Formula One

The job in the pits is one of the most pressurised in the world of Formula 1 and put stops have become more and more important over the years. As overtaking moves become rarer, pit stops have become the prime opportunities to gain precious seconds. A pit stop, though is never as easy as it looks. Every individual's role is practised thousands of times and must be carried out perfectly. Just 7 seconds, if all goes well, the driver's fortune during the race are in the hands of his pit crews.

Extra crew members are always around, ready to help. There is a second refueller on standby, 2 with fire extinguishers, a couple to remove debris from the radiators and maybe a crew tyo clean the driver's visor.

To prevent the wheel nuts working loose, the righ hand side of the car uses right handed threds and the left hadn side uses left hand threads. The guns of each direction thus work in opposite ways. The wheel nuts and the socket of the gun are magnetised.

Fuel shrinks in volume when it is chilled, enabling more of it to be contained within each litre. The regulations allow the fuel to be chilled 10 Degree Celcius below the ambient temperature.

At 0 second, car enters pit stop. At 0.2 Second, high powered air gun loosens central wheel. At 1.0 second, hydraulic jack lifts front end manual jack at the rear. At 1.5 seconds, fuelling hose onto the tank nozzle and fuel flow at 12 litres per second. At 2.5 seconds, wheel removed. At 3.5 seconds, new wheels mounted and central nut is tightened. at 3.8 seconds, car lowered off jacks. At 4.3 seconds, lollipop man signals driver to engage 1st gear. At 7.0 seconds, Green light in refueller's visor, hose is disconnected. At 7.3 seconds, lollipop man signals driver to go. WOW, it is above imagination.