Fixed Pitstop time

[ringo]

With all the talk of pit stop and pit lane safety.
What are your thoughts on having a standard pitstop time?
The standard time could be 3.5 seconds plus or minus a tenth. Every car must adhere to that time. Of course that's the minimum time, the pitstop can last longer without penalty.
I feel this would remove much of the errors and dangers in the pit lane.

When the car comes into the pits and come to a stop, the clock starts. The chief mechanic would get an automatic blue light signal when the 3.5s have passed and he can then activate the green light manually to let the car go. He alone would see this light, the driver and wheel gun men do not see it.

If the tyres are all changed in 2.7s it doesn't change anything, the car will simply have to wait till 3.5s have passed before it can be released. If wing changes are to be made, no problems either, the pitstop can go beyond 3.5. Only the minimum time is regulated.
What this is doing ultimately is reducing to haste to change the wheels. It's taking away the high risk that comes with nervously trying to change a wheel as fast as possible. It also removes those hairy moments when the mechanic is contemplating an unsafe release.
So if anyone has any input on this idea, you can discuss it here. You can add details or shoot it down, but i feel it's an interesting approach to safety.

[stefan_]

I don't think the length of the pit stop is the problem. Mark's pit stop in Germany was 7+ seconds and there was that misfortunate event. There have been tons of pit stops between 2 and 3 seconds and nobody was hurt. The problem with Mark's pit stop was the poor decision of the guy operating the lights.
It doesn't really matter how long the pit stop is, the race pressure on the mechanics will be the same. This is racing.

The good call after that event was that cameramans are now staying at the pit wall.

[ringo]

The time would affect the mechanic's mind.
If each mechanic knows they are not the limiting factor, believe me each stop would be done seamlessly.
These errors are human errors which are made in anxiety.
Mark's stop was more than seven seconds because of an error that was made from the clock started to tick for the mechanics.

I you look at a pitstop during the refueling days, you will see that the pressure on the wheel changers is almost non existent.
The pressure was on the fuel rig operators and the driver himself.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAAc8U98Xos[/youtube]
Have a look here and notice how the wheel men are quite relaxed and steady. It's all in the mind.
It's like diffusing a bomb in 10 seconds vs 10 minutes.

Even with trouble on the rear wheel of the mclaren, the mechanics take their time and correct it, the lolipop man, takes his time and observe when it's done.
In fact 3.5 is probably too quick, 4 or 5. the FIA should be able to work it out. But they whole point is safety. A super fast pitstop ins't really necessary to make a race entertaining.

[turbof1]

I'm not in favor of that. It takes away the competitive nature of pitstops. Rather, the FIA could mandate standard wheel attachments and an electronic system that would keep the car in neutral as long as all 4 wheels aren't firmly attached.

[flynfrog]

I don't think the length of the pit stop is the problem. Mark's pit stop in Germany was 7+ seconds and there was that misfortunate event. There have been tons of pit stops between 2 and 3 seconds and nobody was hurt. The problem with Mark's pit stop was the poor decision of the guy operating the lights.
It doesn't really matter how long the pit stop is, the race pressure on the mechanics will be the same. This is racing.

The good call after that event was that cameramans are now staying at the pit wall.

I agree Stefan. Letting non essential personnel in a hot pit is pretty dumb. They could use boom cameras to get the same shots more or less.

[ringo]

another approach is to have the camera men wear the same protective gear as the pit crews.
But any how you look at it, the problem is the flying wheels. This will always be a risk factor once the wheel change determines when the car leaves the pit.
I don't really see a pitstop as part of the competition of racing. It's almost like back in the day when drivers used to foot race to the cars.

[bhall]

Something also needs to be done about those white lawn chairs teams use in the garage. It's only a matter of time before one of them breaks and a mechanic ends up with a nasty bruise.

[xxChrisxx]

All this 2 second nonsense is dull anyway, and technology and more complication isn't the answer. It's already too contrived as it is. Traffic lights, sensors.. it's all unnecessary bullshit. Less people doing the change and man stood in front of the car, until he knows it safe to release.

Pitstops were one of the very few things that A1GP got right.

It's still quick, but you can see every bloke doing a full job. When you hear someones job description a "the right rear wheel off man" it's just silly.

Sponsors would love it too.

[Billzilla]

Just reintroduce refuelling, but have the fuel flow at a slower rate so there's plenty of time for the tyre guys to do their thing, any wing or nose changes, etc.
Just have to make very sure the fuel nozzle is fully disconnected before they are let go.

I'd also prefer to see lighter cars (smaller fuel tanks) running around for the first half of the race, it's better for overtaking.

[ringo]

I'm not in favor of that. It takes away the competitive nature of pitstops. Rather, the FIA could mandate standard wheel attachments and an electronic system that would keep the car in neutral as long as all 4 wheels aren't firmly attached.

Just more things to go wrong right there..

[turbof1]

How so? If it would go wrong, it would mean the driver can't leave anymore; better then leaving with a loose wheel. You could add a fail save into it by resetting the system.

[SectorOne]

I love it the way it is. The absolute beauty of a 2 second pit stop is something to behold imo.
People will get hurt either way, it´s just a natural thing regardless of how megasafe you make things.

I´m for refuelling but not fixed time stops.

[dave34m]

I dont like the idea of fixed pit stop time either, I like the urgency of the pit stop and the teams pushing for an advantage to make a position over a rival etc. Imho it would take away too much from the spectacle.
At the end of the day motor racing is a dangerous sport and everyone in the pit lane is well aware of that.

[nacho]

I have never understood the pit stop excitement. Create aerodynamic rules that allow drivers to fight each other on the track.

[ringo]

Hmm well i should have changed the topic to minimum pitstop time limits.

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, for instance using a strong man to lift the nose and using wheels that tighten by the torque from the initial tyre bite with the ground as the axles start to rotate as the driver feeds the throttle. The wheel gun man does nothing but rest the rim on the axle and watch the car drop to the ground and the wheels spin away to tighten up.
Now seeing this, all teams will start to do this. It's safety would be questionable of course, but it can be done and they will do it, since there is no true definition of what is safe as long as the wheels are changed.
See where i'm going with this?
I'm not in support of a fixed minimum, but i feel it's possible that the pit stops don't have to be the way they are and in fact they can be safer if we weigh the relevance of the pitstop spectacle to the racing spectacle. I myself find no entertainment in a 2.5s stop. My interest is really how clean the stop is and the gap built up on the track to make a clean stop.

An unlimited stop does make the race more of a team sport though, as we've seen it makes the difference with a driver coming out ahead of another car to decide who wins. However with fixed minimum times the teams will simply find something else to use as a means to make an advantage in a pitstop, be it an inlap, or outlap.

Given the chance, the pitstops safety can be improved. I remember a really hectic set of stops in valencia 2010 was it? after a safety car. Situations like those can be avoided. We don't always have to say "that's racing!".