Life in the Pit Lane
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Formula 1 News: ‘Life in the Pit Lane’ by Calum Nicholas

Posted by AR1 staff

The soon-to-be released book Life in the Pitlane is an inspiring memoir from Red Bull’s senior engineer Calum Nicholas that will open up the world of Formula 1 on the road like never before.

Replete with all the high-octane tales and behind the scenes details you’d expect from a life lived next to the fast lane, Life in the Pitlane will detail the realities of life off the track; the good and the bad, with a particular spotlight on diversity and inclusion within the sport, and all the entertaining stories and behind the scenes details fans of F1 will be looking for.

Life in the Pitlane brings a brand-new perspective to the sport, as Calum reflects on his career so far, how the sport has changed for those working in it, the realities of life on the road and the future he hopes lies ahead.

Nicholas recently debunked the myth that pit crew members just change tires, revealing that pit stops are actually their secondary duty and that all of them are ‘specialists.’

In a recent conversation with talkSPORT, the Red Bull mechanic revealed, “Pit stops for us in the F1 paddock is our secondary job. Everybody in the pit crew, we have a primary role. For myself, it’s PU assembly. For a lot of the others, it is electricians, engineers, IT technicians“.

However, that is not to say that pit stops are easy or neglected by any means.

Nicholas revealed in an interview last year on the Road to Success podcast that pit stops are perhaps the most “underrated job.”

“It’s intimidating because the car’s going to come past you and you’ve essentially got to chase the rear crash structure,” Nicholas said.

F1 regulations state that a maximum of 58 operational personnel can be part of the team in the race paddock at a time. This includes engineers, mechanics, electricians, the pit crew, two race drivers, and one substitute driver.

With limited staff in the paddock, F1 team members often take on multiple roles and must be well-versed in various tasks. Additionally, strict budget cap rules present another challenge that teams must manage.