Mercedes GP Perform the Fastest Pitstops of 2011

When refueling was banned from the sport a year ago, every driver's visit to the pit lane got significantly shorter, as the guys in his box only had to work their magic on the tires before letting them resume action.

Needless to say, the new structure of the pitstop brought with it a new way of timing it, which soon led to a battle between teams on who is the fastest in the paddock. And since in 2011 their importance grew significantly due to the high tire wear of the Pirelli tires (which leads to multiple pitstop races), we now have a new classification when it comes to the fastest pit crew in F1.

Actually, it's more of a confirmation of last year's “standings”, as it's still Mercedes GP that dominates this unofficial battle between teams. According to a report from Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, the Brackley based team manages an average 22.301-second stop, only 0.082 seconds faster than rivals McLaren Mercedes.

Red Bull Racing are third overall, but the margin to second place is also negligible, as the guys at Milton Keynes do the tire exchange in 22.589 seconds on average. The quad of aces is completed by Sauber F1 Team, whose crew complete a pitstop in approximately 23.067 seconds.

As far as the other championship “big gun” is concerned, namely Ferrari, the Italian mechanics are only good for 7th place, with an average 23.739-second time per pitstop.

Red Bull, McLaren Mercedes and Ferrari have each performed 17 pitstops in the first 3 races of the season, having brought both drivers to the finish line in all events. Mercedes, Force India and Renault rest on 14 pitstops each, while followed by Toro Rosso and Virgin Racing (12) and Sauber (10).