Why F1 Teams Still Use Old-School Pit Boards, And What They Actually Show

F1 is the pinnacle of motorsport, where cutting-edge technology that makes its way into the cars we drive is developed. Yet despite the millions of dollars F1 teams invest in their operations, they still rely on equipment that has been in use for decades. One such piece of equipment is the pit board, which a team member holds out over the pit wall to relay important information to the driver.

Teams still use pit boards mainly because radio communication with the driver can sometimes be lost, and they serve as a backup in case the radio fails. F1 has advanced immensely over the last three decades, but radio failures still occur — that's exactly what happened at the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix, when Alex Albon lost radio contact and furiously gestured to his crew to change his front wing. Another reason F1 teams use pit boards is to avoid distracting their drivers, as Kimi Räikkönen famously demonstrated during his time at Lotus when he asked his team engineer to leave him alone.

F1 drivers are multitasking machines and — aside from driving their cars at incredible speeds — they also have to look at data and toggle settings on their steering wheel. Seeing a pit board as they go down the main straight gives them the necessary information without breaking their concentration. The display on the F1 steering wheel delivers plenty of information to the driver as well, but its small size can make it hard to read. Pit boards, on the other hand, use bold, large lettering that remains visible even when drivers are blasting down the straight at 200 mph.

F1 teams use radio communication to inform drivers about several things while they are out on track, including lap times, any issues with the car, and when they need to pit. 

The pit board, meanwhile, can't offer nearly as much data to the driver. It is primarily used to show key information such as the gap to nearby cars, track position, the time the driver needs to close on the car ahead, and the number of laps remaining in the race. For example, if the pit board shows "+3," it means the driver is three seconds ahead of the car behind, while a negative sign followed by a number means the driver is that many seconds behind the car ahead. If a driver's name is added, it indicates the gap to that specific driver. The letter "P" added to a number indicates the driver's position, while "L" followed by a number shows the laps remaining in the race.

The pit board can also be used to signal the driver to pit on the next lap. If a team loses all radio communication with the driver, engineers can use the pit board to warn the driver about issues with the car, such as overheating. Pit boards are also sometimes used to send celebratory messages to drivers after a win – or even for inside jokes, as Carlos Sainz and his Ferrari team did back in 2021.