Red Bull Insider exposes “embarassing” conditions of F1 pit crew members

Former Red Bull Technician Calum Nicholas took to social media platforms and exposed the condition of the F1 pit crew members. The Red Bull insider recently came out and responded to social media users who criticized the F1 mechanics following Lando Norris’ slow pitstop at the Italian GP.

Lando Norris was running P2 at the Italian GP when a slow pit stop put him behind Oscar Piastri and forced McLaren to issue team orders to swap the drivers. A user on a social media platform criticised the F1 mechanics for a “three-second work shift” in a post that was later deleted.

Calum Nicholas hit back at the social media user’s comments, detailing the hard work put in by the F1 Mechanics during a race weekend, while also revealing the salary of an average F1 technician. The former Red Bull Racing insider said,

“This is why so few people in the paddock interact on here by the way. Bs opinions like this. It’s embarrassing. Average salary for an F1 Tech is closer to £60k by the way. The average working week is about 70 hours. Most fly economy, and nobody gets paid more for being on the pit crew.”

Calum Nicholas

@F1mech

This is why so few people in the paddock interact on here by the way. Bs opinions like this. It’s embarrassing. Average salary for an F1 Tech is closer to £60k by the way. The average working week is about 70 hours. Most fly economy, and nobody gets paid more for being on

Calum Nicholas worked with the Marussia F1 Team from 2011-2014. He joined the Red Bull Racing team in 2015 as a Senior Engine Technician and worked with the team for nearly a decade. Nicholas only left the team at the end of the 2024 season and retired from the sport.

Speaking about the salary when he joined F1, Calum Nicholas said,

“My first salary travelling the world in F1 at 22 was £42k. With no responsibilities at home, it felt like I’d hit the lottery. But it was also only a 17 race season, with no triple-headers. The workload on the V8s was also nothing compared to what’s required now.”

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Red Bull Insider reveals the impact of the cost cap on the F1 pit crew's salary

F1 introduced the cost cap ahead of the 2021 season to level the playing field and make the competition closer. This meant the teams had to think twice before making an expenditure, even if they were loaded to comply with the cost cap. The same also had an effect on the salaries of the F1 mechanics.

Red Bull insider Calum Nicholas detailed the impact of the cost cap on the salaries, as he said,

“I mean, my general answer to this is “yes”. In fact, “The cost of the cost cap” is a chapter of my book that I thought was one of the most important. But let’s be clear, even without it, pit crew would not earn £350k a year. If they ever do, I might consider a comeback.”

Calum Nicholas

@F1mech

@Ian_Haverlach I mean, my general answer to this is “yes”. In fact, “The cost of the cost cap” is a chapter of my book that I thought was one of the most important. But let’s be clear, even without it, pit crew would not earn £350k a year. 😅 if they ever do, I might consider a comeback 😂😂😂

Calum Nicholas authored a book named “Life in the Pitlane”, which was published earlier in 2025.