fe53e30b11094f2715f3bdd9a66f3734b56f18d1

Renault director says 2019 fuel increase will produce better racing for fans

17:29, 30 Jan 2019

byMatt

Marcin Budkowski, Renault's technical director, believes the increase in fuel limit will help improve the quality of racing from a fans perspective.

Each car will be allowed to use a maximum of 110kg during a race from the start of the 2019 season. The limit was set at just 100kg in 2017 before being lifted to 105kg in 2018.

Budkowski insists the change for the upcoming season will be sufficient enough to allow drivers to push more often, rather than worrying about fuel.

"These steps to raise the fuel limit must lead to a certain race that drivers can really push as hard as they want," the Renault man said in an interview with motosport.com.

"If you combine this with the new tire choices, which are more conservative than last year, we should also see fewer tires saved. We will, therefore, see more one-stoppers, but at least we get drivers who can push on the track instead of just managing things."

The change was met with its fair share of criticism. In 2018, the 105kg limit was more than enough in some races, and the extra tank size took up extra space and weight without being necessary. When this was put to Budkowski, his optimism remained high.

"It always remains a compromise between more fuel to push and the extra weight that you take with you, and last year there were also races in which the 105 kilos was not enough to really race and in which the fuel was saved. significant," the ex FIA man added.