Red Bull showcase frightening F1 trick ahead of 2024 season

Red Bull has astounded with a groundbreaking pit stop ahead of the 2024 F1 season, executing a flawless manoeuvre in complete darkness.

Red Bull, renowned for their speed in the pitlane, successfully completed the world’s first-ever pit stop in complete darkness. They relied on their intuition and teamwork, which has earned them six consecutive DHL Fastest Pit Stop Awards and the title of world champions.

To take on this daring challenge, the pit crew was blindfolded after only three practice sessions at the Red Bull Technology Campus. Equipped with helmets featuring blacked-out visors, they faced an apparently insurmountable task in total darkness. The entire process was captured by 27 specialist cameras.

Despite the obstacles, the 22 pit crew members persevered through 10 attempts and achieved an astonishing 2.84-second stop, just one second shy of their record at the 2019 Brazil GP.

The Red Bull production team meticulously filmed the entire event over four hours, collaborating with experts to document it in high-definition using infrared and regular film.

“The Pitch Black Pit Stop was a challenge that we never could have anticipated as a race team, but as always, Red Bull is prepared for the unexpected,” said Red Bull sporting director Jonathon Wheatley.

He acknowledged that sight is crucial for a successful pit stop, as it allows the crew to see the car, their teammates, and their actions. Therefore, having that sense taken away presented serious hurdles.

“However, what soon became clear is how fluid the team are in their approach, communication, ability and cohesive spirt; that the task at hand was almost second nature. I was really proud of their performance.

“The time of 2.84 seconds is a strong stop even in broad daylight! I’m certainly not saying that I would like to turn the lights out in a race, but being able to pull this off so succinctly, in the pitch black, shows what a well-oiled machine the crew is and testament to the fact we have won six consecutive DHL’s Fastest Pit Stop Awards. Beautiful work.”