When a SAFETY CAR or VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR is called it’s noted that some drivers will
be able to get a FREE pit stop.
We take for granted that SAFETY CAR periods invite free or cheap pitstops.
We expect a rush of cars into the pits, especially around people’s pit windows.
But WHY are pitstops so cheap under the Safety Car?
Let’s start by defining the cheapness of a pitstop.
Coming into the pits for a change of tyres costs you a certain amount of time.
This much should be obvious: the pitlane is much, much slower than the race track and
the car does come to a stop (even if only for a blink of an eye in today’s age of
acrobatic pit crews) The time you’ll lose taking a pitstop varies
but it’ll normally be somewhere between 20 and 30 seconds.
So if a normal lap takes you 100 seconds at a track where a pitstop costs 20 seconds,
a lap with a pitstop with take 120 seconds.
Race track layouts vary, but for modelling purposes we’re going to simplify our track
into a circle.
Everyone already thinks F1 is just driving around in circles anyway right?
As we said, we’re going to say it takes drivers 100 seconds to complete a lap.
These dots are different cars, OK?
We’re using our IMAGINATIONS!
So, if the leading pink car pits now, they will lose 20 seconds compared to all these
other cars that aren’t pitting.
This is 20 seconds on our circuit, so all of the cars inside this area will pass the
pink car while they pit.
That’s a normal pitstop.
And actually – just as an aside – as the cars continue around, if we put the pitstop
time out ahead of the pink car, we can say that if anyone inside this area now pits,
the pink car will come out ahead of them.
This is what it means to be ‘less than a pit stop behind’ someone.
OK We’re all happy so far.
OK, so when a Safety Car is called out there are TWO main reasons why a pitstop is so cheap
and beneficial.
Firstly as soon as the SAFETY CAR is called, EVERYONE
slows down to a steady pace.
For simplicity’s sake, let’s say that lapping under this reduced speed takes 150
seconds instead of the 100 seconds at race speed.
Well, a pitstop still takes the same amount of time.
It still takes you 20 seconds in this model.
And 20 seconds is a much smaller proportion of the lap than it was at full speed.
So now, only THIS ONE CAR will pass the pink car, under reduced speeds.
If the pink car is in roughly the right window to stop then it pays to go for it.
Here's an analogy for you.
Let’s say you promised your sister you were going to make them a delicious spaghetti dinner
for when they come over.
It takes 20 minutes to make dinner, but you haven’t started yet and they are already
ten minutes away – you’ll never make it in time!
BUT if your sister gets stuck in traffic and it will take them 30 minutes to get to you,
you’ve now got plenty of time to make the delicious spaghetti dinner before they arrive.
Making dinner is taking a pitstop; the traffic jam is the safety car.
You got that right?
Of course, if it’s the right time to stop, then all the cars around pink will also stop
as they too will be able to cut an advantage over the cars behind them.
As such, at times almost everyone will stop and the advantages will be negated.
But at least no one loses out.
But this leads us to another point.
Let’s say look at the YELLOW car, in second place behind pink.
Before the SAFETY CAR is called, let’s say Yellow is 10 seconds behind Pink.
In normal conditions, if Yellow pits first they will end up 30 behind Pink.
But if a full Safety Car is called, Yellow knows that the gaps will all disappear once
they line up behind the SAFETY CAR end to end.
So if Yellow pits now, they’ll end up right behind Pink, instead of 30 seconds back.
Taking the pitstop has cost them nothing.
Pink knows this, of course, and they will pit too otherwise Yellow will end up right
behind them on nice fresh tyres.
The only worry Pink might have is: what if Yellow DOESN’T pit?
What if it’s in the last third of the race and the track is tricky to overtake on, so
if Pink pits and Yellow carries on, Pink gets stuck behind Yellow.
Yellow is in a prime position to do whatever Pink doesn’t do here and pick a strategy
to their own advantage.
And THAT is the basis of getting yourself a cheap pitstop under SAFETY CAR or VIRTUAL
SAFETY CAR conditions.
The idea is pretty simple whether you think of it as dots going around a circle or making
spaghetti for your sister.
I don’t even have a sister.
I make spaghetti
for ME.