KERS. Going, going, gone?

[Sonic]

BMW have dropped the system once and for all. McLaren are running without it, and Ferrari hardly seem to be gaining a benefit from using it. So is F1's 'green' experiment dead?

Personally I'd be sad to see it go. Its a good idea its just been rushed into the sport too early and poorly intergrated into the rules (weight, restrictions etc.)

Thoughts?

[christophulus]

I'm puzzled as to why McLaren dropped it when they're so far down the grid. It'd be handy for the odd overtake.

I think/hope we'll see it back in a few years once it's been developed further. Provided we still have a sport at this point...

[WSRfan82]

with other teams not using it, i think its best they don't because it mean carrying extra weight around. which i think is why some are stuggling. plus personally i don't like the idea of it

[ioan]

BMW have dropped the system once and for all. McLaren are running without it, and Ferrari hardly seem to be gaining a benefit from using it. So is F1's 'green' experiment dead?

Personally I'd be sad to see it go. Its a good idea its just been rushed into the sport too early and poorly intergrated into the rules (weight, restrictions etc.)

Thoughts?

Well, the FOTA teams decided to drop KERS next season.

[stevie_gerrard]

I think its the right decision not to have it, if they want equality of teams, then this was never gonna work, even though there doesnt seem to be any advantage to it. I'd like to see it back though sometime in the future if its going to make a difference.

[V12]

What doomed it was the half-hearted way it was introduced, with a small permissible storage capacity, which was perhaps understandable, but what was not understandable in the slightest was limiting its usage to a certain amount of time per lap, how arbitrary is that?

I was always taught as a kid that if something is worth doing, it's worth doing properly. Was Max?

[race_director]

i think ferrari would like to keep it as a optional themself. after initial glitches, they have pretty much mastered it. looking at yesterday's start of both cars.

The only part is to fix it right in the car , weight balance. that can also be mastered in a few races.

[Knock-on]

It's a complete fiasco costing millions of pounds and adds nothing to the racing.

What's the point of having a hard fought battle between 2 cars only to be decided by which one has "push 2 pass"?

I think KERS should be rammed up Max's arse and activated.

[555-04Q2]

I think KERS should be rammed up Max's arse and activated.

I dont know, the sadistic b@st@rd may just enjoy that :p :

[race_director]

I think KERS should be rammed up Max's arse and activated.


heard unmanned mission BY NASA to the explore aliens in another galaxy. NASA can always use MAX negotiation skills face to face.

Anyone knows NASA director's number here :)

[Knock-on]

heard unmanned mission BY NASA to the explore aliens in another galaxy. NASA can always use MAX negotiation skills face to face.

Anyone knows NASA director's number here :)

"So then Max, how do you propose aligning different species and bringing harmony to the Universe?"

"Well, first I will call them all Loonies and then threaten them with War if they don't let me rule their planet. It works in F1!!"

[woody2goody]

I just don't like the idea that guys are getting screwed off the line by the KERS cars. It ruined Vettel's race in Bahrain(?), and has compromised a lot of other people's strategies this year so far.

[ioan]

I just don't like the idea that guys are getting screwed off the line by the KERS cars. It ruined Vettel's race in Bahrain(?), and has compromised a lot of other people's strategies this year so far.

Those who don't have KERS have a better balanced car and thus can perform better in qualifying.

One needs to take a look to both side of the matter before starting to whine.

[Knock-on]

Those who don't have KERS have a better balanced car and thus can perform better in qualifying.

One needs to take a look to both side of the matter before starting to whine.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/76454

Looks like Ferrari think it's been a waste of money as well.

[woody2goody]

Those who don't have KERS have a better balanced car and thus can perform better in qualifying.

One needs to take a look to both side of the matter before starting to whine.

I'm only 'whining' in your opinion because Ferrari are now the only team using it at every race. Doesn't it speak for itself that Ferrari's best race performances of the year came at Silverstone and Monaco, two tracks where KERS has a minimal effect?

This says to me that Ferrari would be doing much better if they had not been running it. To be honest, it's the KERS teams that are now near the back, because they had to make design compromises. Ferrari do use the KERS well, and they haven't built a bad car either, it's just KERS is penalising them more than it's helping them.

It's no fault of their own, in fact it's probably BMW's fault.

Without KERS Ferrari would be challenging for the podium regularly, and Alonso would be in the points nearly every race.

[veeten]

It's no fault of their own, in fact it's probably BMW's fault.

Without KERS Ferrari would be challenging for the podium regularly, and Alonso would be in the points nearly every race.

Which is not a suprise, as they were the ones that did the most lobbying for it and ended up the ones worse off with it. The phrase, 'be careful what you wish for...', apply here with great effect.

This was a publicity scheme from the very start, as I have said before, designed to enbolden F1 to the 'tree-huggers and eco-nuts' that were getting plenty of air time from the press, mainstream and otherwise. Doomed from the start, it is just another example of many things for any sport to not get themselves into, just for the sake of reaching larger audiences.

Stick to the basics and keep it simple. It works for NASCAR, so give it a shot...

[Blancvino]

KERS is the least of this sport's problems.

[ioan]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/76454

Looks like Ferrari think it's been a waste of money as well.

And they are right, but they have designed the car with KERS and taking it out at this stage doesn't yield a bigger advantage than having it in for qualifying and especially the start so they will keep it this season.

We all know now that a car without KERS and with DD diffuser is faster than one with KERS and a bolted on DD diffuser, but it's already half way through the season and redesigning the car just for the sake of spending a lot of money isn't the way to go when others are going to win anyway.

Ferrari know that the maximum they can achieve this season is 3rd place in the constructors championship, and they can do it with the current KERS equiped version of the car.

[ioan]

Without KERS Ferrari would be challenging for the podium regularly, and Alonso would be in the points nearly every race.

Well, Alonso isn't using KERS anymore and all he managed is 15th or so last time around which proves that now it's to late to make a difference by removing KERS.

[chuck34]

KERS could have been an interesting idea had it not been limited in the amount of time it could be used or the amount of power extracted. Let 'em use it to it's full potential, and that would have added something.

[Sonic]

What doomed it was the half-hearted way it was introduced, with a small permissible storage capacity, which was perhaps understandable, but what was not understandable in the slightest was limiting its usage to a certain amount of time per lap, how arbitrary is that?

I was always taught as a kid that if something is worth doing, it's worth doing properly. Was Max?

Indeed

[race_director]

KERS could have been an interesting idea had it not been limited in the amount of time it could be used or the amount of power extracted. Let 'em use it to it's full potential, and that would have added something.

KERS will have to be time bound. since it a self cycle of creating additional power. one thing which would have made more teams interested if they did not have the maximum cap of 80-90HP.

[schmenke]

It's a complete fiasco costing millions of pounds and adds nothing to the racing.

What's the point of having a hard fought battle between 2 cars only to be decided by which one has "push 2 pass"?...

Yep, that's all it ever was, a cleverly disguised gimmick, and nothing to do with any kind of "green experiment" :mark:

[jens]

Already in winter it seemed that KERS was a waste of time and without BMW's opposition it would have been dropped already before the start of the season. I recall Toyota being the first team, who already back in 2008 announced that they are not going to race KERS since it won't give any advantage for them. Back then the background was unclear and some even suggested that Toyota has cocked up, but in reality they were the first to realize the real worth of the system.

The "biggest" KERS-moment for me was that memorable Alonso (KERS) vs Webber (non-KERS) battle in Malaysia for quite several corners. But generally it's a good move by FOTA to abandon it.