Do you know how F1 teams’ garage positions in the paddock are allocated? Today, let’s talk about the assignment rules and the impact of different pit garage locations.
According to Article 34.5 of the F1 Sporting Regulations, the FIA allocates garages and pit lane areas to each participating team in a fair manner. In practice, this is usually determined by the previous year’s Constructors’ Championship standings. The team that finishes first has the right to choose either the first garage at the pit lane entrance or the last one. In most cases, they choose the first garage at the entrance. For example, so far this season, this choice has appeared in 11 races, with exceptions being Australia, Japan, and Canada. After the champion team chooses, the remaining teams line up in order according to their standings from the previous year.
So, based on the 2024 season, McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull are positioned next to each other, while Sauber is usually closer to the pit lane exit. Occasionally, you might see some confusion during practice sessions where drivers overshoot their garage due to unusual positioning.
There are also special cases. For example, at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, because of grandstand visibility, the top teams—Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari—were sometimes placed in the middle of the pit lane in previous years, to give spectators a clearer view.
So, what advantages does the first garage at the pit lane entrance have?
In terms of pit stops, the pit lane is strictly controlled by speed limits and safe release rules. At first glance, the overall pit stop time is the same regardless of garage location. But in an F1 race where every hundredth of a second counts, 0.01 seconds can make a huge difference. The advantage of the first garage is that cars can drive straight into the pit box without needing to steer around other teams. The car’s nose can even be angled slightly outward, making the entire process smoother and more direct. This is especially important at tracks like Monaco or Zandvoort, where the pit lane is shorter and space is tighter.
Additionally, if a car suffers a puncture, the distance to return to the first garage is shorter. After a pit stop, if there is traffic, the first garage also has fewer complications: the team only needs to consider cars entering the pits, not those exiting at the same time. In theory, this makes the margin for error smaller. For example, if you and the car behind pit simultaneously, and you take three seconds while they take just over two, you could still emerge ahead due to the safe release rule.
However, in F1, advantages always come with trade-offs. The first garage can also be a disadvantage. For example, at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton was the only car on the grid at the restart because he hadn’t pitted. If he had pitted, his garage position meant he would likely have had to wait for a clear gap to safely rejoin, risking lost positions anyway.
Another scenario is qualifying sessions with a red flag and limited time left. When all cars rush out at once, the driver in the first garage is at a disadvantage because of their position in the queue. Also, after a pit stop, the car from the first garage takes longer to rejoin the track, which means tire temperatures may be lower compared to a car leaving from the last garage.
For these reasons, depending on the circuit layout and weather, even the championship-winning team sometimes chooses the last garage. For example, if the first garage position is awkward, the last one might be more practical. At the Canadian Grand Prix, the pit lane entrance is narrow at the first garage, while the last garage has more space and allows a straight exit. In such cases, the last garage could be the smarter choice.
This is a look at how paddock garage positions are allocated in F1, and the pros and cons of each.
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