Virgin Racing's Nick Wirth says his company will pay for new fuel tanks after those currently used were found to be too small.
Virgin technical director says his company will pay for larger tank
Virgin Racing technical director Nick Wirth says his company will foot the bill for new fuel tanks after those currently used were found to be too small.
It was revealed at last weekend's Australian Grand Prix that the team, one of three new outfits on the Formula One grid this season, had built a car that is not able to complete races where fuel consumption is relatively heavy.
The FIA has allowed Virgin to rectify the problem, although the replacement tanks will not be in place in their VR-01 chassis until the Spanish Grand Prix in early May.
Drivers Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi could therefore potentially run out of fuel should either try to go the distance in Malaysia this weekend or China a fortnight later - something they have not achieved thus far.
Wirth, whose company designed the car wholly using computer fluid dynamics (CFD) technology, has decided to take responsibility for the error.
"The chassis supplier is us - nothing to do with engine supplier or fuel supplier," Wirth told
Autosport.
"What that means is that we are fixing it for the team. We are not charging the team. It's our responsibility to provide cars that can finish a grand prix. It's down to us."
At the time the problem was revealed, Wirth said it stemmed from a number of factors which determined design criteria in June 2009 having since changed.
Weight disadvantage
Wirth also revealed the car has a fuel pick-up issue, meaning that it is at a weight disadvantage in qualifying.
"We've got problem after problem," he admitted. "We're a new team, well, not so much a new team, but a new manufacturer to Formula One.
"It's us. It's not a team issue, it's us. We are not doing a very good job at the moment, particularly in qualifying, of picking up all the fuel.
"We could have qualified (in Australia) ahead of our main competitor (Lotus) if it was not for the fuel load.
"That's pretty frustrating. But that's why I'm actually quite calm."
