An extra lap of fuel over a race can make a significant difference to the final time to complete a Grand Prix distance and this is why most opt to fill the car with a little less fuel than needed to go the distance and then rely on the race driver to save fuel where he can to complete the race.

The incident in the Turkish Grand Prix between the two Red Bull drivers was arguably one such where one driver was saving fuel to complete the race while the second had benefitted from following his rivals and saved fuel over the race.

MadeInMotorsport.com put it to McLaren engineering director Paddy Lowe that a minimum fuel weight would do away with such problems for the teams and provide drivers with the opportunity to race flat out from the start to the finish. 

He however took the view that it is an area of strategy that the teams like to exploit and strategy should remain part of the sport.

“Personally I think that’s adding race interest,” he said in the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes teleconference. “We can all choose how much fuel we put in at the beginning. [Not] enough – that’s your deliberate choice to run a little bit quicker at the beginning and [later] slower when you turn the engine down.

“I think that adds interest to the race that is not just related to the tyres.”