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It Takes Less Time To Complete An F1 Pit Stop Than It Does To Read This Sentence

Updated: Dec 14, 2022

Have you ever seen ballroom dancers float across the dance floor?

Clumsy dancers think one step at a time.

But professionals dance with flowing movements.



You've got to watch it a couple of times to fully absorb what's going on.

The team accomplishes more in 2 seconds than many people in their entire life.

Dozens of precisely coordinated moves, executed with perfect timing and harmony, as if it were their only chance to dance the dance.

The coolest part is the team’s reaction once they're done.

Business as usual.

As if this were simple.

Because, for them, it is.


"Within the tight timeframe of an F1 pit stop, the first step is the car coming into the box and stopping on the marks. One crew member will be holding a stop board, indicating where exactly the front tyre should come to a stop. Once the car has reached its position, the sign will go up and it will then be lifted up by the people operating the front and rear jacks. It's at this point that the tyre crew get to work. There are twelve people involved in changing the tyres, three on each of the car's four corners: one operating the wheel gun, one taking the old tyre off and another placing the new tyre on. Once the wheel nuts have been loosened, the worn tyres are taken off and new ones are then fitted. The wheel nuts are tightened and if the crew members are happy that they are safely on, they will hit a button on their wheel guns to confirm this. While this is going on, there are two crew members positioned at the front of the car to adjust the front wing flaps, using electrically-operated guns. There are also two crew members placed in the middle of the car, to steady it on the jacks, clear the radiators and clean the driver's visor and mirrors when required. Another team member is overseeing the pit stop and the pit lane traffic. This person has the final say as to whether the traffic light gantry system goes green, which releases the driver into the fast lane. If there's too much traffic, they'll keep holding down their button until a gap emerges."

The perfect pit stop is fluid compared to what most of us experience when we need to change a tire.

Cars come and go in a little over two seconds.

Anything over that mark is considered a 'slow stop'.

The speed, however, is actually not the most important goal for the team.

Instead, it's all about consistency.

A 2.4-second stop is great, but if you follow that up later in the race with a 3.8-second stop that advantage is gone.

Teams are looking for their pit stop times to be consistent across individual races and the season as a whole.

Your brand is what you consistently do.

The kind of people you consistently employ.

The promises you consistently make and keep.

The type of products you consistently offer.

The service you consistently deliver.

Consistency is a superpower.

Do anything consistently for a long time (meaning multiple years), and you’ll be good at it.

Consistency builds excellence.

Are you consistent in the story you tell to everyone?



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