Virgin Confirm Their Car's Fuel Tank Is Too Small

Several reports in recent days have hinted that Virgin Racing did not get it quite right in terms of fuel tank with their 2010 single-seater. Meaning that this particular part of their car was not developed at F1 standards, being smaller than usually needed to accommodate the right amount of fuel in order to help the racer cross the finish line.

Although only a rumor at the beginning, the information was confirmed a few hours before the official start of the Australian Grand Prix by the team's technical director Nick Wirth. The Virgin Racing official did not refer to the tank as being too small – as he would have stirred things up inside the team's garage – but admitted its size is “marginal.”

“We are pleased that the FIA has granted us this permission,” said Wirth, referring to the fact that the ruling body agreed to let the team further work on their fuel tank during the ongoing season.

Meaning the team is scheduled to debut a modified version of the VR-01 as soon as possible, somewhere within the beginning of the European rounds of F1 (as revealed by Wirth). After the new chassis/car will have been developed, it will have to again pass the FIA crash test, after which the team can debut it during a grand prix weekend.

According to several sources, the new car will feature a fuel tank that will be able to accommodate an additional 15-20 litres as compared to the current situation. In the meantime, we'd suspect the Virgin racers will have to not only deal with an underperforming car throughout the upcoming 3 races, but also drive efficiently (in terms of fuel consumption). Otherwise, chequered flags will remain something the drivers will only get to see on the monitors of their garages.