A possible return of refuelling to Formula 1, alongside discussions over future V8 engines, continues to divide opinion in the paddock. While bringing fuel stops back could appear to add another strategic variable to races, James Vowles, Ayao Komatsu and Peter Bayer have all questioned whether it would actually achieve the opposite by making pit-stop strategies easier to predict.
Debate over Formula 1’s future power units has intensified as the championship considers what should follow the current generation of regulations. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has promoted the idea of a V8 engine retaining an electrical element, but with a considerably smaller hybrid contribution. The concept could effectively resemble a more powerful version of KERS, the energy-recovery system used between 2009 and 2013, and would represent a move away from the current turbo-hybrid philosophy.
The FIA has publicly confirmed that future power-unit concepts, including V8 engines running on sustainable fuels, are being explored, while changes to the balance between combustion and electrical power are already part of the wider regulatory discussion for the coming seasons. Ferrari’s position under the current engine framework remains particularly relevant, with the FIA’s latest ADUO assessment showing the Scuderia’s internal-combustion engine deficit.
F1 refuelling return fails to convince team bosses
Running in parallel with the V8 debate is Ben Sulayem’s idea of bringing refuelling back to Formula 1. However, several leading figures in the paddock are unconvinced that this would be the right way to improve the spectacle. Instead of creating greater strategic uncertainty, they believe it could remove some of the unpredictability that exists today.
“Refuelling during races? What would happen is that we could predict precisely when the cars are going to stop,” Williams team principal James Vowles said during the Zandvoort press conference.
James Vowles explained that teams would naturally tend to run a car until the end of its available fuel load because that is when it becomes lightest and therefore fastest. In his view, that would make it possible to anticipate how a race will develop regardless of whether a driver is following a one-stop, two-stop or three-stop strategy. With the amount of information now available to spectators, he believes fans would also be able to understand in advance when the stops were coming.
“For me, that solution takes away a little bit of the charm of racing. I think the underlying concept we should follow is more about keeping the overall weight of the cars low. Personally, I also think it gets quite hot wearing a race suit when you’re on the pit wall, so I’d rather not do that again.”
Ayao Komatsu says refuelling made F1 harder to follow
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu shares the same reservations. His concern is not limited to strategy itself, but also to how easily spectators can understand what is happening on track.
“Personally, I’m not a big fan of refuelling. Even when I watched races from the outside, refuelling made the race difficult to follow for a spectator sitting in the grandstand. The same goes for qualifying. I like the fact that in qualifying the car is at its lightest, with the driver giving everything on their lap.”
Under the current format, fuel loads no longer obscure the competitive picture in qualifying, while tyre degradation and pit-stop timing provide much of the strategic variation during races. The possibility of changing that balance is therefore part of a much wider discussion over how Formula 1 should evolve without sacrificing either sporting clarity or unpredictability.
Peter Bayer says F1 has already studied a refuelling comeback
Racing Bulls CEO Peter Bayer also pointed out that Formula 1 has considered bringing refuelling back before. Drawing on his previous work with the FIA, Peter Bayer recalled a working group involving Formula 1, Ross Brawn and his team that investigated different ways of improving entertainment and the on-track spectacle.
“I remember that when I was still working with the FIA, we had a working group with Formula 1, with Ross Brawn and his team, on how to improve the entertainment and the spectacle. And one of the big ideas from some people was bringing refuelling back.”
Rather than simply judging the proposal on nostalgia, the group analysed footage and historical data from the period when refuelling was part of Formula 1.
“We dug deeply into the historical footage, into the data we had. What came out of it, apart from a couple of very spectacular and dangerous images, was that refuelling didn’t add much to the sport because most of the overtaking suddenly happened in the pit lane.”
Why refuelling could reduce strategic unpredictability
The central argument against a Formula 1 refuelling return is therefore somewhat counter-intuitive. More pit stops and another variable might appear to create additional strategic opportunities, but fuel consumption could also impose more clearly defined pit windows. Teams running towards the limit of a fuel stint would give rivals and spectators a stronger indication of when each car was likely to stop.
That contrasts with a race determined more heavily by tyre behaviour, where degradation, track position and changing conditions can influence the timing of a stop. For James Vowles, the greater priority should instead be reducing car weight, one of the areas that remains central to discussions about Formula 1’s technical direction.
The debate also comes as manufacturers continue to extract performance from the present power-unit regulations. Ferrari, for example, has been using the ADUO development mechanism to address its engine deficit, with further details available in our Ferrari technical analysis coverage.
For now, both a future V8 concept and any return of in-race refuelling remain subjects of discussion rather than a confirmed new Formula 1 formula. What is already clear from the views of James Vowles, Ayao Komatsu and Peter Bayer is that nostalgia for the refuelling era does not automatically translate into support from those responsible for running modern F1 teams.
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