DHL FASTEST PIT STOP AWARD: 2016 FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX

Verstappen’s crew on top in season finale! Red Bull win the DHL FASTEST PIT STOP AWARD at the 2016 FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX to round off an eventful year. His mechanics changed all of his four wheels in an amazing 2.11 seconds. Williams reign supreme overall, however, in this awards category. The well-established British outfit has won a remarkable 14 times in 21 races this season.

Red Bull drew level with Mercedes (three fastest stops each) thanks to achieving the fastest pit stop of the season finale, so there’s a tie for second place in the overall standings. Apart from the three teams already mentioned, only Renault have previously been able to achieve at least one fastest tire change at the grand prix in Brazil. Force India took second and third place in Abu Dhabi with the shortest pit stops for Sergio Perez and Nico Hülkenberg taking 2.23 and 2.27 seconds respectively.

An unusually high number of tire changes, 62 in all, were carried out during the rain-hit race in Brazil which was red-flagged twice, but in Abu Dhabi, drivers came in only 38 times for fresh boots. More than half of the stops (21) lasted less than three seconds – a strong result overall and evidence of the great work being done by teams.

Verstappen utilized a different strategy in the race to all the other drivers finishing in the Top Ten. For a start, he ran supersoft tires in the second segment of qualifying – as did teammate Daniel Ricciardo, while the rest of the top drivers were on ultrasofts at that time. That meant that Red Bull could line up on the slightly harder compound.

But then Verstappen’s car made contact with Hülkenberg’s as the cars got off the line, causing the Dutchman to spin and drop back to the rear of the field. And so, Red Bull changed strategy. While the 19-year-old’s direct rivals, including Ricciardo, all stopped twice for fresh tires, Verstappen only came in once. His skill as a driver and these tactics moved him up the field to place fourth at the finish line. He was so close ultimately to the top three drivers, consisting of Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel, that he could still harbor notions of finishing on the podium until just before the end.

“After being last after Turn 1, having to fight my way back and doing it all on a one-stop was the best we could do, and I’m happy we pulled it off. I knew I was going to come under attack from the two-stop guys, as they obviously had more life left in the tires. When you still finish in front of guys who did an extra stop you have to be pleased with the result, especially as we also finished so close to P1,” said Verstappen after the race.

Vettel and Fernando Alonso placed third and tenth respectively but did things differently compared to the drivers in points-scoring positions around them. Apart from Verstappen, their direct competitors had bolted on fresh soft tires for the second time by Lap 30 at the latest. The German and the Spaniard, on the other hand, waited quite a while before making a second stop. Coming in on Lap 37 and 38 respectively, they both went for supersofts instead and were able to improve their lap times once again towards the end of the race as a result. Consequently, Vettel finished first and Alonso second in the DHL Fastest Lap Awards at Abu Dhabi. The Ferrari driver even achieved a podium.