Last weekend’s F1 Qatar GP was quite the eventful one. With storylines such as intra-team crashes, tire wear so bad it necessitated last-minute track changes, and extreme heat to the point where some drivers were throwing up in their helmets, there was one momentous occasion that was easy to miss: McLaren setting the record for the world’s fastest pit stop.
On lap 27 of the race, Lando Norris came into the pits. Unbeknownst to him, his pit crew was about to make history as they changed his tires in 1.80 seconds flat. This time beats out the previous world record — a 1.82 second stop by Red Bull in 2019 — by a mere two hundredths of a second, but it remains a record nonetheless. The feat is made even more impressive when considering the new wheels of the post-2022 regulations are larger and heavier than their 2019 counterparts.
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In addition to their pit stop achievements, McLaren has also been seeing success on the track recently. After an abysmal start to the season where points finishes were barely a guarantee, the team has seriously rebounded, with back-to-back double podiums in the last two races, seven podiums overall, and rookie Oscar Piastri’s first F1 victory (albeit not on a Sunday) in the Qatar sprint.
With this momentum, some are speculating that the Woking-based team may actually be in the title fight next season, and we’d be inclined to agree. Even if they can’t pack enough of a punch to take down the untouchable force that is Red Bull at the moment, we could potentially see a proper three-way season-long struggle for second place between McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes.
To watch the record-breaking pit stop from all angles, you can check it out on Formula 1’s YouTube channel here.