FERNANDO Alonso came on board with Ferrari at the same time new formula one regulations scrapped refuelling stops.
The distinctly longer wheelbases of this year's machines were designed to carry bigger petrol tanks, but as team boss Stefano Domenicali noted this week, the more fuel you put on the car, the slower you run.
''There is always a balance you have to consider in order not to have any problem … no problem with reliability,'' the Italian said.
Lisa Lilley is a chemical engineer with the task of eliminating problems and improving reliability with every drop of fuel that goes into Ferrari's cars.
Originally from Chester in England, Lilley has worked for Shell for 15 years and spent the past six as the company's technology manager working directly with Ferrari's F1 team.
She was in ''the right place at the right time with the right experience'' when the offer to join Ferrari came along.
''At the time I wasn't too sure, but then I thought, 'hang on, somebody's offering me the chance to travel the world with Ferrari', and that's a once in a lifetime opportunity,'' she told The Sunday Age.
After joining Shell she immediately went to work on ''what goes on inside the engine'' and likened this year's new F1 rules governing fuel to the proverbial kid in the candy store.
''We saw it [no refuelling stops] as a really exciting opportunity.
''If everything stayed the same for us it would be very boring - we want these changes and see them as a really good opportunity to make sure we can learn more about fuel and fuel chemistry.''
It is not the first time refuelling has been removed from the sport. In the late 1980s and early '90s refuelling was banned and the FIA's decision to again dump refuelling strategies gave those in Lilley's position much to do.
''We got advance notice of the fuel changes and started work about the middle of last year,'' she said.
''In the past our focus has been more on the oil, but we've had to completely redesign our fuel. The fuel we're using at this race, the fuel we used in Bahrain, is different to what we used last year and different in a number of ways.''
Fuel, as with every other part of a formula one car, is regulated by the FIA. And this year fuel efficiency is more important than ever because teams only get to fill up their cars once - at the start.
''We don't want the car to stop on the track in the last lap or two,'' Lilley said.
The larger fuel tank (at least twice the size of last year's tanks) carry about 170 kilograms of fuel, which heats up over the course of a 300-kilometre race.
''The fuel will get a lot hotter this year because you haven't got the cooling effect [of refuelling] once or twice during the race,'' Lilley said.
''We developed fuel solutions while Ferrari were developing hardware solutions - insulating the fuel tank, redesigning the aerodynamics so there's more cooling going towards the fuel tank. It was a joint effort, an integrated approach.''
What team boss Domenicali nonchalantly labelled ''just another challenge'' will ultimately play a significant role in shaping this year's championships.
Lilley and her team play a pivotal role in Ferrari, Alonso and fellow driver Felipe Massa's chances and create fuel accordingly.
''When we design the fuel we send it off for approval before the race and we actually want the FIA to come back with a couple of warnings.
''If we're not working on the edge we're not giving the maximum performance.''
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