing four wheels in 2.5 seconds - that it has gone too far.

They are lovely to watch, but you can't see what's going on.

I would suggest reducing the number of people allowed to work on the pit stop to two on each wheel, a front and rear jack, and the 'lollipop' man who controls the driver.

That would be 10 people who touch the car, plus one.

At the moment, there are about 20 - three on each wheel, two jacks, two spare jacks, two car steadiers and two pit-lane watchers.

In Webber's stop, the lollipop man could not see what was going on with the right rear wheel. He thought it was on; it looked on. If there were fewer people, there would be less confusion.

Do that, and the pit stop would take in the region of four seconds, which is still fast, but enough time to react to problems. In 2.5secs it is difficult to make decisions based on what you see, as opposed to what you think you're seeing.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/23230229

The biggest problem currently is that there are far too many people in the pit lane. As Gary says, F1 teams could still do pit stops with 10 mechanics per car and maintain the spectacle.

I was lucky enough to be in the paddock at the British GP last year, and saw several pit stops. My opinion was that they were so fast you aren't really able to appreciate them properly. Before you've even got time to take in what's happening the car is off down the pit lane again.

I've posted there's before, but here's a GP3 pit stop I recorded earlier in the day:-


And here's a (by this year's standards, slow) Ferrari pit stop that took place during the race:-


Now I'm not suggesting we go down to GP3 levels, but somewhere in between would be a good compromise. As a fan, I personally enjoyed watching the GP3 pit stop a lot more. Without the driver forgetting where first gear was, it probably would have been a 10 second stop.