More moves to shake up F1 show
A ban on refueling surfaced after numerous pit problems this year, highlighted by Felipe Massa's bungled stop in Singapore, when he drove off with the refueling pipe still attached to his car.
Any refueling ban would mean an overhaul of car design because of the size of current fuel tanks, with one way to minimize the impact being shorter races, the website said.
It cited McLaren chief executive Martin Whitmarsh as confirming that discussions in China would be about the race weekend format and a possible widespread testing ban.
"We're looking at the race format and testing," he said.
"I think there are quite a few good ideas on the agenda which would change the format of racing and change the format of the weekend.
"Hopefully, together we'll come up with some agreement on how we can change the weekend in a positive way. But we've got to be careful in making changes that we retain some of the purity that is important in Formula One.
"We've got to look at our agenda on Friday and decide whether that's a worthwhile agenda, where we can make it more of a spectacle and have a bit of competition on that day, and we're going to review what we do on Saturday and Sunday to see if we can make it a little bit less predictable.
"But you'd have to say, based on recent races, it's fairly unpredictable at the moment." Fox Sports
10/12/08 (GMM) More moves are afoot to shake up the spectacle of formula one.
The new FOTA alliance of F1 teams is already contemplating a proposal whereby Friday's fastest driver is awarded $1m.
It now emerges that more tweaks to the Friday practice format are possible, with some bosses pushing for a total of six hours of testing on the first day of a grand prix weekend.
The format would accompany a total ban on in-season testing, with only limited post and pre-season testing allowed in the name of reducing costs.
Also on the table, according to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, is a proposal for points from qualifying.
Teams are also keen to alter the standard time for races to begin in Europe, with a late morning start favored for the television audience. "The race would finish at 12.30, giving people the rest of Sunday to do other things," Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost said.
The smaller teams, meanwhile, are pushing for a budget cap, and a better distribution of the commercial revenue throughout the pitlane.
"A team should be able to exist with the money we get from Bernie, and sponsors being a bonus," STR co-owner Gerhard Berger added.