Red Bull back in action: Pit stops expected to be slower in 2022

The new tyre from Pirelli

In mid 2021, new regulations were introduced to make pit stops safer. At Red Bull Racing they think they were made slower by the competition and they succeeded. Red Bull had much more trouble with the stops with the new regulations and made some big mistakes. However, for 2022 Red Bull, like all the other teams, will have to adapt again.

In 2022, the new aerodynamic regulations are introduced and with them come the new 18-inch tyres from Pirelli. According to AMuS, the teams are worried that the pit stops will be even longer in 2022 because of those tyres. Some are thinking of a few tenths, while other teams even estimate the difference at more than a second.

The difference would be in the weight of the tyre. The front tyre of Pirelli is with the new design 2.5 kilograms heavier and the rear tyre even 3.5 kilograms. In addition, they are larger and therefore more difficult to lift.

Pitstops of Red Bull Racing

Besides the weight, another component plays an important role. On the outside of the tyre, there will be mandatory capping. F1 wants to prevent teams from playing with the air intake of the tyres to gain an aerodynamic advantage. However, this also causes problems during the pitstops.

The muscles will have to be trained to perform manoeuvres quickly and the material will have to be adapted as well. Some teams have already set a new training regime for this to get ready for 2022.