In the fast world of racing, every second, even millisecond, matters a lot. The difference between a victory and a defeat is measured in fractions of seconds. A huge part of the win is defined by the speed of the pit stops, and while the fastest pit stops, like McLaren’s record-breaking 1.80-second pit stop, are celebrated through history, there exist some pit stops slow enough that they changed seconds into minutes and sometimes even ended the driver’s hopes entirely. In this article, we will talk about such slowest pit stops in F1 history.
Top 4 Slowest Pit Stops In F1 History
Esteban Tuero – Argentina 1998 (Over 1 Minute)
Esteban Tuero’s home race at the 1998 Argentine Grand Prix featured one of the most chaotic and slowest pit stops in F1 ever seen. Racing for Minardi, Tuero came in for a scheduled stop, but the crew was completely unprepared. Tires were mixed up, and the mechanics scrambled in confusion, unsure of what to do next.
The pit stop lasted for over a minute, ruining Tuero’s race. This incident is often highlighted as one of the worst-executed and slowest pit stops in F1 history.
Lewis Hamilton – Hockenheim 2019 (50.3 Seconds)
At the 2019 German Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton’s race went downhill in the pit lane. After crashing into the barriers in wet conditions, Hamilton went back to the pits with a damaged front wing. The Mercedes crew was caught completely off guard, struggling to find the right parts and tires.
The result was a pit stop that lasted a staggering 50.3 seconds—an eternity in F1 terms. This disastrous incident resulted in one of the slowest pit stops in F1 that dropped Hamilton out of contention and remains one of the slowest pit stops in F1 in the modern era.
Eddie Irvine – Nürburgring 1999 (28 Seconds)
Eddie Irvine’s 28-second pit stop at the 1999 European Grand Prix is legendary for all the wrong reasons. Fighting for the championship, he entered the pits for a routine tire change. However, the Ferrari crew was not ready with the right rear tire.
Mechanics searched the garage as Irvine sat helplessly. The delay cost him precious time and, arguably, a shot at the world title. The incident is a textbook example of how a single pit stop can derail a season’s worth of effort, making it one of the slowest pit stops in F1.
Daniel Ricciardo – Monaco 2016 (15 Seconds)
Monaco’s narrow streets make track position vital, and Daniel Ricciardo was leading the 2016 race when disaster struck. Ricciardo pitted for fresh tires, but his Red Bull crew was unprepared—the correct tires weren’t ready in the pit lane.
Ricciardo waited as mechanics struggled to find the right set, resulting in a 15-second stop. The lost time handed victory to Lewis Hamilton and left Ricciardo visibly frustrated. This pit stop is often cited as one of the most painful missed opportunities and slowest pit stops in recent F1 history.
From the early days of F1, when pit stops lasted over a minute, to today’s two-second miracles, the evolution of pit stops in F1 is nothing short of spectacular. Yet these slowest pit stops in F1 remain infamous for ending a driver’s hope of even competing fairly in the race. They’re an example that even the best teams and drivers can sometimes fall victim to chaos when things go wrong.
Also Read: Lightning McQueen In Real Life: 4 Fastest F1 Speeds Ever Recorded
