At this stage, Buemi was 1.3 seconds adrift of Rosenqvist; the latter was aware of the situation and glanced at his rear-view mirrors to ensure his advantage was large enough to remain ahead after the pit stops.[1] The mandatory pit stop phase for the switch into a second car began on lap 23 when the leaders entered the pit lane.[117] After exiting his team's garage,[118] Rosenqvist was released into teammate Heidfeld's path, causing the latter to swerve and nearly enter another team's pit lane gantry.