Refuelling ban would spice up racing - Coulthard

Red Bull Racing driver David Coulthard would like to change the refuelling-regulations in Formula One. During the Hungarian races, there were some fuel fires, from the heat, who were quickly extinguished, but still Coulthard would like to go back to the 'good old days' where refuelling was prohibited. According to the Scot this would spice up racing.

David Coulthard said in his ITV-column: "The spate of fuel fires in Hungary were all extinguished quickly and no one was hurt, but they did serve to remind us how potentially volatile pit stops are.

"From my point of view a bigger drawback of refuelling is that it detracts from the racing by turning the grand prix into a series of low-fuel sprints between pit stops.

"In the days (pre-1994) when you carried your entire race fuel load on board the car, there was a much bigger role for the driver in managing the tyres and brakes. You could even opt to run non-stop if you could make the tyres go the distance, while someone else might pit twice.

"And because the car’s weight changed so much more in the course of the race, there were more fluctuations in performance and handling characteristics, which in turn created more overtaking opportunities.

"These days, in dry conditions, you very rarely see anyone win from further back than the second row of the grid, because race pace largely mirrors qualifying pace – which is not surprising when the conditions are so similar.

"So if we need to spice up the racing, in my view one of the best ways of doing that would be to ban refuelling."