Christian Horner cautious of faster pit stops in 2022 with new 18-inch tyres

Red Bull pit stop

Red Bull secured their first F1 drivers’ championship, which had been eluding them since 2013, in last season thanks to their Dutchman Max Verstappen. Along with the high-performance car they had the Red Bull’s pit stop speed has also been an important part of their title glory providing Max Verstappen with a much-needed edge over rival Lewis Hamilton. With the 2022 season approaching which will host a completely new set of rules which also include new 18-inch tyres.

Red Bull holds the record for the fastest pit-stop in F1 history, as their pit achieved the historic feat of 1.82 seconds in the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix for the servicing Max Verstappen’s RB15. Their pit stops accolades don’t stop there. the team has won the 4 DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award in consecutive years beginning in 2018. Now, Red Bull boss, Christian Horner has come out expressing his opinion that Red Bull may not be able to emulate the record time with RB18.

What Christian Horner said

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has expressed concerns over the pit stop speed in 2022 as he said in the RB18 launch that the new 18-inch tyres are heavier which means Red Bull won’t be able to get close to their world record time of 1.82 seconds. Christian Horner added that he expects the pit stop speed to get close to the 2-second mark in 2022.

FS Video

“The tyres are heavier, more bulky. Having got the world record at 1.82 seconds, I don’t think we’re going to be challenging it in this first year…It will be about adapting and refining our techniques and I’m pretty sure we can get close to two-second stops even with these wheels and tires,” Christian Horner said.

Christian Horner on 2022 pit stops:

"The tyres are heavier, more bulky. Having got the world record at 1.82 seconds, I don't think we're going to be challenging it in this first year…
But I'm pretty sure we can get close to 2 second stops".

[Via RB18 Launch}
— formularacers (@formularacers_) February 12, 2022

Red Bull will go into 2022 hoping to match the 2021 success with their drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez and having a fast pit crew will be an advantage they don’t want to relinquish. They will be facing intense pressure from rivals Mercedes and other teams will also be hoping to dethrone Red Bull with their new challengers.

Also read: Carlos Sainz labels old F1 cars “spiteful” and claims new cars are “innovative to the max”

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Justin P Joy

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Justin P Joy is a Motorsports writer and editor at FirstSportz. He has been a motorsport journalist since 2020 and has published over 4500 articles. Justin has extensively covered two NASCAR, Formula One, and Moto GP seasons for FirstSportz. He has invested more than a decade of his life on Motorsports, first as a fan and later as a dedicated writer. Justin’s in-depth knowledge of Motorsports and his experience as a fan make his writing resonate with most racing fans worldwide. Justin's love for racing started when he discovered Moto GP at the age of 8. That love later guided him into the world of Formula 1. He fell in love with NASCAR after watching Tom Cruise’s “Days of Thunder” and has been an avid follower of the premier stock car racing series since. He has also been investing his time to exploring WEC, WRC, Formula E, Extreme E, and IndyCar in a bid to deeply understand the culture and history of Motorsports to present a unique perspective to the fans.

Christian Horner cautious of faster pit stops in 2022 with new 18-inch tyres

What Christian Horner said

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