[Rules] Trulli: "The end of qualifying", tyres and fuel conservation, and in-season testing..

[Chatters]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/91312

I think Jarno is making an extremely good point. The rule changes have certainly spiced up the racing but there are always downsides to every change, and one of those is the fact that from Q1 onwards all the teams are in conservation mode. What would I change?

Firstly I'd bring back refueling. Yes, there is an aspect of danger involved, but in the end Formula 1 is one of the safest forms of motorsport at present, and there is no shortage of fire marshals in and around a racetrack on a weekend. We have seen many times what happens when a car takes off with a fuel hose attached, and in my opinion the ensuing drama hasn't been any worse then what we saw at Hungaroring last year, where no fuel at all was involved in the pitlane calamities. If refueling is allowed again we wouldn't see cars tootling around 8-10 seconds off the pace for half the race, and then having to turn the engine down for the other half so they actually have enough fuel to make it to the end. From the start of every race all the drivers are trying to play catch up with the fuel usage and it has cost some drivers a chance at winning races (see Rosberg at China).

Secondly, I'd give the teams more tyres. As far as costs are concerned, Formula 1 is a multi-million dollar a year business so 3 or even 4 extra sets of tyres per car are not going to cause a large blowout in costs over the year. Give the teams enough rubber to not be cautious when it comes to Qualifying runs. Part of this I know comes down to the tyre itself, with the softer compound of the Pirelli only being good for usually 1 flying lap before fading away, so re-engineer the compounds to give them just a little bit more life. Pirelli developed them to be super-degrading, so surely it wouldn't be a stretch to the resources to make them just-a-little-bit-durable.

I also bring this article to your attention: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/91253

Finally, an FIA President talking sense! I think this is absolutely the right call. New drivers are not getting a real chance to acquaint themselves with a Formula 1 car these days and it has claimed the career of a couple of half decent drivers, like Grosjean and to a lesser extent Bruno Senna. I think limited, every-team-attending testing at a few venues throughout the year is a definite must, something I alluded to in a thread before the season began.