Refuelling ban still on for 2010 season

[John S]

A refuelling ban will make life interesting at the races, it should also make the pitstops a lot cleaner. I wonder if the top ten cars will still have to qualify with race fuel?

Formula 1's ban on refuelling looks certain to still be introduced next year, AUTOSPORT has learned, despite the sport currently reverting back to the 2009 regulations.

As part of the agreement reached between the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) and the FIA earlier this week, it was agreed that regulation changes set to be introduced for 2010 would be scrapped - with this year's rules being kept on for another season.

Although the reversion of the rules was designed to scrap the introduction of a budget cap for 2010, it also had the knock-on effect of getting rid of changes that had been agreed with teams - like the ban on refuelling.

A FOTA source has confirmed that work is currently underway on what modifications need to be made to the 2010 regulations - with refuelling certain to be one of the issues that is brought up.

The source said: "There will be a few amendments to the rules that need to be agreed unanimously. This will be about refuelling and a few other items, and should be completed in the next few weeks."

Teams have pushed for a ban on refuelling because of the huge cost involved in shipping the pit equipment around the world, and the fact that strategy factors now do little to improve the racing.

Friday, autosport.com

[cosworth151]

I'd say that a refuelling ban will make races less interesting. No more fuel strategy, no more wondering who's light and who's heavy, just more boring standardization.

[Dare]

I'd say that a refuelling ban will make races less interesting. No more fuel strategy, no more wondering who's light and who's heavy, just more boring standardization.

I'm with you on this Cos!What next tires
that last the entire race so the pole sitter
can coast to a victory

[Jericoke]

While I agree that taking fuel strategy out of the race will reduce the spectacle, I know that drivers have long asserted that refueling was unnecessarily dangerous.

As for a cost savings... they still need to bring gas and some sort of fueling rig to the track.  Where is the savings here?

Completely out of the box thinking though:  convert to an electric motor with swappable batteries.  Probably a fail because it just doesn't sound like an F1 car... but still, would be a great way to boost research into leading automotive technology.

[cosworth151]

they still need to bring gas and some sort of fueling rig to the track.  Where is the savings here?

Maybe, instead of the computer controlled, high pressure, 3.2 gallon per second rigs they now use, they'll go the NASCAR route and use a big ol' can!