Team Strength Matters as Much as the Car
The Oracle Red Bull Racing pit crew have pulled off a spectacular exemplar of teamwork, where they managed to service the RB14 under complete darkness. Literally, the personnel had no capacity to see the car during pit stop. In total obscurity, they still proved victories faster than most Formula One squads when taking part in such service in healthy natural light; realizing the stop in 2.84 seconds – just a lone second slower than the existing record for the quickest halt.
The Red Bull pit squad has established itself as one of the most consistent on the grid, only rarely encountering fault. This year in 2022, they were awarded the DHL Award for the “Fastest Pit Stop” after having skillfully serviced Sergio Perez in a mere 2.1 seconds at the Italian Grand Prix. Earlier in 2019, Red Bull was legendary for setting the record for the quickest pit stop in history with 1.82 seconds at the Brazilian Grand Prix. However, before too long, the McLaren crew was clocked at an astounding 1.8-second stop this last season.
This makes the feat even more noteworthy, for the team had a minimal amount of time to get ready. The pit crew members donned blindfolds and trained during three drills at the Red Bull Technology Grounds.
On the day of the endeavor, the lights were extinguished and every pit crew participant was outfitted with a helmet that had a darkened visor. If you’re curious to comprehend how this was accomplished, production staff employed 27 expert cameras in order to capture this achievement.
The 22-strong pit crew endeavored to come up with a record time of 2.84 seconds after just ten trials. Their inaugural trial produced an awe-inspiring 8.84-second figure, putting Ferrari on notice after Charles Leclerc’s dismal 12.4-second experience at the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix.
After four tries, the Red Bull squad clocked in a super fast time of 4.93 seconds, surpassing their goal of 3.1 seconds on the last effort. We’re positive that Christian Horner must be wanting to present each one of the 22 staff members with a new Honda Civic Type R as an acknowledgement of their success; however, Red Bull has run into some financial difficulties in the past.
“I was truly proud of their feat,” proclaimed Oracle Red Bull Racing Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley. “The time of 2.84 seconds is an impressive feat even in the light of day. Of course, I’m not suggesting that races should be held in the dark, but it’s a testament to how efficient the crew is that they can pull off this remarkable task in complete darkness.”
This isn’t the initial occurrence that Red Bull has taken on something unthinkable. Back in 2019, the garage team achieved an anti-gravity service station on a 2005 Red Bull RB1 – the initial Red Bull F1 vehicle ever.
Why would someone do something as such? Any Formula 1 aficionado likely already knows the answer. Since DHL devising the quickest pit stop award back in 2015, Red Bull has acquired the title five times. Nevertheless, McLaren managed to outdo their rivals in this year’s Qatar Grand Prix with a memorable 1.80 stop. Although this win wasn’t sufficient for an entire season’s honors, Red Bull don’t settle for anything less than first place. Therefore, this video functions as a reminder of how amazing they are. It also serves to reinforce the idea that Formula 1 isn’t merely about the vehicles, sufficing to illustrate the fallacy of such a notion.
You can witness a simultaneous video comparing the 1.80 and 1.82 pit stops of Red Bull and McLaren, right here.
