DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award: 2016 FORMULA 1 MAGYAR NAGYDÍJ

Williams have proved unstoppable nine times in a row, but Mercedes now look like seriously putting the kings of the pit lane under pressure. The Silver Arrows crew achieved the fastest pit stop of the race for the second time on the trot.

What a fantastic battle! A mere one hundredth of a second separated the two fastest pit stops during the 2016 FORMULA 1 MAGYAR NAGYDÍJ at the Hungaroring. The Mercedes crew sent Nico Rosberg back on his way in just 2.15 seconds on his first stop of the race, beating Williams for the second consecutive time.

But the team from Grove showed once again why they reign supreme at the top of the 2016 DHL Fastest Pit Stop Awards. Three of the four fastest stops were by Williams. A clear demonstration of the perfection and attention to detail that predominates at Williams. 

Palmer against Hülkenberg: Battle in the pit lane

Pit stops at the Hungaroring are more important here than at practically any other track on the calendar. The twisty circuit just outside Budapest really deserves to be called the “Monaco of the East”. Overtaking is almost impossible unless your opponent makes a mistake, so perfect pit stops are vitally important, both to ensure you maintain position and to prevent fellow competitors gaining a place.

That is what happened to Nico Hülkenberg when he was overtaken by British driver Jolyon Palmer, who came in at the same time. The Renault crew turned around Palmer in 2.78 seconds, seven tenths faster than Hülkenberg’s Force India team. And so, Palmer’s team were able to move him up a place thanks to the pit stop! – Excellent proof once again that Formula 1 is really a team sport.

Daring strategy at Red Bull

As regards strategy in the 2016 FORMULA 1 MAGYAR NAGYDÍJ, teams decided on two stops, as expected. However, very different approaches were used. Mercedes stuck to its plan as scheduled: Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg both made two stops on the way to their one-two win – on consecutive laps.

Red Bull, meanwhile, were rather more daring in hunting down the Silver Arrows. After a first stop on Lap 15, the team called Daniel Ricciardo in on Lap 33 to make a very early second stop, aiming to put pressure on Mercedes with what’s known as the “Undercut” and maybe win a position from Mercedes. “But both cars were able to respond with enough pace to keep him covered and stick to our original plan,” said Paddy Lowe, Executive Director (Technical) at Mercedes. 

Räikkönen’s amazing charge

However, Ferrari strategists pulled off a masterly stroke in the race. The Scuderia called Sebastian Vettel in on Lap 14 as the first of the top drivers to pit, thus forcing Red Bull to respond. In the end, Vettel finished ahead of one of the two Red Bulls and just behind Ricciardo. However, the real star of the race was Vettel’s team-mate, Kimi Räikkönen, who shone with a charge up the field from P14 to P6.

Räikkönen started on soft tires from 14th place on the grid after making a mess of qualifying. He stayed out on track until Lap 29, putting in the longest stint of any driver in the top three teams. However, he was unable to go through to the checkered flag with just one a stop, since Ferrari did not have another set of fresh medium tires.

Instead, the Scuderia went for two more stints on super-soft tires, the fastest available from Pirelli. And so, Räikkönen went on an incomparable charge that just kept going until he came up against Verstappen’s Red Bull. The Iceman was much faster, made repeated attempts to overtake but could not find a way past. Even a contact did not stop him from launching further attacks. Kimi Räikkönen was clearly the #UnsungHero of the race.