I'd prefer to see nonrefueling, but with totally open tyre choice, this would really bring strategy into play. I think some of the best races I remeber as a kid had people 0 stopping way out in the lead being hunted down by seconds a lap by 2 & 3 stoppers. This would really make it a fairer competition IMO, as people who are v good on their tyres won't be forced to pit by rules, and people who are generally v fast but hard on their tyres could just fit the soft option and rag their tyres. I think Pirelli would also be quite open to this, as it means they could develop a tyre that lasts a whole race, which would be a great positive for them as far as marketing goes.
The problem is that strategising has reached such a point now that every team will just work out how many stops it is best to make and we'll end up with the same problem as before. Also the gap between drivers who are "good on their tyres" and "bad" is a lot smaller than Brundle and co. imply I think. Simply put, I don't think any team would think it worth their while to 0 or 1 stop if the super soft tyres, worth a 3 stopper, are a second to two seconds a lap faster. The math just doesn't work. And finally, most importantly of all: strategy racing is unexciting. -.-
Actually it was pretty common in days gone by that team-mates would use different strategies, and wouldn't just come into the pits because their opponents had, as is more often the case these days, hoping for the 'undercut'
Surely part of the appearance, such as the shorter wheelbase, of the cars was due to the smaller fuel tanks Cosi? Or have I got the wrong end of the stick and you meant the extra wings and things on the body work?
I like none refueling, but I'd prefer an open tyre choice. If it was open all you would really need are softs, mediums and hards (and wets). Just have a bigger difference so in theory a 0 stop race on hards should be 60secs a race off say a 3 stopping soft.
i suppose the bottom line is what does the average fan want SM -- do we want a dumbed down format of refueling for the drivers where the races are nothing more than a series of quick sprints for new tyres and fuel every few laps where the drivers every move is determined by mathematicians on high powered computers a week before the race actually takes place ,and the team with the best statergy that the driver has no say in will prevail - or do we want a format where the driver actually has to think about fuel loads , tyre wear , and balance his pace accordingly , it depends on what the average fan wants to watch , i think whatever the individual wants to see from formula 1 nobody can disagree that the races are now alot more exciting with the passing now achieved on the track as opposed to the fuel stop days when 99% of the passing was done in the pits via a fuel stop -
