P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Xevi Pujolar says he is “happy” with the pit stops of his Stake F1 team during the Japanese Grand Prix, contrasting them against the issues Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu endured in the opening three rounds of the year.
At the Japanese Grand Prix, Stake F1 racing director Xevi Pujolar discussed his team’s ongoing efforts to improve pit stops after facing challenges during the first three races of the 2024 Formula 1 season. The team’s performance at the race was marred by Zhou Guanyu’s retirement due to a gearbox issue and Valtteri Bottas settling for P14 after battling in the upper midfield. Hardware problems have been hindering Stake’s pit stops, impacting the team’s race pace and preventing them from competing for points, putting them among the three teams yet to score after four rounds. A change in front suspension philosophy for the season forced the team to find a new solution to the issue, not identified during pre-season testing. Despite facing slower pit stops compared to rivals at Suzuka, Pujolar expressed satisfaction with the progress made, emphasizing the importance of reliability before focusing on speed and performance. Both Pujolar and Bottas have commended the pit stop crew for their efforts and indicated their confidence in the team’s capabilities moving forward.
