Refueling

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Originally Posted by Mark

I don't miss refuelling, but you know what I do miss? On screen timing of pit stops! These days they only show you the total time spent in the pits, while that is probably more relevant to the teams, what I want to see is how quickly the pit crew can work, e.g. McLaren look particularly good at it, but are they better or not? We all want to marvel at teams being able to change tyres in under 4 seconds!

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Yes and no :p

I agree that it was impressive to see some of the pitstop times, but it's far more useful to know and compare the total time the drivers spent in the pits, as this is (far too) frequently how races are won and lost. It's all well and good doing a <4 second tyre change, but if the lollipop man has to hold you while another car passes, then you fluff your getaway, that time is worthless.

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Originally Posted by Dave B

Yes and no :p

I agree that it was impressive to see some of the pitstop times, but it's far more useful to know and compare the total time the drivers spent in the pits, as this is (far too) frequently how races are won and lost. It's all well and good doing a <4 second tyre change, but if the lollipop man has to hold you while another car passes, then you fluff your getaway, that time is worthless.

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They couldn't show both?

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Originally Posted by Mark

They couldn't show both?

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They showed this at the OZ GP where the total time (+/- 26 seconds) and actual stopping time (+/- 4 seconds) were reflected.

Only rarely, and only after the car has exited the pits.

I would say no pit stops at all except for emergencies but would we do for excitement?

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Originally Posted by gloomyDAY

I don't miss refueling because I feel as if it was unsafe. Pit crews are under so much pressure to get a pitstop right the first time, so inevitably there will be errors. Refueling was pretty cool, but I'd rather lose that part of F1 rather than see someone get burned.

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Refuelling was in F1 for how long? And how many serious accidents did we have in that time?
[/QUOTE]
What I like about non-refueling racing is that the drivers have to deal with a car that is heavy with fuel at the beginning of the race, and the car's characteristic changes as the car burns away that fuel. I love that aspect about non-refueling![/QUOTE]That I can agree with.

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Originally Posted by BDunnell

I am dead set against it. Races with refuelling were nothing more than a series of sprints with no passing other than as a result of pit stops. Seldom was the strategy that resulted interesting either.

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Whereas things are far more interesting now with passes being made every lap?

Don't miss refuelling at all.

There should be greater on the emphasis on the driver rather than pit wall playing chess ie. pit passing.

Saying that, hot laps in the pit window was a skill itself that I respected.

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Originally Posted by Mark

I don't miss refuelling, but you know what I do miss? On screen timing of pit stops! These days they only show you the total time spent in the pits, while that is probably more relevant to the teams, what I want to see is how quickly the pit crew can work, e.g. McLaren look particularly good at it, but are they better or not? We all want to marvel at teams being able to change tyres in under 4 seconds!

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Vodafone Nissan Racing from BTCC 1999 are the team to beat when it comes to sub-4 second tyre changes. And they had wheel arches to contend with! :p

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Originally Posted by Brown, Jon Brow

Vodafone Nissan Racing from BTCC 1999 are the team to beat when it comes to sub-4 second tyre changes. And they had wheel arches to contend with! :p

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They do 4-second pit stops in DTM too, including refuelling, with half the number of people that they use in F1... I can't help thinking that F1 pit stops are not as efficient as they could be.