OCTOBER 21, 2007

The temperature of fuel

The problem is Brazil is that the fuel in the two BMW Saubers and the Two Williams-Toyotas was too cool during the race. Article 6.5.5 of the Formula 1 Technical Regulations states that "no fuel on board the car may be more than 10 degrees centigrade below ambient temperature". This is to avoid teams freezing fuel and thus reducing its volume so as to get more into the tank thus gaining a performance advantage.

The FIA Technical Delegate Jo Bauer reported at the end of the race that the fuel temperatures in the two BMW Saubers and the two Williams-Toyotas were in contravention of the regulations at various points during the race. His report states that Nick Heidfeld's fuel temperature was measured during his two stops as having been 24-deg C and 25-deg C, when the ambient temperature was 37-deg