MotoGP™ races are high-pressure affairs in which every second counts. Every action, decision and reaction from the riders and their pit crews can contribute towards the fine margins that determine success or perceived failure.
In many races the riders do not enter the pits at all, but in practice, MotoGP™ qualifying and specific race scenarios, efficient pit stops make all the difference.
Typically during a MotoGP™ race run in dry conditions, there are no pit stops - unlike in other motorsports series such as F1 where pit stops are standard and crucial during races. If a rider does enter the pits during a normal MotoGP race, it will most likely cost several crucial positions.
However, during practices, qualifying and flag-to-flag races, what happens during a MotoGP™ pit stop is critical to the overall outcome of the Grand Prix.
The MotoGP™ pit stop has specific rules and protocols to ensure the safety of riders and their teams, meanwhile of course enabling the process to happen as quickly as is safely possible.
In this article we will look at what happens during a MotoGP™ pit stop, the role of the crew involved in executing a pit stop and how they impact race strategies.
Purpose of a pit stop in MotoGP™
In ordinary circumstances there is no need for a pit stop in MotoGP™, as the riders complete the planned race distance in one go.
Pit stops most often come into play in a flag-to-flag race when riders have been informed they can pit to change bikes due to the weather conditions, or when a race has been declared wet (in this case, bike changes are permitted at any moment).
MotoGP™ pit stop procedures are a designated process that allow riders to enter pit lane in a controlled, safe manner, switch bikes at their team box, and then exit pit lane and rejoin the race. Its purpose is to avoid a disorganised, chaotic and therefore dangerous environment in pit lane and ensure that rider and team personnel safety are prioritised at all times.
The main reason for a pit stop will be for a rider to switch to a second bike that has a different set-up. For example, if a race is declared wet prior to its start so the rider starts on a bike with a wet set-up, then the track begins drying rapidly as the race unfolds, the rider will either decide individually or be informed by their team that the time has come to pit in and change to a bike with a dry set-up.
Another potential reason for a pit stop will be for a bike adjustment. In races, riders can simply switch bikes under the flag-to-flag rule, but the situation can arise in practice or qualifying whereby a rider may need a small technical tweak to either their bike or to their riding kit - such as helmet, leathers, gloves, boots or knee/elbow slider.
These changes will be to something that cannot be adjusted while out on track, but which is significant enough to affect their riding and force them into pit lane.
In practice and qualifying sessions, riders are free to enter pit lane as and when they require to make changes to their bikes and discuss strategic decisions with their crew.
MotoGP™ pit crew roles
The pit crew play a crucial part in what happens during a MotoGP™ pit stop, and every member has a designated role with related tasks that all contribute to a smooth, effective and successful pit stop.
A team is allowed to have a maximum of five staff per rider in pit lane for pit stops during races. These staff members must all wear a helmet and they are the only team members allowed to assist with the bike change. All other staff must remain inside the team box, or be stationed in the signalling area on the pit wall.
The five crew who are assigned to pit lane will be responsible for a range of important tasks. These include preparing the second bike (and taking the first bike off the rider), removing tyre warmers, stationing the bike in the right place, and having any brief communication/message ready to relay to the rider.
As the pit stop is usually performed under extreme pressure and time constraints, there is often only time for the rider to literally jump from one bike to the next. But there are many small details that are highly important and which the crew takes care of, to ensure that switch happens as quickly as possible and without issues.
MotoGP™ pit stop procedures
When a MotoGP™ rider comes in for a pit stop, there are a number of steps that are followed, the first of which is obeying the pit lane speed limit of 60km/h.
Once in pit lane, the rider will then look for their team’s box locator - a line of turn-in marker signals which are laid out on the floor and indicate to each rider where their team’s box is. No team member is permitted to stand by these and signal to riders for safety reasons.
Once the rider has turned in and arrives at their team box, they must stop their bike on a marker that has been applied to the floor. The second bike must be waiting on a similar marker.
These markers are determined by race officials at the start of the weekend. To get to their team box, a rider cannot ride behind the spare machine of another rider, meaning they cannot ride pit-box side of any other bikes to get to their marker.
The bike change must be done where the markers are in pit lane, and cannot be done inside the pit box. The engine of the second bike can be running, but the bike must be in neutral and only the rider can put the bike in gear once they have mounted the bike.
Once the rider has switched bikes and is ready to leave, the team is responsible for the safe release of the rider into pit lane traffic. One team member must be assigned the sole role of checking for incoming traffic, and that crew member is responsible for releasing the rider only when it is safe to do so.
The rider must give way to approaching riders who are on pit lane and who have right of way, and the rider then needs to obey the pit lane speed limit until they pass the end-zone marker.
Strategies involving pit stops
When a race has been declared wet or is a flag-to-flag, teams are then faced with strategic decisions around when to pit, or whether to pit at all. What happens during a MotoGP™ pit stop can determine the outcome of the entire race.
When a race has been declared wet and a rider starts on a wet bike, the decision on whether and when to pit for a dry bike depends on a few factors. The main one is how fast the track dries - wet tyres degrade rapidly on a dry track, so the decision on how early to pit for a dry bike is critical.
Pitting too early means the rider may need to negotiate a still-wet track on slick tyres for a period in which their competitors on wets are gaining an advantage. The rider should however then have an advantage over their rivals as the track dries further and the other riders have to pit themselves.
Pitting too late runs the risk of other riders who change to dry set ups sooner gaining an advantage on a drying track, and the rider who pits late being too far behind by the time they get out on a dry bike.
It’s a similar dilemma in a MotoGP™ flag-to-flag race, where a gamble to pit for a wet bike can pay off handsomely if the rain intensifies, or it can backfire if the wet weather was a passing moment and the track remains largely dry.
Timing is everything when it comes to pit stops, and various components such as data, analysis, experience and even gut instinct all play their part in riders responding accordingly to the need for a strategic call on when to pit.
Ultimately, the key of the bike-change strategy always hinges on the time lost for a pit-stop cancelling out the time that would otherwise be lost by staying on the wrong tyres without pitting.
Visits to pit boxes during Q1 and Q2
Entering the pits during qualifying is much more frequent than in races, as riders and their teams make bike adjustments and quickly exchange information as they look for an edge to get that qualifying lap time that will position them well on the starting grid.
Riders will pit at strategic times during a qualifying session for a fresh set of tyres, on which they will then push for a fast lap.
Their crew chief - the most senior technical member of the team with whom the rider communicates most closely - can also inform them of any relevant information that they may need to know about how the session is going. For example which part of the track they may be losing time on or some information on the engine mapping they want the rider to select.
As with a pit stop during a race, these pit lane visits are important as they are against the clock, and require each crew member to be clear and efficient with their specific tasks to ensure the rider gets what they need, as fast as possible.
One key difference between an in-race and a qualifying session pit stop is the number of staff permitted to be working in pit lane. In a qualifying session, each team is allowed one extra person in pit lane, for a total of six designated pit lane staff.
Examples of memorable MotoGP™ pit stops
There have been some notable examples of pit stops occurring in MotoGP™ which have proven to be significant to the race outcome.
At Phillip Island in 2013, an enforced pit stop was applied by Race Direction for safety reasons due to tyre wear, with riders required to pit after a certain number of laps. A mistake by rookie Marc Márquez and his team meant he stayed out too long and pitted late, and he was disqualified from the race. Fortunately for the Spaniard it did not ultimately affect his championship outcome, but it was a dramatic race nevertheless.
Phillip Island was in fact the site of the first flag-to-flag race in 2006 and saw riders pitting under new, revised and strictly organised MotoGP™ pit stop procedures.
At the Austrian Grand Prix in 2021, Brad Binder gave a masterclass in pit-stop strategy to win, staying out on slick tyres when it started raining in the closing stages, whilst all his competitors entered for pit stops to change to wet bikes.
For our full guide to flag-to-flag races in MotoGP™ check out this related article.