Formula 1 is often described as a team sport and when it comes to pit-stops, that philosophy is where that rings truest.
A driver must stop on his marks where a team of over 20 people go to work to execute the fastest pit-stop possible to swap tyres and get that driver back into the race with the least minimal time lost in the process.
Although no points are handed out for a successful pit-stop, we at Motorsport Week felt it was only right during the summer break to evaluate who has been the best at getting their cars in and out of the pits the quickest with the help of F1's logistics partner DHL.
In 2015 DHL created the fastest pit-stop award and has since scored the best 10 pit-stops per race and handed out points in the same fashion, so who has come out on top at the halfway mark of the season?
10th – Renault – 20pts
The on-track performance of the R.S.18 has been superb in 2018 – proving to be 'best of the rest' with their pace against the rest of the chasing midfield pack.
While there has been no standout dramas from the Enstone team when it has come to making pit-stops, Renault lie at the foot of the table on just 20 points. Their best stop came at the Bahrain Grand Prix for Nico Hulkenberg at 2.68 seconds which was enough to earn themselves fourth place and 12 points on the day, but the crew has continually struggled to regularly break into the top 10 so far this season.
Results on the track have shown the team have yet to be slowed down by their lack of quick stops, but with championship aspirations along with the signing of Daniel Ricciardo for 2019, nailing those stops has got to be a focal point for improvement.
9th – Haas – 24pts
Haas proved at the Australian Grand Prix how cruel the sport can be when a pit-stop fails to get executed in the correct fashion, both cars dropped out the race from fourth and fifth places after both cars suffered cross-threaded wheels nuts in the space of just one lap, costing the team a potential 22-point haul in the opening race of the season.
After the calamitous events in Melbourne, the Haas crew have understandably struggled to make the top 10 for the fastest stop, ensuring they get everything correct before leaving the pit box is vital in securing the best possible finish for the team given the lost result in Australia.
The American team did scoop 10 points in the pit-stop championship for Kevin Magnussen's stop in Melbourne with a 2.72 second effort, however, their best timed stop came in Monaco at just 2.65s, also for Magnussen.
Given the pace Haas have shown this season on track against their nearest rival Renault, improved pit-stops in the latter half of the season could help them in their battle to secure fourth place in the Constructor's Championship.
8th – Force India – 42pts
Another team right in the thick of the midfield battle is Force India, while their affairs have been aired out in public in 2018 with the administration issues as well as a new owner in the shape of a Lawrence Stroll-backed consortium. Life in the pit-lane has also proved to be just as tricky.
The Silverstone-based squad earned a lot of points early on within the pit-stop championship with their best achieved at the Chinese Grand Prix for Sergio Perez which was enough for third place and 15 points on the day at 2.39s.
The team were most consistent with their stops in Bahrain managing to get the fifth and sixth best stops of the race and bringing in a solid points haul.
With new investment coming into the team giving them a big morale boost to boot, Can the pit-stop crews put together some mesmerising stops to move up the DHL table?
7th – Toro Rosso – 71pts
To go along with their 2018 season of mixed fortunes, Toro Rosso have found it hard to be consistent in all aspects of their campaign.
While the STR13 has proved to be fickle on the track, occasionally coming good, the pit crew have also struggled to get the best out of themselves whilst servicing their cars on pit road.
The season started well with a sixth place finish in Australia, but failed to crack the top ten in Bahrain. China saw an improvement with a 2.45s stop for Brendon Hartley to earn 12 points for fourth place.
A double-points finish in Monaco showed the team were trying, but the breakthrough came in France where an improvement saw a 2.43s stop to notch up 18 points for second place.
At the last race in Hungary the Toro Rosso crew managed their best stop all season with a superb 2.27s effort to clinch third place on the day.
Consistency for Toro Rosso is key for the Italian team with the midfield pack being so tightly contested, one good stop could help their season dramatically if they play it right.
6th – McLaren – 77pts
Unlike Toro Rosso, McLaren have been more consistent throughout 2018. Despite their on-track trials and tribulations.
The team has struggled in not being able to really hammer out the best stops to get them back in the race when it matters most.
While regularly making it into the top 10 fastest stops, they haven't been quick enough to bring home the big points to move them up the table.
The German Grand Prix saw the team's best pit-stop performance with a fourth and fifth and a season best 2.49s effort, matching their best time from the Spanish Grand Prix.
With their on-track consistency taking a hit and causing them numerous headaches, the pit crew have been putting in a good effort and with a bit more pace they could find better results at the finish line.
5th – Williams – 154pts
The FW41 has proved beyond troublesome in 2018 for the Williams team, in what promised to be a change of fortunes in 2018, the season has completely fallen flat in front of them, forcing the team to confront a new reality at the backend of the field.
Despite their car troubles, last season's runners-up in the DHL pit-stop award have continued to show how good they have been at pit-stops, long gone is the day a mis-matched set of tyres got put on a car.
With two wins on the board in the pit-stop championship at Baku and Hockenheim, it's been a solid year for Williams in the pit lane at least.
The grove-based outfit also holds the season's second best stop so far in 2018 with a 2.10s effort.
Finding more form is certainly their target in all areas, but with an extra push they know they can produce – they should be able to unlock more and move up the order.
4th – Mercedes – 161pts
Last season's champions in and out of the pit lane have been challenged harder than ever before in 2018, giving the German team a real headache.
With both Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes leading both Driver's and Constructors' Championships, in the pit-stop game, the Brackley-based outfit has only one win which came at the Chinese Grand Prix for the 2.18s effort on Valtteri Bottas’ car.
Despite only the one victory, the team has been relatively consistent across the season so far which has helped keep them in within the higher echelons of the table.
3rd – Sauber – 161pts
While Mercedes have been consistent throughout 2018, Sauber – while matching the same points tally, have been almost on the opposite spectrum to the German outfit.
Sauber have managed three victories on the bounce in Monaco, Canada and France with their tyre changing efforts, however, while doing so they have been unable to consistently replicate such pace in all their other stops throughout the year.
A season best time of 2.21s for Charles Leclerc's stop at the Monaco GP ultimately proved fruitless after his exit from the race following a brake failure at the Neuvelle chicane led to a collision with Hartley's Toro Rosso.
With a boost from a 2018 Ferrari power unit and a revived team under the leadership of Frederic Vasseur, Sauber have turned their fortunes around dramatically this season and with a touch more consistency could really put pressure on those around them in the midfield, a few more good pit-stop performances could make all the difference.
2nd – Ferrari – 181pts
Ferrari have been the biggest challengers to Mercedes dominance in recent years, proving to be real title contenders against the reigning German champions from the past four seasons.
The Scuderia have enjoyed the highs and lows in the pit lane in 2018, scoring a win in Germany with a season best 2.09s second stop for Sebastian Vettel.
However, the team also saw a tragic event occur at the Bahrain Grand Prix where left-rear wheel-on mechanic Francesco Cigarini got hit by Kimi Raikkonen as the Finn left his pitbox – breaking Cigarini's leg in the process.
Ferrari's two wins to their name in the pit-stop championship have shown – like Sauber, Williams and Ferrari – increased consistency could drastically change the fortunes of any of those teams given how close their rivals are.
1st – Red Bull – 321pts
At the halfway part of the season, it is clear Red Bull Racing have managed the most standout performances in 2018.
While the RB14 is proving to lack that missing piece of outright pace to fight against Mercedes and Ferrari, it has shown what has been possible in the pit lane when it comes to being consistent.
During the Chinese Grand Prix, Red Bull made a last-gasp call to bring both drivers into the pits under Safety Car conditions, serviced both cars quickly to get back out on track with fresh soft tyres which ultimately led to Ricciardo winning his first race of the season.
Four pit-stop wins which included a 1-2 effort at the British Grand Prix and a season best 2.15s stop in Melbourne has led to Red Bull being the runaway leaders in the pit-stop championship.
Can anyone catch them in the remaining nine races?
Formula 1 returns to action on August 24 at the Belgian Grand Prix.
