This weekend's Grand Prix in Brazil marks the climax of the Formula 1 season with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso still in the running for the drivers' championship.

One of the crucial things that decides which driver finally comes out on top after a gruelling season is pit stop times.

BBC News went behind the scenes with two teams to learn about the technology used to try to shave fractions of a second off a trip to the pits.

McLaren is usually to be found towards the front of the grid, and Marussia at the back. But both teams invest a great deal of time and effort, all year round, in speeding up their pit stop times - and technology plays an important part in this.

Marussia has employed the skills of an IT specialist, CSC, which has personnel seconded to the team, to help with this endeavour.

McLaren recorded the world's fastest Formula 1 pit stop during the German Grand Prix in July this year, with a stationary time of 2.31 seconds, while they changed Jenson Button's tyres.

Video Journalist: Dougal Shaw

Race and garage footage and still images courtesy of Marussia and McLaren