The Pit Stop
A pit stop is when a driver leaves the racing circuit and drives down the pit lane to stop at their team's garage. A crew of up to 20 mechanics changes all four tyres simultaneously. The fastest pit stops take around 1.8–2.0 seconds. A slow stop of 4–5 seconds can cost a position or more.
The Three Compounds
Pirelli supplies three dry-weather compounds: Soft (red — fastest but degrades quickest), Medium (yellow — balanced), and Hard (white — slowest but most durable). Drivers must use at least two compounds during the race. Teams decide which compounds to use and when — a decision that defines the entire race strategy.
The pit lane speed limit is 60 km/h. Speeding in the pit lane results in a time penalty. Teams have been penalised for exceeding the limit by as little as 1 km/h.