FIA gives Virgin go ahead to change fuel tank

New Formula One team Virgin Racing have been given permission to change their car's undersized fuel tank.

A spokeswoman for the International Automobile Federation (FIA) confirmed the specification change had been given the green light, on the basis that the car could run out of petrol before the end of races.

"We recently applied to the FIA for permission to change the size of the fuel tank on the grounds of reliability and we are pleased that the FIA has granted us this permission," Virgin technical director Nick Wirth said in a statement on Friday ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.

"It has become clear during pre-season testing and our debut race in Bahrain that our fuel tank capacity is marginal and if not addressed there is the possibility that fuel pick-up could become an issue in certain circumstances."

"We thank the FIA for permitting this change, which we expect to introduce in the early part of the European season."

The BBC cited an F1 source as saying that the fuel tank change would require modification to the car's chassis, a move that would require mandatory crash testing.

Virgin drivers Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi were unable to finish in Bahrain due to mechanical failures.