Williams against F1 refuelling return

London, England - Williams has revealed its strong opposition to FIA president's Jean Todt's idea that F1 should consider reintroducing in-race refuelling.

The FIA president said a few days ago that teams should think about accepting the extra cost of taking refuelling rigs to grands prix if it spices up the action.

'Wrong message'

Williams deputy boss Claire Williams declared at the weekend: "I am very much against refuelling. The manufacturers have spent hundreds of millions on these hybrid power units, which are relevant to the road and the debate about energy efficiency.

Read: F1 to abandon refuelling return?

"I think to go back to a gas-guzzling F1 is entirely the wrong message.

Two other Williams team figures wholeheartedly agree.

Chief engineer Rob Smedley said: "It (refuelling) doesn't improve the spectacle and it increases costs."

Technical boss Pat Symonds confirmed: "I'm strongly opposed to refuelling.  It's extremely expensive at a time when the financial model (in F1) is difficult.

"And I think recent evidence has shown that it detracts a lot from the racing," he added.

Meanwhile, Symonds also suggested that amid disagreement about how F1 should proceed with its sweeping chassis rules changes for 2017, the sport should now consider a wholesale delay until 2018.

"I would be happy if we moved the new rules from 2017 to 2018," he said, "to investigate properly what we really need to be doing."