Perez not a fan of bringing back refueling to F1

SportPesa Racing Point’s Sergio Perez doesn’t believe a return of refueling in Formula 1 will prove beneficial to the sport overall.

Perez offered his opinion on a plan suggested recently by FIA president Jean Todt, who encouraged F1’s chiefs to investigate adding refueling to the mix as a means of spicing up the show.

However, Perez – who wasn’t yet in F1 when refueling was banned at the start of the 2010 season – feels the artifice could further widen the gap between F1’s front-runners and its midfield teams.

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“I’ve never experienced refueling before so to be honest, I don’t have a big argument to put it into [F1],” he said.

“But the more we change, the more advantage that we give to the bigger teams to create the gap that we are all worried about. We will see what we are able to bring as a sport for 2021.

“That [refueling] will be a good thing for the race, but I think if you have this spread in the field, will it change anything? I don’t think so.”

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An argument in favour of a mid-race splash and dash submitted by Todt and echoed by Haas’ Romain Grosjean is that it would allow drivers to race lighter cars from start to finish.

“I think they are on the heavy side, especially when you start the race at 100 kilos [of fuel], it can be a bit too heavy,” said Perez.

“But I’ve been doing this for the last nine years with this level of car, I think all the issues come down to the show that we’re able to put on.

“Spectators want to see a good show. They’re not that concerned if it’s with five kilos or 100 kilos.”