Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeke
I hadn't heard that. Only McLaren did that anyway that I know of. But I think it would still actually be slower. The rear jack man has to get into place, raise and lower the car and the front guy has to raise and lower then step back in 2 seconds. I can't see the time to spare.
Frankly, I think too much emphasis is placed on pitting. I think all series ought to have a minimum time for a stop. Let's say it was 20 seconds for stock cars. That would cost a lot less in training super athletes to perform the stop. It would also allow more time for adjustments and repairs.
At this point a crew chief has a choice sometimes of, "Do we put water in it or go for broke to try and win before it blows up?" I think it's safer for those in the pits and those on the track to not have to make that decision.
I don't decry the F1 rule to not let teams fuel the cars if stops are going to be so rushed. It might be better if NASCAR didn't spill a quart every time they pit. Take some time!
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Think Williams were first with powered jacks on the front. Think they were banned to prevent a development war and were starting to get a bit too dangerous.
Front jack man is usually faster lifting as the car basically runs into him, rear jackman is usually faster lowering as he doesn't have to get out of the way. Main downside with powered front jack is extra weight which slows the time down required to swing it clear of the car. The speed/distance moved for lifting and removing when using a powered front jack are very different, it was a tricky balance to get right for saving time.
F1 pit stop development is as fast paced as car development as it can make the difference of a gaining or losing a place on track.
Take the front jack as an example most are an evolution of one teams design, lets say Team A designs the quickest, Team B copies and improves, then Team C takes it further and eventually Team A has to do a redesign to regain the advantage they had. If Team A is successful the cycle is repeated.
Last fueled pit stops were around low 4 secs, then dropped down to mid-high 2 secs with no fuel. Finding ways to reduce time now is very difficult as reaction times make up a lot of the time of a pit stop.
Not sure where teams need to go to get below 2 secs but I'll bet my house it will happen. Won't make the racing any better but must be good fun trying to get there.