• McLaren

Button dismisses Alonso's fuel-ban concern

Jenson Button is looking forward to an exciting season this year © Sutton Images

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• Alonso slams refuelling ban
  

• Drivers:
• Fernando Alonso
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• Jenson Button

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• McLaren

Jenson Button has countered Fernando Alonso's suggestion that racing will be more predictable now there is a ban on refuelling.

Fuel strategy, which had been crucial to the outcome of a grand prix in previous years, will have no bearing on races in 2010, as cars have to start with enough petrol onboard to reach the finish. As a result Alonso believes races could be a foregone conclusion after qualifying, as he thinks drivers outside the top three on the grid won't be able to challenge for victory. But Button disagrees and reckons that high tyre wear, which is inevitable when carrying a heavy fuel load, will mean there will be a big enough difference between drivers' speed to allow overtaking.

"I don't agree with Alonso," he said at McLaren's launch. "I think there will still be passing, don't forget we still have the tyre stops and new tyres could be worth two seconds a lap."

McLaren chief engineer Tim Goss agrees and elaborated on why the refuelling ban would make for more exciting racing.

"It could make the show significantly better, yes," said Goss. "Previously, you knew when everyone was going to stop and refuel, so each team based their strategy decisions on overtaking cars during the pit stops. What's changed for this year is that we won't know when people are going to stop. The only thing affecting drivers' mandatory stops now is that they have to run both the option [soft] and prime [hard] tyre, so the strategy choices will be less predictable and will become a little more complicated. Races could be one or two stints with both early and late stops for tyres. It will definitely make the racing more challenging and interesting - and, hopefully, it will promote more on-track overtaking and less overtaking during the pit stops."

McLaren's race director Jonathan Neale said that higher tyre degradation on heavy fuel loads will mean engineers will have to hold their nerve, as a poorly-timed pit stop could cost the race. He added that the team had got tyre changes down to two-and-a-half seconds but would realistically aim for three seconds in a race environment.

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