Virgin have to wait on fuel tank revamp

But it seems unlikely they will be able to revamp their VR-01 cars fuel capacity system in time for Sunday’s Sepang race.

There were worries that the tanks weren’t big enough to allow them to complete races, although the Dinnington team’s techical director Nick Wirth says the problem isn’t as serious as reported, although drivers Timo Glock and Lucas Di Grassi will have to race cautiously.

The FIA has given Virgin permission to increase the size of their fuel tank on reliability grounds—but it is expected that the cars won’t be ready until next month’s race in Barcelona.

"We thank the FIA for permitting this change,” said Wirth. “At the time the design of the tank was locked down in June 2009, its capacity was determined by a number of factors, some of which have since changed, and the tank capacity now needs to be increased accordingly.”