Editing Pit stop (section)

== Formula One ==
{{use British English|section|date=September 2015}}
[[File:2012 Italian GP - Ferrari pit.jpg|thumb|300px|left|[[Fernando Alonso]]'s [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] pit crew carry out a pit stop at the [[2012 Italian Grand Prix]]]]

In [[Formula One]], mid-race refuelling has been banned since 2010,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-04-17 |title=Formula 1™ - The Official F1™ Website - 2010 season changes |url=http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/rules_and_regulations/sporting_regulations/8692 |access-date=2022-05-16 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100417224427/http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/rules_and_regulations/sporting_regulations/8692 |archive-date=17 April 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and cars make pit stops with the primary purpose of changing tyres. Teams sometimes also make adjustments to the front and rear wings and perform minor repairs, most commonly replacing the nose and front wing assembly. A pit stop typically takes approximately 3 seconds to complete. [[McLaren]] holds the current world record for the fastest pit stop, with a 1.80-second stop performed at the [[2023 Qatar Grand Prix]] on [[Lando Norris]]. Pit strategies generally call for between one and four scheduled stops, depending on the circuit. The drives between pit stops are commonly known as 'stints'.

When the car is approximately one lap away from making its stop, the team's pit crew will set up fresh tyres and all needed pit equipment. Because of the overhead pneumatic rig, the team may have all pit mechanics in position before the car's arrival, except for the rear jack man.

Unlike almost all other forms of racing that feature routine pit stops, Formula One rules limit teams to a single pit crew for the mandatory two cars entered. Most other racing series that feature routine pit stops permit each car its own pit stall and crew. Therefore, teams must stagger their pit schedules so that only one of their two cars is in the pits at any given time; otherwise, one car must wait for the other car to finish services. However, with proper timing or in special conditions (for example, in the period immediately after the safety car being called out), it is possible for teams to pit both cars on the same lap without losing significant time; this is known as the 'double stack' strategy. This allows both of the team's drivers to race on equally fresh tyres, preventing either from having an advantage over the other, and helps the team hide the relative performance between two cars to other teams when only one car is in the pits.

One strategy commonly used in Formula One pit stops is the 'undercut' involving two cars battling for track position. In this strategy, the car behind makes an earlier pit stop than the leading car; if successful, the car behind should be able to utilize the advantage of having fresh tyres to reduce the lead of the car they are attempting to overtake. If the gap between the two cars is reduced to less than the time lost in a pit stop, when the leading car pits, the leading car will exit the pits behind the car which pitted first. This strategy is especially effective when the leading car is stuck in traffic and/or if the car behind has clear track to push on, but can be negated if the car behind gets stuck in traffic after their early pit stop or is unable to drive fast enough to neutralize the advantage of the leading car. Similarly, there is the reverse (but less common) strategy of the 'overcut', where the leading car stays out on their older tyres longer and laps fast enough to maintain or even extend their advantage over the car behind—this strategy may be successful if the leading car's tyres are still in good shape when the car behind pits, sufficiently so that the leading car can push without being overly limited by tyre degradation, or if the car behind gets stuck in traffic, thus negating their ability to utilise their fresher tyres to their advantage.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pittalks |date=2022-01-06 |title=F1 pit stops 101 {{!}} All rules simply explained |url=https://pittalks.com/f1-pit-stops-rules-explained/ |access-date=2022-03-29 |website=PIT TALKS |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Racers |first=Flow |title=The Undercut, The Overcut & The Double-Stack: F1 Pit Stops – FLOW RACERS |url=https://flowracers.com/blog/undercut-overcut-double-stack-f1-pit-stops/ |access-date=2022-05-16 |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Refuelling ===
Refuelling, now banned in F1 races, was permitted until {{F1|1983}}, and then again from the [[1994 Formula One season|1994 season]] to the [[2009 Formula One season|2009 season]]. During this period, a pit stop involved about twenty mechanics, with the aim of completing the stop as quickly as possible. Stops generally lasted for six to twelve seconds, depending upon how much fuel was put into the car. However, if there was a problem, such as a fuel pump failing or the engine stalling, or repairs having to be made, it could take much longer. Cars were fuelled at a rate of more than 12 litres per second. This was accomplished by a fairly complex closed system that pumped air out of the car's fuel tank as the fuel was being pumped in.

Since fuel was a significant portion of a car's weight, teams varied the amount of fuel loaded into a car at any given stop (and prior to the race) and thus vary the number of pit stops. The most common strategies seen were one-stop and two-stop strategies; two-stop strategies were employed to increase the car's speed/improve lap times to catch cars ahead, whereas one-stop strategies were used to gain time and track position to cars ahead with the advantage of one fewer pit stop. However, teams could and sometimes did opt for unorthodox pit strategies with multiple (3+) pit stops, as was employed by [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]] and [[Michael Schumacher]] with four stops at the [[2004 French Grand Prix]], which he eventually won.

As refuelling was a potentially hazardous situation, the mechanics wore [[Nomex|fire-resistant multi-layer suits]] and flame-resistant [[glove]]s, long [[underwear]], [[Balaclava (clothing)|balaclava]], [[sock]]s and [[shoe]]s, which had to meet the guidelines set by [[FIA Standard 8856-2000]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fia.com/sport/Regulations/driverequipregs.html |title=Drivers' Equipment |publisher=Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071202172336/http://www.fia.com/sport/Regulations/driverequipregs.html |archive-date=2 December 2007 |access-date=8 January 2016}}</ref>

=== Formula One pit crew roles ===
[[File:Daniil Kvyat-Red Bull-2015 (5).JPG|thumb|The [[Red Bull Racing]] team practicing their pit stops.|325x325px]]
<!-- ATTENTION! Please do not revert the spelling of "tyre" to "tire". The UK English spelling is preferred in all sections apart from those about US-based racing. -->
*Four ''wheel-gunners'' or ''tyre changers'', one for each wheel/corner of the car, use a pneumatic wrench ("tyre gun") to remove the car's single locking [[lug nut]] from each tyre then reinstall it on the new tyre.
*Eight ''tyre carriers'' are used (four each of ''wheel-off'' and ''wheel-on''), two for each wheel/corner of the car, one to remove the old tyre from the car and one to put the new tyre in place.
*Two ''stabilisers'' stabilise the car on each side at the middle of the car.
*The ''front wing men'', if necessary, adjust the front wing angle (to provide more/less downforce) and/or change the entire front wing (in case of damage sustained during the race).
*The front and rear ''jack men'' use [[lever]]-type jacks to lift the car and permit the changing of tyres during the pit stop.
**The job of the front jack man is generally considered the most hazardous of the entire pit crew, as it requires standing directly in front of the car as it enters its pit box. Mechanics in this role have been injured in the past when drivers have overshot/failed to brake in time for their pit box.
**By contrast, due to the location of his duties directly behind the car, the rear jack man is the only team member not in his working position before the car enters its pit box.
*The ''fire extinguisher man'' stands ready with a hand-held [[fire extinguisher]] to put out any fires that may occur during a stop, at least long enough for the pit crew and driver to evacuate. This job became standard following [[Jos Verstappen]]'s [[1994 German Grand Prix|1994 pit fire]].
**Sometimes, more than one pit crew member may perform this role if a car comes in for an unscheduled stop with mechanical issues involving a fire/excessive heat (e.g. overheating brakes).

'''Deprecated roles'''

*The ''lollipop man'' held the team's pit sign (nicknamed the "lollipop" for its circular shape, hence the name of the role), helping the driver identify his pit box on the pit lane and holding it in position during the stop to remind the driver to keep his brakes on while tyres are being changed, to remember to put the car in first gear once the jacks are lowered, and finally to signal the driver to leave the pit box once the pit stop was complete by raising the sign. 
**Nowadays, this role is carried out by a traffic light system—drivers drive into their team pit by memory or by watching the crews out on pit lane and are signaled to leave the pit box by a series of lights suspended over the driver's head in the pit box controlled from the garage.
*The ''refueling man'' managed the refueling system for the car, hooking it in place during the pit stop and disengaging it when refueling was complete.
**With refueling having been banned in F1 from the 2010 season onwards, this role is no longer necessary as cars no longer refuel mid-race.
*The ''starter man'' stood ready with a starter tool to restart the car should the driver [[stall (engine)|stall his engine]] during the pit stop.
**Nowadays, as modern F1 cars have [[Anti-stall (engine)|anti-stall systems]], and also can be started by the driver independently if needed using the car's battery, this role is no longer necessary, unless a situation calls for a complete engine reset.
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