Are the new Pit-stop rules targeted at RedBull?

 Pit stops over the years have been a very decisive part of the strategy and races. A team has a lot to lose or gain in these stops. If you are a regular F1 viewer you would know that refuelling was banned, and pit stops only allow the change of tyres. So over these 10 years, we have witnessed sub 2- second stops and it has been a joy to watch over these years. The only team to have achieved a sub-2-second stop is RedBull. 

RedBull is the only one to achieve this because of investment in new pitstop equipment when they needed a gain over their opponents. RedBull has a better car than their main rivals Mercedes this season, and their pitstop gain over their opponents is just another advantage. However, the FIA has come up with a set of new rules regarding the fast F1 pitstops happening these days.

       What are these rules?

Relating to pit stops, Article 12.8.4 of Formula 1’s technical regulations states that “devices which are used to fit or remove wheel fasteners may only be powered by compressed air or nitrogen. Any sensor systems may only act passively.” 

        Why these rules?

The FIA don't want the teams to rely on automated systems as they believe it is dangerous. This has more emphasis on the human side of the pitstops.

       How do these rules work?

The teams are mandated a minimum 0.15-second delay between the wheel nuts being confirmed as tight and the mechanic operating the jack dropping the car, and 0.2secs from the jack going down to the driver receiving the signal to leave the pits.

       My opinion regarding these rules

 Formula 1 has been having so many rapid pitstop rules over the last 10 years and every team has almost mastered the pitstop while avoiding any costly mistakes. Automated systems are the future and Formula 1 is supposed to be an example of the future, but it is being pushed about 20 years back with these new rules. Instead of banning automated systems, the FIA can punish the teams which make a mistake while executing these pitstops. Formula 1 is supposed to be the fastest and I'm sure all the F1 fans will miss those fast pitstops.

 Done By Mukund