McLaren officially awarded Guinness WORLD RECORD

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McLaren officially awarded Guinness WORLD RECORD

McLaren have had their 1.8 second pitstop verified by Guinness World Records

Shay Rogers

Sunday 10 December 2023 09:57 Updated: 19:39

Guinness World Records have officially confirmed that McLaren now hold the record for the fastest ever Formula 1 pitstop, after their efforts in Qatar.

During a near historically hot race in the Middle East, Lando Norris’ crew were able to service his car in a time of just 1.80 seconds.

That mark beat Red Bull’s previous record – which had stood for four years, by just over two hundredths of a second.

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What makes the feat even more impressive is that the previous standard was set with the old 13-inch tyres, which were lighter and easier to lift than the current 18-inch rubber on the cars.

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The continued practice and effort put into pitstops has clearly paid off, with teams close to the limits of human performance when servicing a car in under two seconds.

🥇 PIT-STOP RECORD HOLDERS 🥇 @GWR came by the MTC to award us with our Guinness World Records certificate for the 1.80s stop!#F1 pic.twitter.com/Jkz4HME9wh
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) December 9, 2023

It’s easy to forget that McLaren also managed to deliver a 2.00 second pitstop with their other driver – Oscar Piastri – during the humid race too.

In a year full of victories for Red Bull, having this record taken off them might just give their mechanics a little something to aim for in 2024 with the chasing teams approaching their tails.

McLaren are one of those you would expect to be fighting for wins next year, and if their personnel can continue to deliver spectacularly on race days, their strategy department will have an easier life than their competitors.

Red Bull McLaren Formula 1 Lando Norris Qatar Grand Prix