Vettel: « Fuel economy is not for me »

Among the most debated standards of the current regulation, there is undoubtedly the fuel limitation during the race, set at 100 kg. It is therefore a rule that imposes rigorous management of fuel consumption, primarily for ecological reasons.

But beyond this fixed quantity for the entirety of the event, which has existed in the history of the sport, the most criticized point is the maximum flow that can be used at a given moment, thus limiting the available power. As a result, this impacts, or even distorts, Formula 1 as the premier category of motorsport.

This is at least what four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel believes, as he explained in an interview with the German newspaper Bild: « I wish F1 was the competition that rewards the one who can be the fastest with his car, not the one who saves the most fuel. » he laments.

The technique used to avoid consuming too much is referred to in the jargon as “lift and coast.” Vettel details this technique here: There is no particular secret; on the contrary. From the driver’s perspective, it’s frustrating: at the entrance to a curve, you let off the throttle and the car moves forward by inertia before reaching the braking point. It’s not easy, but it’s never really fun to maintain the momentum until braking.

In everyday life, the German has nothing against saving his own fuel: « If the trip takes five minutes longer, what difference does it make? That doesn’t mean I like the hybrid engine. The sound of the combustion engine is unique; I’ll wait for battery-based technology to improve.  »

Any excess in the fuel flow results in a straightforward disqualification from the race. Daniel Ricciardo, in 2014 at the Australian Grand Prix, learned this the hard way.