Red Bull wins third 'championship' in addition to both titles in 2022

It's the fifth year in a row that Red Bull has been named the fastest team in the Formula 1 pit lane.

The team took the overall DHL Fastest Pit Stop prize in 2022, producing lighting pit stops for Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez nearly every race weekend.

The achievement comes despite the significant changes that the mechanics needed to adapt to, including the heavier tyres and larger 18-inch rims which make it harder to place on the car.

A technical directive was also issued in August last year for pit stops aimed at preventing cars entering the live track with a loose tyre, which called into question whether a sub-two second stop could be possible again.

McLaren hits target in Abu Dhabi

It took 20 races before that question could be answered, when McLaren produced the fastest stop of the season at the Mexican Grand Prix.

They were the only team to do a sub-two second stop for Daniel Ricciardo at 1.98s, while Red Bull's best was only 2.04s at the next race in Brazil.

The overall effort throughout the season is still remarkable from Red Bull, considering the team did not know what to expect heading into the new regulation changes.

Speaking ahead of the season, the man behind the record-breaking pit stop team, Jonathan Wheatley, explained that the team had done zero preparation for the 18-inch tyres.

"The dynamics will be completely different in 2022. Consistency will be key more than ever and we will focus on that over the winter," said the Red Bull Sporting Director.

Consistency was the key for Red Bull: the team managed to produce the fastest pit top in nearly every race, taking five of the top 10 spots on the 'Fastest pit stops of 2022' list.

"It's been an ultra-competitive year. We've had the rule changes in 2021, which really spelled out what we could and couldn't do during a pit stop," said Wheatley.

"This year it was a complete reset with the new wheels. The weight was one thing, but we also had to understand how to pit with this wheel. It's a great achievement and I'm so proud of the team to do that for the fifth year in a row."

Sub-par Mercedes performance

It wasn't just their on-track performances that were sub-par for Mercedes, the team also struggled to produce quick pit stops throughout the season.

In the fastest pit stop standings points are awarded at each race for the top ten fastest pit stops, resulting in the 'World Championship Standings' for each performance.

Red Bull takes the overall top spot on 534 points, with McLaren second on 427 points, and Alpha Tauri third on 257 points.

Mercedes take eighth on only 122 points, which is significantly lower than their 2021 performance which put them second on 317 points.