Williams opposed to return of refuelling

The Williams team has revealed its strong opposition to Jean Todt’s idea that formula one should consider reintroducing in-race refuelling.

The FIA president said a few days ago that teams should think about accepting the extra cost of taking refuelling rigs to grands prix if it spices up the action.

"I am very much against refuelling," Williams deputy boss Claire Williams declared at the weekend.

"The manufacturers have spent hundreds of millions on these hybrid power units, which are relevant to the road and the debate about energy efficiency.

"I think to go back to a gas-guzzling F1 is entirely the wrong message," she added.

Two other Williams team figures wholeheartedly agree.

"It (refuelling) doesn’t improve the spectacle," said chief engineer Rob Smedley, "and it increases costs."

Technical boss Pat Symonds confirmed: "I’m strongly opposed to refuelling. It’s extremely expensive at a time when the financial model (in F1) is difficult.

"And I think recent evidence has shown that it detracts a lot from the racing," he added.

Meanwhile, Symonds also suggested that amid disagreement about how F1 should proceed with its sweeping chassis rules changes for 2017, the sport should now consider a wholesale delay until 2018.

"I would be happy if we moved the new rules from 2017 to 2018," he said, "to investigate properly what we really need to be doing."