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Old 2009-10-18, 09:28 PM   #259
sperry
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Real Name: Scott
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 20,335
 
Car: '09 OBXT, '02 WRX, '96 Miata
Class: PDX/TT-6
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dean View Post
Fixing the total amount of fuel would accomplish the same thing without eliminating fueling.

IMHO fueling and tire changes are part of racing and should be part of F1.

For the most part, from what I have seen, the fueling issues have not been with the equipment, it has been with the humans: drivers and crew.

I just don't think it would be that difficult to prevent a car that still has a fuel rig attached from being put in gear or the clutch released and to have a means to not release a car that has a wheel miss attached. You can't stop every mechanical pit issue, but the tight competition you describe is generating dangerous conditions and preventable accidents.

Maybe the penalties for pit mistakes just have to be more onerous?
Fixing the fuel amount is not the same as no refueling. By forcing the cars to carry all their fuel, there's actually more advantage to the cars with better mileage.

Ferrari attempted an electronic system to automate pit stop releases last season. Remember how well that worked when Ferrari was botching stops every other race? My guess is any technological changes to the way pit stops work will result in more failures before less simply due to equipment bugs. Any team that gets trapped in the pits because the fueling rig sensor won't release the car will demand to be able to control their own stops again.
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