Rubens: Past ban experience won't be an advantage

Rubens Barrichello has downplayed claims that himself and Michael Schumacher could have an advantage this season having raced in F1 during the last refuelling ban.

1993 was Barrichello's first season in Formula One and also the year that the sport had a ban on refuelling. However, the ban is coming into effect again this season, offering a vastly different driving experience for today's drivers.

In fact, all the drivers on this year's grid, barring Barrichello and the returning Michael Schumacher, have never raced in a Formula One car that was carrying enough fuel to last an entire race.

And for many, they have not even competed in a car carrying enough fuel for a half-distance.

But despite having raced with a refuelling ban in the past, Barrichello insists the experience won't hand himself or Schumacher an advantage.

"Purely on the driver's side, it's not going to be much fun starting the race on 160 kilos of fuel and going through the first few laps because obviously you're talking about four seconds slower and anything a driver doesn't want is to go slower," Barrichello said.

"But it's a different technique; it's a different approach to it. So in that there is a challenge and it is a new challenge to everyone.

"I think it is very different (from the previous no-refuelling era). People say I was the only one, and now Michael coming back, he also has the experience of driving full tanks.

"But it is very, very different to '93 when we drove that. So it is a new experience."

Explaining why he believes it will be a new experience, the Williams driver stated that mainly it's because the cars of today are very different to the cars that were raced back in 1993.

"It's a different car to drive," he said. "Heavy for heavy, yeah, it is the same amount of fuel that is there.

"You didn't have more downforce because the cars improve all the time, the tyres are different and as Formula 1 went on the cars became a bit more... you had to be on line - a few years back you used to have more slides.

"(Now) because you are so dependent on the aerodynamics you are not able to."

Rubens: Past ban experience won't be an advantage - Planet-F1 News from planet-f1.com