Pit stops looks very smooth when seen on television. However, for the 20 mechanics involved in this incredibly well choreographed ballet, it is an intense moment of a Grand Prix. And for the driver, it is no time to relax!

"There are more than twenty guys working on the car during the pit stops," said Australian-born Tim Edwards, DHL Jordan Honda's Team Manager. "There are three guys per tyre - one manipulating the air gun, one removing the old wheel and the other putting the new one on, one at each end of the car with the manual jacks, three tall mechanics working the fuel hose, a dead man operating the fuelling rig, one with the starter at the rear of the car, one cleaning the driver's visor and emptying the side pods and the lollypop man who tells the driver when he can engage first gear and leave the pits."

I had the unique chance to 'drive' the Jordan EJ12-Honda during the pit stop practices held before the Canadian GP. Three mechanics pushed the car forward and I had to steer it into position and brake at the correct place. The mechanics change all four tyres and simulate putting fuel into the car. When it's all done, the two jack men drop the 600-kilo car on its wheels. 'Driving' the car is not that easy because the front bulkhead is quite high and I sit just one inch off the ground. I am supposed to follow the white lines taped on the tarmac but I cannot see them at all! Here we go. The three guys pull the EJ12 backward, roughly 30 feet away from the pit stop spot. I realise that the twenty mechanics leave me very little space to park. The three lads push the car and it reaches a surprising speed. I am little concerned at the sort of braking power I will get from the cold carbon fibre brakes but they worked great.

Action! The wheel guns come to life, whistling loudly all around me. I can easily feel through the steering wheel the banging of the wheels being removed and those being put back into place. For that reason I have to hold the steering wheel straight during the entire procedure. I must also keep my left foot on the brake pedal because it becomes almost impossible to fully tighten the nuts if the wheels turn freely. The metallic banging of the fuel nozzle is quite loud and I can easily smell the vapours of the petrol that is left in the hose, which is connected just 12 inches from my head. The new wheels have been fitted and I can hear the mechanics shout "OK! OK!" when they're finished. The gun men also rise their right hand to tell the lollipop man that they're finished.

Topping the tank with approximately 80 litres of fuel at the rate of 12 litres per second takes nearly seven seconds. The refuelling is almost completed and the lollipop man looks to see four hands up in the air. The refueller disconnects the fuel hose from the car and the lollipop man tells me it's all done and I can rejoin the race. It's all completed in just a few seconds ...