FIA to freeze development of F1 pit-stop equipment

The FIA will put on hold the development of pit stop equipment of F1 teams from September, according to a new technical directive published by the sport's governing body.

While rarely in the limelight of F1's technical advancements, pit-stop equipment which includes among other components pneumatic wheel guns, jacks and all sorts of important accessories, is the subject of significant investment by the teams and the scrutiny of engineers seeking efficiency and time are sought.

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As a reminder, in-race refueling is no longer allowed in F1 since 2010, so today's rigs are mandatory standardized units certified by the FIA.

The governing body's latest TD that will come into force on September 30 aims to support F1's efforts to cut costs and investment moving forward as the sport attempts to weather the current economic downturn.

The measure calls for all 10 teams to provide to the FIA a full description of the pit stop equipment they use. Each outfit is allowed to modify the submitted description after that date, but before the September deadline, providing they inform the FIA of their changes.

After September 30, only minor changes can be carried out, such as changes to jacks to cope with different car ride height ranges, but these will require approval from the governing body.

Small changes to the equipment - such as tweaks to jacks to adjust to a car's ride-height modifications - will be allowed after September 30, if they are approved by the FIA.

An initial plan that imposed standard pit equipment was devised by F1 and the FIA, but the scheme was eventually dropped as it would have required significant investment by the teams, thus raising costs.

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