Arguments against refuelling are 'nonsense' - Ferrari

F1's strategy group looks set to proceed with taking the earlier-proposed reintroduction of in-race refuelling off the table for 2017. At the last meeting, the top teams, Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA agreed that refuelling should be part of a package to spice up F1 for 2017. But in subsequent meetings between team managers and bosses, concerns were raised and it was reported in Canada that the idea would be abandoned altogether.

Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne, however, attended the Canadian grand prix on Sunday and declared that arguments against refuelling are in fact "nonsense". "We'll see what the committee (Strategy Group) decides," he told Italian reporters. "I think another variable that increases the unpredictability of the outcome is a good thing."

But Mercedes' Toto Wolff says the verdict is in -- and refuelling will be out. "The Strategy Group gave a mandate to the engineers to tell us if refuelling is a smart idea or not, whether it is expensive or not, if it increases performance and if it is dangerous," he told the Montreal newspaper La Presse.

"And the response was unanimous that it would not be good because it is expensive, it is logistically complicated, dangerous and makes boring races because all the strategies will be the same," Wolff added. He said that opinion will be presented to the next meeting of the Strategy Group. (GMM)