The scream of the engine, daring overtakes and podium celebrations all contribute to the spectacle when a Formula 1 racing car zooms through a track at 290 kilometers per hour or faster.

While the driver hogs the spotlight – and rightly so – behind every winning race car is a highly coordinated team of specialists. They are known as the pit crew. A quiet squad that operates with the precision of a military unit, with each role woven into the automobile's safety, speed, and dependability.

They labour in the shadow of drivers, but without them, a car would never cross the line.

But it was not as we perceive it now. In the early decades of motorsports, mechanics simply mended cars, tightened bolts, and performed whatever was necessary throughout the long races. As motorsports progressed, so did the pit crew. Today, a modern pit stop is a precision performance in which dozens of hands operate in unison, often accomplishing complex tasks in only seconds.

Modern crew also have expertise in tires, suspension, electronics, engine systems and race data. Every manoeuvre during a pit stop is practised multiple times, much like a choreographed dance, to guarantee that no second is wasted.

A Formula One pit stop is completed in less than three seconds.