08/09/2007
NEWS STORY
Renault Technical Director has confirmed that teams have agreed to scrap the highly controversial fuel burn phase of qualifying in time for the 2008 season. .
"The Sporting Working Group met here in Monza on Wednesday," said Symonds yesterday, "and among the items on the agenda was a proposal that just slightly modified the qualifying procedure, but in so doing got rid of the fuel-burning laps.
"The way it did it was to have a more limited time in Q3 in the final part of qualifying and to still re-fuel before that so you still had to put in the fuel that would do your qualifying and your race," he continued, "but because the qualifying was shorter and because you got no credit back on Sunday morning, you simply put in what you needed for qualifying and the race.
"That achieved a majority vote in favour of it and it will therefore go to the World Council for their October meeting for application next year."
Asked if the final phase would involve two runs, Symonds said: "I must admit we haven't really sat down and thought exactly how we'll do it but there is absolutely no doubt at many circuits apart from Monaco that for sure we will do two runs, but maybe others where it is just not worth it and you think that a lap of fuel is worth a tenth of a second and you have got to do your out-lap, your in-lap and your timed lap then your first run is two or up to three-tenths slower than the potential of your second one and sometimes it is not worth doing it, but it will vary from circuit to circuit."