F1: Refueling return dismissed again

ABOVE: Gerhard Berger and the Benetton-Renault team
demonstrate the art of refueling in 1996. (LAT photo)

Formula 1 will not pursue the revival of mid-race refueling further at this time following meetings in Geneva this week.

FIA president Jean Todt said the subject was back on the agenda when speaking at the Autosport International motorsports show last week. But after a meeting of the Strategy Group followed by the F1 Commission, it is believed the general feeling was the return of refueling would clash with plans to control costs.

Refueling's return was last mooted in May 2015 as part of plans to improve the show in '17. While it had the support of drivers, the idea was quashed by teams and dropped.

When the subject re-emerged this month, Todt dismissed the notion that refueling would raise costs, suggesting a figure of €50,000 ($54,000) a year per team. But, speaking before the meetings in Geneva, Williams technical director Pat Symonds believed the cost would be significantly higher than that figure.

"One needs to be careful with disinformation," he said. "Refueling is an expensive thing to do as well as its effect on racing.

"Jean Todt said it cost 50,000 euros a year. He's an order of magnitude out. That's worrying.

"Freight costs for shipping equipment is £175,000 ($250,000) and it's probably £200,000-250,000 ($285,000-$356,000) to buy and service the kit in the first year and ongoing cost of servicing it.

"There is also one dedicated salaried person for looking after it, so the costs are very significant."

Symonds believes any return of refueling would have a negative impact on the racing.

"At the moment, we can determine a strategy before the race and then we take a more tactical view when we get in the race," he said. "We determine the pit stops based on what tires are doing, which won't necessarily be what we predicted, and then we have to assess what our competitors are doing.

"If you are refueling, you put enough fuel to reach lap 24 and you go to lap 24. If you stop earlier, the penalty is too high. When you think back to when we got rid of refueling, we saw better racing. It's a retrograde step."

Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams echoed Symonds's views on the subject.

"I'm quite surprised, because it's been on the agenda before and it hasn't been an agenda item we have agreed on," she said. "But I understand we have to keep having these conversations if we are to look at what is going to improve our sport.

"It's not something Williams wants to see back in the sport from a cost effect if nothing else. My personal opinion is that the manufacturers have just spent hundreds of millions on hybrid power units which are more relevant to the road industry. So to bring back refueling and make F1 appear as a gas-guzzling sport just completely steps on that message. I'm very anti it."

Originally on Autosport.com