F1’s teams have today unanimously rejected plans to reintroduce refuelling to the sport due to concerns over cost and its impact on the show.
As reported by Autosport magazine, team managers met with FIA race director Charlie Whiting in the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve paddock ahead of this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix to discuss their reservations about the proposed refuelling return.
The idea had been proposed following the Strategy Group meeting last month as part of a raft of rule changes to improve the spectacle and the speed of cars from 2017. The idea immediately met with criticism from fans, while many media commentators pointed to the additional cost and safety issues related to mid-race refuelling.
The most disappointing aspect of this whole debacle is that this should have been agreed with teams before being publicly announced, with yet another regulatory u-turn causing confusion for fans. Communication and transparency are key, and they are something that F1 has in short supply at present.