F1 Without the Pit Stops

What if there were no scheduled pit stops?

Who said that we needed regular pit stops anyway? The sport is motor racing, not motor pit stopping. What if the tyres lasted all race long and then some? Then drivers would have to overtake on the track, which is generally accepted as being exciting. No more having to do complex maths to try to work out who will eventually end up in the lead. Or just sitting on your sofa for an hour and a half watching cars go round in circles, essentially just waiting to see which team got their strategy right. Let’s have the action on the track, not in the pit lane.

The FIA Solution

The FIA seems to think that the more pit stops a race has, the more exciting and entertaining it is to the fans. This might be the case for some, but it definitely adds to the confusion.

To create more pit stops the FIA tell Pirelli to make shoddy tyres that don’t last very long and make Pirelli look bad to it’s potential customers. A knock-on effect of fast wearing tyres is just the sheer amount of rubber that ends up on the track, just off the racing line. This then limits overtaking as a car behind can’t go off the racing line to use a wide section of track that the track designer put there to aid overtaking. Arrrrhhhh!!!!!! It’s just not joined up thinking from all the people and organisations that make up modern Formula One.

Car Redesign

Today we have two overtaking aids in F1. The KERS system is slightly useful, if used in the right way. The DRS system is a bit more useful, if a track as a long enough straight to make it work. However, if we were to get rid of scheduled pit stops, overtaking would have to be made slightly easier further still. The obvious way to do this is to change the balance between mechanical grip and aerodynamic down force. Less aero, more grip. This could be achieved by using bigger tyres that have more rubber in contact with the track.

Test It First

The risk of course would be processional races. The changes would have to be tested before being introduced to make sure it’s not impossible to overtake. Don’t get me wrong. It shouldn’t be really easy to overtake. Sometimes the best racing moments happen when the driver behind doesn’t overtake. They get very close, but don’t quite make it stick. That can be exciting too. I admit, it’s a very difficult balance to get right.