A Formula 1 pitstop is a carefully choreographed display of precision, agility and speed that sees teams replace all four tyres, make front wing adjustments and send a car back out to the race track in a handful of seconds. In total, a stop requires around 20 people doing different jobs, but one role is more stressful than the rest.
In every stop, three mechanics service each wheel, two people hold the car steady, two are on hand to make any wing adjustments necessary, one swoops in to raise the rear of the car and another has the most intense job of the lot: standing in front of an approximate 768kg race car as it slams to a stop mere centimetres from their toes. That position is, of course, the front jack operator.
“It's quite a brave role,” said Mark Lowe, sporting director of TGR Haas F1 Team. “You've got a car coming at you at 80 km/h and although the driver has a stop board, which is above one of the front wheels to use as a guide, he will also use the front jack as a way of lining up and making sure he's square in the box and stopping on his marks.”
Of course, there have been moments where the stop has gone wrong – who can forget Lance Stroll careering into his front jack operator at the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with the mechanic tumbling backwards after the clash?
Provided that doesn’t happen, the jack lifts up the front of the car and the surrounding mechanics can then get to work servicing all four wheels.
“Once all the wheels are correctly fitted, the front jack operator needs to move that jack out of the way as quick as they can so the car is not delayed,” Lowe added.
In order to pull off this explosive effort, the jack operators have a few broad height requirements, and also works to refine the stop repeatedly throughout the season.
"At every race we also do live pitstops during practice sessions so the team are used to a car coming into the pitbox and leaving as they would during a race,” Lowe adds. “We practice lots of different scenarios as well, such as if a jack fails, what will be done, who will step in, what they will do.”
On top of that, the jack operator also has a whole host of other tasks to complete over a race weekend, as this isn’t their only job within the team.
“Everyone in the pit crew has a primary role effectively and their pit crew position is additional,” explained Lowe. “The pit crew is made-up of mechanics, garage technicians, and electricians.”
