#HTE

Watch an F1 Pit Crew Change Four Tires in Under Two Seconds

While some GIFs get boring, this one doesn’t cease to fascinate. With each repetition you can focus on a different person in the crew to see what they’re doing:

Once upon a time Formula One pit stops were closer to 10 seconds. But in 2010 refueling was banned, and without the need to break out the hose and pump petrol into the tank, pit stop time has dropped to the sub-3-second range (assuming tire changes only) as seen in the GIF above.

Here’s a crazy sub-2-second pit stop:

While the following one is a tad longer at 2.05 seconds (jeez, what a bunch of slugs), you’ll see something interesting as it’s shot from the driver’s point of view:

From that angle, you can see some UX thought has been put into the front jack. As seen from the driver’s perspective, the bright graphics make it highly visible and indicate precisely where the driver is meant to put the centerline of the nose of the car. 

Looking again at the GIF up top, you’ll now notice a bright orange arrow performing the same function on the front jack.

Lastly, you’re bound to get a kick out of this: It’s a video showing a 1950s open-wheel racing pit stop (1-minute-plus!) contrasted with a Team Ferrari pit stop of today. Note how the 1950s dude is hammering the lugs off:

http://www.core77.com/posts/52392/Watch-an-F1-Pit-Crew-Change-Four-Tires-in-Under-Two-Seconds