Fuel consumption will be an overriding concern in most races this year, Red Bull’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey believes.

Newey described how the new limits on maximum fuel use and the fuel flow rate could shape race strategies:

Adrian Newey, Red Bull, Jerez, 2014“[We] not only have a 100 kilos maximum fuel for the race but we also have a maximum consumption – a flow rate, if you like. The old engines, for reference, were using around 160 kilos, so it’s a big reduction in fuel.

“That of course means there will be a lot of strategy in the race. Most of the races we anticipate will be fuel capacity limited. So we’ll have to save fuel through the race which will mean different driving styles, compromising lap times to save fuel, which will mean how you then use your remaining fuel.

“Do you go out quickly at the start, try and brake away and then save fuel? Do you save fuel early in the race and try and sprint later in the race? All those sorts of things will come into play.”

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