Pit-stop championship: Red Bull ahead of Mercedes and back to winning ways
Beyond the classic championship lies another challenge orchestrated by F1 partner DHL. The Fastest Pit Stop puts the spotlight on the best performers in the pits. After two rounds, Red Bull leads the field, despite losing out to Mercedes at Imola.
Any race, no matter how well driven by a pilot, both in terms of performance and tire management, depends in part on the efficiency of his team during pit stops.
A good pit stop saves time when it’s difficult on the track, and becomes even more crucial during undercut attempts.
The F1 DHL partner monitors the performance of the different teams at the pit stops throughout the season.
As a result, a parallel championship is held alongside the main one. Rewards are given out after each race and at the end of the season.
Mercedes treats itself to a better pit stop in a race since 2018.
Seven consecutive Formula 1 World Champion titles, a model of consistency in pit stop management, but a long drought in the race for the best pit stop during the race.
Indeed, with their last victory at the United States Grand Prix in 2018, Mercedes put an end to 42 races without a championship pit stop win.
During the chaotic Emilia-Romagna GP, Mercedes mechanics changed Valtteri Bottas’ car tires in 2.24 seconds – despite unfavorable weather conditions and a wet pit lane.
By doing so, Mercedes also put an end to a sequence of ten consecutive victories for Red Bull, which had excelled in pit stops since the Italian GP last year. However, Red Bull was not far behind on Sunday in Imola: Max Verstappen was only 3 hundredths behind, his second best performance of the weekend.
Great stop for Alpine in 2.33s (Ocon on the 27th lap) which clinches 3rd place in the Italian weekend.
After two immense <a href="@F1 race weekends, <a href="@redbullracing and <a href="@MercedesAMGF1 are neck and neck on the DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award standings. The Bulls might be going into the <a href="#PortugueseGP this weekend with a 20-point lead, but it’s all to play for! <a href="#DHLF1 <a href="#F1 <a href="pic.twitter.com/MqyVAbgNEB
— DHL_Motorsports (@DHL_Motorsports) <a href="May 1, 2021
Red Bull ensures with a second place allowing it to consolidate a comfortable lead in the pit-stop championship.
Before Portimao: provisional ranking of the pit stops championship – 2021 season
| Red Bull | 61 | |
| 1 | Mercedes | 41 |
| 2 | Williams | 30 |
| 3 | Alfa Romeo | 29 |
| 4 | Mercedes | 18 |
| 5 | Ferrari | 17 |
| 6 | Alpine | 4 |
| 7 | Aston Martin | 2 |
| 8 | AlphaTauri | 0 |
| 9 | McLaren | 0 |
| 10 | Haas | 0 |
Best pit stops – season 2021
| Team | Pilot | Course | Time (sec.) | |
| 1 | Red Bull | Verstappen | Bahrain | 1.93 |
| 2 | Red Bull | Perez | Bahrain | 2.00 |
| 3 | Alfa Romeo | Räikkönen | Bahrain | 2.17 |
| 4 | Alfa Romeo | Räikkönen | Bahrain | 2.20 |
| 5 | Red Bull | Perez | Bahrain | 2.22 |
| 6 | Williams | Latifi | Bahrain | 2.23 |
| 7 | Mercedes | Bottas | Bahrain | 2.24 |
| 8 | Mercedes | Bottas | Emilia-Romagna | 2.24 |
| 9 | Williams | Russell | Bahrain | 2.26 |
| 10 | Williams | Russell | Bahrain | 2.27 |
