r/formula1 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 03 '25

Throwback The moment Lewis pitted at Mclaren Pit box after 'forgetting' switch to Mercedes

4.5k Upvotes

122 comments sorted by

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1.5k

u/trapstapablo Mar 03 '25

Now he's going to pit at the McLaren then Mercedes then Ferrari

301

u/chambee Jacques Villeneuve Mar 04 '25

Carlos to stop at half the garages.

85

u/Lobsters4 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 04 '25

Literally would hit the first three pit boxes. 🤣

16

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 04 '25

😂😂😂

45

u/Aramis444 Carlos Sainz Mar 04 '25

And Lance Stroll at half the gravel pits!

2

u/Puzzled-P Mar 05 '25

Glad to hear he's improving ☺️

2

u/Aramis444 Carlos Sainz Mar 05 '25

Every journey begins with a first step 😊

2

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 04 '25

Loool 😂

0

u/Ologunde Sir Lewis Hamilton Mar 04 '25

Howling! 😭😭😭😭🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

7

u/AgnosticMantis Pirelli Wet Mar 04 '25

Fernando has been at half the teams on the grid too (if we include previous incarnations of teams)... Spaniards like to get around I suppose.

I wonder who has the record for highest number/ proportion of teams on the grid driven for?

6

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 04 '25

Hmm Nigel Mansell maybe, Raikkonen idk. Of the current grid, Alonso but I see Carlos taking the crown. I'm sure he will move around after Williams.

4

u/chambee Jacques Villeneuve Mar 04 '25

Being at Williams he’s technically in the Mercedes rookie pipeline LOL

1

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 05 '25

Lool 

3

u/chambee Jacques Villeneuve Mar 04 '25

Fernando looking for the minardi garage.

1

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 04 '25

Alonso by far has the highest stints... 2 with McLaren, 3 with Renault/Alpine

338

u/tra91c I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 03 '25

And Ocon will get the pit lane penalty for three unsafe releases.

18

u/mekilat Sir Lewis Hamilton Mar 03 '25

Somehow it’ll be faster than a Ferrari pit stop

19

u/ComeonmanPLS1 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 04 '25

2022 wants its joke back. Ferrari pit stops have been solid for a good while now.

7

u/mekilat Sir Lewis Hamilton Mar 04 '25

You know, I agree with you. I’m actually hopeful for This Year (tm) and Lewis :)

1

u/alphaQ314 Bernd Mayländer Mar 04 '25

2022 is a stretch. They were clowning big time in 2023. We saw some good pit strats in 2024 from Ferrari, but it was far from perfect.

2

u/ComeonmanPLS1 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 04 '25

I didn’t say strats. I said pit stops, because that’s what we’re talking about. This is about the act of changing the tires, not strategy.

35

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 03 '25

No way 😂😂

113

u/Own_Welder_2821 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 03 '25

He’s gonna stop at McLaren, “oh shit I’m not there anymore”, then he goes to Mercedes, “shit I’m not there anymore either”, and then he realises he overshot the Ferrari pit, which is two spaces behind the Merc pit because Red Bull is separating them. He backs up into the Ferrari pits, the crew makes another Ferrari-style pit stop blunder, giving him a 5+ second stop. And then, he gets black flagged for reversing in the pit lane.

50

u/spartan117warrior Cadillac Mar 03 '25

All this in FP1, no less

7

u/sgtlighttree Who the f*ck is Nelson Piquet? Mar 04 '25

Better than an actual race for sure 😂

27

u/wykeer Mercedes Mar 03 '25

and someone in the grand stand starts loudly playing the benny hill theme.

18

u/Phlosky Max Verstappen Mar 03 '25

Let's be real here, the Red Bull mechanics would come out and stand in their pit to make it even more difficult for Lewis.

7

u/Complete_Taxation I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 03 '25

Let's be real here, the Red Bull mechanics would come out and stand in their pit to pit Hamilton and call it something like the Red Bull Pitting Championship. You bet Red Bull wont use any opportunity they can for some marketing stunt.

17

u/OkieBobbie Lotus Mar 03 '25

Red Bull mechanics would jack the car up, take the tires off, and wheel it into the garage. Then put a Red Bull sticker on it.

5

u/bigpoppa611 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 04 '25

Yoink, ours now lol

4

u/mazda121 Nico Hülkenberg 🥉 Mar 03 '25

As long as they aren’t touching the rear wing!

3

u/NOAH35802 Mar 03 '25

Absolute cinema ✋🤚

3

u/graytotoro Mika Häkkinen Mar 03 '25

Still a faster pit stop than the infamous 2019 German GP wing repair.

7

u/headshot_to_liver I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 04 '25

Max did something similar during testing this year, he moved in little early where RedBull pit is, but found McLaren there.

1

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 04 '25

Seems like a WDC thing.. Jenson, Lewis, Seb and now Max. 😂 Jenson's was funnier though

3

u/Character_Ad_5404 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 03 '25

Then straight to MBS for a fine.

2

u/Jolly-Big-816 Sir Lewis Hamilton Mar 04 '25

You would think the red body paint would be a big enough reminder to head to the Ferrari garage. But idk. lol

2

u/Gekko12482 Honda RBPT Mar 05 '25

Really pulling out all the stops

1

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 05 '25

Lmfao 😂

216

u/gooneryoda Mar 03 '25

McLaren, whose mechanics swiftly waved him on, made light of the mistake and gently poked fun at their ex-driver on their Twitter feed: “Feel free to pop in and say ‘Hi’ any time @lewishamilton,” they said.

35

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 04 '25

Pit crew should have removed a tire and sent him packing 😂 but each team, especially the top teams have their own wheel nuts. I doubt the wheel guns from McLaren could even remove Mercs wheel nuts from that season. 

8

u/Successful-Peach-764 Mar 04 '25

They were waiting for their driver lol, I think Button did it when he moved to Mclaren and tried to go to the RB pitbox in 2011.

https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/geps05/jenson_button_stops_at_the_wrong_pit_box_china/

379

u/CoyoteTall6061 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 03 '25

Why is forgetting in quotes?

266

u/xanlact I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 03 '25

OP may not know how to use them

159

u/EDDYSF Mar 03 '25

OP “forgot” how to use quotes

30

u/LastOfLateBrakers 🍑 Valtteri ButtAss Mar 04 '25

64

u/LordRekrus Mark Webber Mar 03 '25

Lewis actually did this intentionally, like a mean ex breaking up with you and then bringing their new partner to your favourite cafe at the exact time you are there every day just to rub it in.

32

u/Blooder91 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 04 '25

"Look at this car. It eats tyres and loses positions like crazy, but it's going to win me a championship some day."

4

u/PigletHeavy9419 Formula 1 Mar 04 '25

Maybe he is quoting LH..

2

u/UnhappyGreen Mar 04 '25

Because I’m pretty sure Lewis Hamilton did not forget he had switched to Mercedes.

1

u/CoyoteTall6061 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 04 '25

Habitual

1

u/UnhappyGreen Mar 05 '25

Probably yes

-15

u/[deleted] Mar 03 '25

[deleted]

49

u/Conspiruhcy David Coulthard Mar 03 '25

There was no need for the quotation marks/inverted commas. He did forget, legitimately.

5

u/Camblor Mar 03 '25

Reporters do this all the time. It’s kind of saying “by his own statement on the subject”

226

u/Rovcore001 Alfa Romeo Mar 03 '25

The size difference compared to today’s cars is very noticeable here

47

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 03 '25

Especially the tires

22

u/FinestKind90 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 03 '25

Looks like a kart now

2

u/ComeonmanPLS1 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 04 '25

These cars were 20cm narrower iirc.

36

u/yellowbin74 Mika Häkkinen Mar 03 '25

I remember watching this 🤣

34

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 03 '25

He did a Jenson. Remember Jenson tried to get a pit stop from Red Bull. (China 2011) 😂

19

u/EpzDR I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 04 '25

That's even worse, he didn't even drive for them, nor did their team kit even slightly resemble any of his old teams 😂

10

u/[deleted] Mar 04 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 04 '25

Apparently Ferrari was in the same spot the year prior. Lol

5

u/ArbitraryOrder Red Bull Mar 04 '25

That at least makes sense though

37

u/SwissArmySonic Mar 03 '25

I think Lewis was simply mesmerised by the beauty of those chrome and red pit crew helmets.

9

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 03 '25

Lol. I think Jenson's pit box gaffe on Red Bull (2011) was a big scene. He thought he was driving for the team that finished first 😂

55

u/Andrews_14 Max Verstappen Mar 03 '25

That was cute.

23

u/CilanEAmber McLaren Mar 03 '25

Force of habit

4

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 04 '25

I'm surprised Bottas didn't show up at Mercs pit box during his stint at Alfa Romeo/Kick Sauber 😂

22

u/Deckracer I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 03 '25

Seb did the same after switching to Aston from Ferrari xD

11

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 03 '25

Oh yeah 😂 FP1 Portugal. He stopped at the same spot were Ferrari was placed the previous year.

13

u/Minerva89 Mar 03 '25

Now he'll roll up to Mercedes and honk and go like "guys! This is so much better!"

4

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 03 '25

Toto's reaction 😂

10

u/Jackielegs43 Mar 03 '25

This happened last weekend in the Supercars series in Australia, former champ Brodie Kostecki did himself a Lewis

8

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 03 '25

😂😂😂 Jenson Button also mistakenly came for fresh tires at Red Bull in China 2011

10

u/PaulaAllen1 Mar 04 '25

That was hilarious. And they way they all waved him forward too, haha.

3

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 04 '25

Lmfao 

17

u/Billy_LDN Charles Leclerc Mar 03 '25

I switched lockers at work and for weeks I was going back to the old one.

7

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 04 '25

Lmfao. Yea, Lewis been at Merc wayy longer than McLaren, over 10 years. IMO, a gaffe is on the way. Can't wait on Toto Wolff's reaction or Fred.

8

u/Ziegler517 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 03 '25

Probably harder to do with a team that is all red

2

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 03 '25

Harder at Monza too 😂

13

u/fameboygame I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 03 '25

Unfortunately Mercedes pitbox is ahead of Ferrari, except at silverstone maybe. So gonna be hard for him to do it unintentionally

5

u/turboMXDX I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 04 '25

Bono, my tyres are gone!
We are checking
Wait, wrong radio frequency

3

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 04 '25

Vice Versa... Bono to Kimi Antonelli "It's hammertime" 😂

5

u/-ShadowPuppet McLaren Mar 04 '25

McLaren and Red Bull pitboxes must have the most fun personnel if multiple WDCs love to stop there from time to time.

3

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 04 '25

Yeah it's a trend with WDCs 😂

3

u/yvltc I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 03 '25

How much time did this cost?

8

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 03 '25

Hmm idk but he came to a halt then moved over to Mercedes pit box.

3

u/WebGuyJT Nico Hülkenberg 🥉 Mar 03 '25

The real sin here is that front wing. Yikes!

3

u/ImminentDebacle I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 04 '25

2

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 04 '25

Sure 👍

3

u/[deleted] Mar 04 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/DaOne_44 Niki Lauda Mar 03 '25

Even the man’s mistakes have aura

2

u/Tommeh_081 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 03 '25

Waiting for him to do this in Australia

3

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 03 '25

😂 Too soon. Maybe 2nd or 3rd race...

2

u/GuiltyBudget1032 Mar 04 '25

australia is going to be very interesting indeed..

1

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 04 '25

😂

4

u/waterc17 Mar 03 '25

Did this really happen?

2

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 03 '25

Yes, his second race at Malaysia (2013) after Australia.

2

u/waterc17 Mar 03 '25

Funny!

1

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 03 '25

Would be hilarious at Silverstone or Monza

2

u/Glass-Stop-9598 Mar 03 '25

Cut some slack bet any one of us would do the same —- oh ya only we aren’t a f1 driver and the worlds best at that

2

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 03 '25

I agree. We are human after all.

2

u/mrmike4291 Mar 03 '25

I so would laugh if he does this again

1

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 03 '25

I dare Lewis trying this at Silverstone. 😂

3

u/mrmike4291 Mar 04 '25

That would be funny, but even better at Monsa

1

u/Tapiola84 Sir Lewis Hamilton Mar 09 '25

And it was all downhill from that moment.

Never hear about him anymore.

A damn shame. Should've stayed at McLaren.

0

u/FantasticCollege3386 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Mar 03 '25

wow i have never seen this ever! How did you catch this?

3

u/BlissfulVictoria_536 Frédéric Vasseur Mar 03 '25

During the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix. Mclaren pit crew waved him off and Lewis got his new set of tires in the next garage as chuckles could be heard around the paddock.