Fastest F1 pit stops: VCARB take top spot in Hungary ahead of Red Bull

F1 teams compete just as fiercely in the garages as they do on track, and pit stops are another way in which teams look for a marginal edge every weekend.

A huge amount of effort goes into ensuring the teams are primed to perform in every area possible, and pit stops are no exception, with times getting faster and faster after refuelling was removed from the sport.

Who holds the world record for F1 pit stops?

McLaren broke the world record for the fastest ever F1 pit stop at the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, changing all four tyres on Lando Norris’ car and sending him on his way again in just 1.80 seconds.

This beat the previous benchmark set by Red Bull in the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix of 1.82s, and McLaren’s world record is arguably all the more impressive given the extra effort required to manoeuvre the bigger, heavier 18-inch wheels introduced in 2022.

What is the DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award?

Introduced in 2015 from Formula 1 sponsors DHL, the Fastest Pit Stop crown rewards the teams who excel in the pit lane over the course of the season by consistently producing fast pit stops for their drivers.

The teams are ranked by their pit stop speed at every race and the quickest individual pit stops for each driver are ranked, with points awarded for the top 10 in the same fashion as they are in the Drivers’ Championship, as follows:

1st: 25
2nd: 18
3rd: 15
4th: 12
5th: 10
6th: 8
7th: 6
8th: 4
9th: 2
10th: 1

Red Bull is the undisputed king of this award, having won the crown for six years in a row – and it’s up to the rest of the field to topple their pit crew in 2024.

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What are the 10 fastest pit stop times in F1 2024 so far?

Ferrari got off to a flying start in the pit lane, with their quickest stops for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz topping the standings from the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend.

However, Red Bull’s stop for Max Verstappen in China was the first to dip below the magic two-second barrier this year, while all four stops were good enough to make it into the top 10 of the season – with nine of those slots now being held by Red Bull.

Ferrari got the better of Red Bull in Miami – just – by 0.01s as they turned in a 1.94s stop to remind the reigning World Champions of their capabilities in the pit lane, but it is still the Milton Keynes-based team that hold a near monopoly on the best stops of the season so far.

Having not scored a point all season, Sauber’s two stops in this race got them off the mark and above two teams in the process.

After a double retirement in Canada, Ferrari scored a 1-3 in the pit lane at least in Montréal before Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc went out of the race, though none of the times were among the quickest of the season.

In Spain, Red Bull were right back on top once again, with a 1.92s stop for Max Verstappen seeing him back on his way for the second-fastest stop of the season, before Ferrari hit back with a 1-2 of their own in Austria – clocking a 1.95s stop in the Styrian hills, before Red Bull achieved the same feat in Silverstone, dipping below two seconds with the three-time World Champion.

VCARB were the quickest team in Hungary, clocked a 2.01s stop for Daniel Ricciardo to make it into the top 10 for the season so far.

Here’s the season’s top 10 in full so far:

1: Red Bull – Verstappen – China – 1.90s
2: Red Bull – Verstappen – Spain – 1.92s
3: Ferrari – Leclerc – Miami – 1.94s
4: Red Bull – Perez – Miami – 1.95s
5: Ferrari – Leclerc – Austria – 1.95s
6: Red Bull – Verstappen – Britain – 1.99s
7: Red Bull – Perez – China – 2.00s
8: Red Bull – Perez – Spain – 2.00s
9: Red Bull – Perez – Britain – 2.00s
10: VCARB – Ricciardo – Hungary – 2.01s

F1 2024 DHL Fastest Pit Stop standings

[Correct as of 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix]

1. Red Bull – 389 points
2. Ferrari – 234 points
3. Mercedes – 167 points
4. McLaren – 134 points
5. Alpine – 121 points
6. VCARB – 111 points
7. Aston Martin – 81 points
8. Sauber – 25 points
9. Haas – 20 points
10. Williams – 18 points

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