Daily Debate: Should The FIA Publish The Fuel Weights?

Last year, the FIA decided to publish the weights of each car following the final qualifying session on Saturday. The reason for the change was to make the show more interesting to fans, as it meant that some of us were able to work out how much fuel each car was carrying during qualifying and therefore, who was actually the fastest as opposed to the most strategic.

However, 2010 will see a ban on in-race refuelling and the only times a car will enter the pitlane is to either get new tyres or to simply retire. With a lack of re-fuelling, more emphasis will placed on the tyre changes and the drivers will have to manage their rubber a bit more as the cars will initially start the race heavily laden.

The teams have been busy over the winter trying to reduce the effect of this extra weight and the best (and possibly only) way to do this is make the engine more efficient. By using less fuel than a fellow competitor to complete a race distance, then obviously the lighter the car will be throughout the grand prix. As fuel is pretty heavy and can mean up to a tenth or two each lap, this is something the teams and engine suppliers have been keen to get right.

Had the FIA decided to publish the fuel weights of each car (either measured or declared) after qualifying, then we would have been able to work out who is running the most efficient engine. Alas, the sport’s governing body has chosen to keep this information secret.

Will you miss finding out who is doing better, or do you feel that the fuel weight is now less important than it was was? Is keeping some things a secret better for the sport, or should the information be made public for all to dissect and decide?