Some of Formula One's top drivers have thrown their support behind the mooted return of refuelling and other proposed regulation changes for future seasons.

The Strategy Group last week laid out plans for a shakeup in the regulations, with the overall aim to improve the spectacle and make cars faster. The hope is to recapture some of the lap times of the early 2000s and move away from the growing impression that modern F1 cars are too easy to drive.

Fernando Alonso said the proposals are proof F1 has been going in the wrong direction since scrapping refuelling in 2010 and his former Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa is one driver in favour of its return.

"I like the idea of the refuelling because the race is quicker and the car is quicker," Massa said. "When we race with a very heavy car, the race is very technical. It used to be much nicer from a driver's point of view and that's why I like the idea of refuelling and so I think it's interesting to get back the refuelling."

Massa also voiced an opinion about proposed changes to tyre rules, with wider tyres and the option for teams to choose any two compounds ahead of a race weekend among the new proposals.

"Plus the teams getting to choose the tyres, I think some of the race will change because of that. Most of the races I don't think Pirelli chooses the wrong tyres. At some of the races I think they are a bit too conservative and some of them not, but I think at 85-90% of the races they are more or less correct. But you will see teams, especially those that don't have a good car, they will risk and maybe that can change a little bit the qualifying because teams have quicker tyres for qualifying, but maybe they can go back on the race."

Jenson Button also raced in the refuelling era and gave a return the thumbs up, albeit cautiously.

"It's not a question that has a yes or no answer is it?" Button said. "You obviously have the safety aspect - the reason we went away from refuelling - and also the money, the cost. In terms of racing, however, I think it was great back in the day when we had refuelling. If you had an issue on lap one, you could change your race around, you could do something different - whereas now it's very difficult..."

Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel seemed confused about the U-Turn but supports it if it leads to better racing.

"We banned refuelling and now we bring it back," he said. "I don't have to understand everything and obviously as a driver if you go a little bit faster, as you do when you are refuelling the car, obviously it is better."

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo has only raced in the post-refuelling era but said he supports anything which improves the racing for drivers and fans.

"I think if it makes the race faster and it makes lap times quicker and we don't have to drive around nearly at GP2 pace at the start of the race I think that's a good thing," the Australian said. "I've never raced with refuelling so I don't know if there's any negatives to come from that from a driver's point of view, but I think the race pace needs to be increased. Also from a physical side, the races now are not easy, we still sweat and get out of the car feeling like we've done a workout, but I think to be on that extra level it would help to make it a bit more of a challenge. So it sounds like it's going in the right direction."

With 2015 race times some ten seconds down from a decade ago Ricciardo thinks F1 needs to embrace change with open arms.

"It doesn't feel fast and we know it's not going very quick, particularly at the start. We know Formula One can be better in that respect and this will help. By the sounds of it these things will probably go through and it sounds like it's all going to go ahead. So from a driver's point of view I don't see any negatives, I think we all want it. We's love to go harder for longer and it should be good. We need to go faster. I think for the fans as well we'll gain the respect back that maybe potentially we've lost a little bit from them."