On Thursday, Formula 1’s Strategy Group agreed to reintroduce refuelling during races in 2017. However the proposal could yet be ditched according to Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff.
The new rule must be signed off by the F1 Commission in the next few weeks, though this is considered a formality and therefore it’s likely to be written into the rules.
However should refuelling prove too costly to implement again – something the teams will investigate – Wolff says it won’t be reintroduced.
“Refuelling was banned because of cost and because the pit stops were taking too long,” he told the BBC on Friday.
There is a plan to get round the time issue, which involves making refuelling much quicker to ensure it doesn’t take away from the current three-second pit stop spectacle, but at present, the cost of doing so is an unknown.
“But we want to re-explore it and see if we can make pit stops for fuel and tyres happen in the same time it takes to change the tyres now – two to three seconds,” he added.
“We have agreed to explore this avenue and the cost involved because it could be spectacular. If it’s too expensive, we won’t do it.”
Confirmation is likely to come in six months time following the necessary research into the costs.
