In the absence of refuelling, it is predicted that tyre stops this year will average around 3 seconds. Such is the need for speed during pit stops, Red Bull sent its pit crew the headquarters of the British Olympic Association at Bisham Abbey.

As a result, the Austrian outfit regards its crew as one of the best in the pitlane, predicting that while the turnaround will be 3 seconds, the tyres will actually be changed in 1.8.

In addition to sending its crew to the British Olympic Association's HQ in Buckinghamshire, the team has also had them rehearsing twice a day - at noon and 4 pm - at the factory... since November. Indeed, in its quest to be quickest, the team is introducing while new wheelguns and wheelnuts which have been specifically designed to cut further milliseconds from the time.

"We will get racing in the pitlane this season," Christian Horner told the Times. "The amount of fuel being pumped used to determine the length of the stop but now it is a case of the car coming in and grabbing new tyres... the faster the better. There is bound to be a lot of brinkmanship as teams try to get in and out of the pits as fast as they can. It will be as exciting as anything in the race."

"It is a great feeling when it goes right, just the biggest buzz when the team comes together," adds Ole Schack, the team's number two mechanic and front-left wheel gunman. "But we know we have to get it right. There will be just so little time this season and we will all be out in the pitlane knowing we cannot mess up.

"We have been very focused as a team since we went to Bisham Abbey," he continues. "People watching on television probably never think of F1 as a team sport but no driver can win without having a great team around him, whether it is mechanics, designers, engineers, whoever it is."