McLaren Stir Debate with Fastest Pit Stop Award as Haas Endures 2025 Nightmare
McLaren have emerged at the center of fresh Formula 1 debate after being credited with the fastest pit stop of the 2025 season — an honour that has reignited discussion surrounding one of the most controversial moments of the year. In sharp contrast, Haas suffered a pit-lane nightmare, recording the two slowest stops of the entire campaign.
The standout moment came during the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, a race that ultimately played a decisive role in the championship fight. McLaren clocked an astonishing 1.91-second pit stop while servicing Oscar Piastri, officially the fastest of the 2025 season.
However, the achievement did not come without controversy. The Monza weekend was already under intense scrutiny after McLaren instructed Piastri to surrender track position to team-mate Lando Norris in the closing stages of the race. That decision would later prove pivotal in securing Norris the drivers’ championship, edging out Max Verstappen despite the Red Bull driver claiming victory at Monza.
Ironically, Piastri was the first of the McLaren duo to pit while running third, producing the lightning-fast stop. Norris followed one lap later — but suffered a disastrous 5.87-second pit stop, rejoining the circuit behind his Australian team-mate. Moments later, McLaren issued team orders instructing Piastri to move aside, restoring Norris to second place and strengthening his title position.
Despite the controversy, McLaren’s pit crew were unmatched across the season. The team recorded the three fastest pit stops of 2025, including two identical 1.94-second stops executed for both Norris and Piastri at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Red Bull closely followed McLaren’s pit-lane dominance, securing fourth, fifth and sixth positions on the fastest-stop leaderboard — all achieved with Yuki Tsunoda behind the wheel in Brazil, Hungary and Las Vegas. Ferrari’s best efforts placed seventh, eighth and ninth, with Charles Leclerc logging three consistent 2.00-second stops in Monaco, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.
Williams rounded out the top ten, thanks to a 2.02-second stop for Alex Albon during the Abu Dhabi season finale.
Haas’ Pit Stop Horror
While McLaren celebrated excellence, Haas endured one of the most painful pit stop campaigns in recent memory. Rookie Oliver Bearman found himself at the center of the chaos, suffering the two slowest pit stops of the entire season.
Bearman was left stationary for a staggering 29.04 seconds during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, followed by another nightmare 28.5-second stop just one week later in Monaco. Those two incidents were more than ten seconds slower than the third-worst pit stop of 2025, highlighting the severity of Haas’ struggles.
Ferrari claimed that unwanted third position, with Lewis Hamilton enduring an 18.54-second stop at the São Paulo Grand Prix. Racing Bulls also experienced a costly moment, as Yuki Tsunoda’s worst stop of the year occurred during his final race for the team in China, lasting 17.69 seconds.
Williams appeared on both ends of the spectrum. While Albon featured in the top ten fastest pit stops, he also endured the fifth slowest stop of the season when a delayed 16.94-second service in Spain compromised his race. His team-mate Carlos Sainz also suffered prolonged stops in the Netherlands and Bahrain.
Aston Martin, Stake F1, and McLaren themselves rounded out the slowest list, with Lance Stroll, Gabriel Bortoleto and Oscar Piastri all losing significant time in the pits at various points during the year.
A Season Defined by the Pit Lane
The 2025 season once again highlighted how pit stop execution can influence championships just as much as on-track performance. McLaren’s razor-sharp pit work proved decisive at key moments, while Haas’ repeated failures underscored the brutal margins that define modern Formula 1.
As teams head into 2026, pit lane performance remains one of the sport’s most unforgiving battlegrounds — capable of delivering championships, or inflicting unforgettable heartbreak in a matter of seconds.
