A proposed return to refuelling in Formula One was cast in doubt Friday after a meeting of team bosses offered no support for the proposal.
The plan came from a meeting of the F1 Strategy Group last month. It was one of several ideas put forward as the sport began work on halting a slump in spectator interest and viewing figures.
Paddock sources said that Thursday's talks had concluded that a return to refuelling would not add any real spectacle to the show. Cost and safety considerations were also taken into account.
The lack of support is a blow to the viability of the F1 Strategy Group which has been criticised by F1 commercial ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone and team bosses.
Ecclestone made it clear last week that he felt the group was suffocated by the involvement of the sport's leading teams, leading to inertia.
Sauber team chief Monisha Kaltenborn said she believed that the management of the sport, its administration and its regulations should be handed back to Ecclestone and the ruling body, the International Motoring Federation (FIA).
"I think this would be a sensible approach," said Kaltenborn. "The sport is about racing on one side, in which the commercial rights holder has a vested interest, and the federation on the other side, which sets the rules.
"We could take some things from the system we had before, like working groups which would consider the teams' views and where ideas or strategies could be discussed, but they would be decided somewhere else.
