How do Pit Stop Strategies work?

Meticulously planned strategy is key to F1F1 is the pinnacle of open wheel,  single seater car racing and arguably the highest level of any motorsport globally.... There's more... success, being the focus for the teams that starts well before the cars hit the track for the first event of the season and span the entire season. To win the championship, teams need to maximise pointsFormula 1 runs two competitions over the course of the season, the Constructor's title and the Driver's title. Points are... There's more... from every race and with regulations limiting parts, they must decide when to push and when not to.

Pit stop strategy is about getting to the finish line in the shortest possible amount of time. The regulations require a minimum of one pit stop and teams must run at least two different tyre compoundsThe compound is a reference to the rubber that the tyre's wearing surface is constructed from. Pirelli has developed a... There's more.... So, a “one-stop strategy” is the minimum.

PirelliPirelli is the exclusive supplier of tyres to Formula 1 having secured the contract in 2011. The range consists of... There's more..., F1’s tyre supplier, play a significant part in influencing pitstop strategy, by bringing tyre compounds to the track that will be on the limit. This forces teams to decide whether they can push the car on old tyresToday's F1 cars are running 18-inch wheels (up from 13 inches in recent years) with the widths unchanged - 305mm... There's more..., with reduced gripGrip is the magic that holds the car on the road as it accelerates, turns and brakes at extreme levels.... There's more..., or whether a further pit stop and fresh tyres, will give them an advantage.

The teams have an allocation of tyres being the hard tyre, medium tyre, and soft tyre. The hard will last longer but they are slower, whereas the soft will not last as long, but the additional grip allows them to go faster. There is roughly one second per lap between the three compounds.

And remember, a pit stop costs a team roughly 25 seconds, depending on the track. This is the combined result of leaving the track, travelling through the pitsThe Pits refers to the area immediately outside a team's garage where they are able to work on the car,... There's more... at a reduced speed, the physical stop and re-joining the race.

Ahead of the race, teams calculate their lap times for each of the tire options, factoring in degradationDegradation refers to the performance of the tyre with respect to its thermal qualities. The tyres perform best at an... There's more..., a mix of tyre compound and pit stop time, to work out the fastest possible way to the finish line. This will determine if they are on a one-stop, two-stop or three-stop strategy. But this is formula 1Formula 1 is the pinnacle of open-wheel,  single-seater car racing and arguably the highest level of any motorsport globally. Also... There's more..., so there is always a Plan B or Plan C available should something happen.

Pitstop strategy can be affected by what other teams do. If your competitor pits you may follow him in to cover his move and maintain your position, or you may stay out to try and gain an advantage. Like and undercutThe undercut is where you gain an advantage on the driver ahead by pitting before him and then maximising your... There's more....

A safety carThe FIA runs the event and is responsible for the safety of the drivers, crew, marshals and spectators. To manage... or red flagThe Red flag is used to bring the session to an immediate halt. This can be due to any occurrence... There's more... provides teams with the opportunity to make a fast call and switch strategies as the loss of time associated with the pitstop is greatly reduced. And then there is the question over rain… A wet race is one thing but a chance of showers really throws a spanner in the works.

Teams may pit a driverOK, so we all know what the driver is, right. I've always liked the description that F1 drivers are like... There's more... towards the end of the race if the gap to the next driver is more than the pitstop loss to get fresh tires and go for the fastest lapThe driver who records the fastest lap in the race may receive the DHL Fastest Lap award as well a... There's more... and snatch the bonus point.