Oracle Red Bull Racing has refused to rest on its successes during the F1 offseason, attempting a new record for the fastest-ever pit stop performed in the dark. With two constructors titles on the trot, and a third consecutive World Championship for Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing is sharpening its skills for more glory in 2024.
The project took place at the Pit Stop Practice Facility in Milton Keynes, initially with the team wearing helmets with blacked-out visors as they honed their movements. Before long, it was time to complete a pitstop in actual darkness, with just the driver and the two jack-men wearing night vision goggles for safety.
“The sense of sight, being able to see the car, your teammates and what you are doing are intrinsic to a successful stop, so having that taken away presented some serious hurdles," said Jonathan Wheatley, sporting director of Oracle Red Bull Racing. “I’m certainly not saying that I would like to turn the lights out in a race, but being able to pull this off so succinctly, in the pitch black, shows what a well-oiled machine the crew is.”
After ten attempts, the Red Bull posted a time of 2.84 seconds for the completed pit stop in the dark. When you consider the average in-race pitstop time for Mercedes in 2023 was 2.81 seconds (McLaren set a new record of 1.80 seconds this year), there's little doubt that Oracle Red Bull Racing will continue to be a problem for the entire grid in 2024.
