Formula One teams alliance votes to ban KERS in 2010
The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) voted this past weekend to push for a ban on kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) in 2010. While it wasn't a unanimous vote, a majority of the eight teams remaining in the group voted in favor of the ban. The Williams and Force India teams were recently suspended from the group over their decisions to side with the FIA in the argument over budget caps for 2010.
The teams that have run KERS so far in 2009 have been disappointed by the results with the performance gains that don't make the extra weight of the systems worth it. FOTA is expected to push the FIA to ban the hybrid drive systems as part of its negotiations for an agreement on the 2010 budget restrictions. Currently, use of KERS is voluntary and the FIA was planning to loosen the restrictions on use in future seasons. In the most recent race in Turkey only the Ferrari and McLaren teams used their KERS systems.
[Source: F1-Live]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Serge 10:10AM (6/08/2009)
Of course teams are disappointed, when you cap the amount of boost.. It can be a strategy to brake harder, have more boost on the straight etc.
IMO we should go back to the old days, allow different tire brands, allow different transmissions (CVT's should be limited, but not restricted), allow different brake systems and allow active suspension and aerodynamics. Hybrids, full electrics, hydraulic hybrids, flywheel hybrids all allowed. All this on a budget cap, allow more technical creativity (think Chapman) are the things that make it a proper competition again.
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Robby 11:27AM (6/08/2009)
To further your ideas, I'd like to see a sliding scale for the budget based on the technology they're using.
$X for straight petrol ICE
$Y for petrol ICE with some form of KERS (unlimited boost)
$Z for total battery electric
And so on. It wouldn't be long until a team with mega bucks to spend came up with a way for a HEV or EV to compete with an ICE car if the budget restraints let them spend a significant amount more.
Where I'd really like to see EV/HEV technology developed is in endurance racing.
why not the LS2LS7? 11:45AM (6/08/2009)
Hydraulic hybrids make zero sense in these cars. Hydraulic drive is only effective at low speeds, and F1 cars are not low speed.
I don't think KERS allows you to brake harder, the limits of braking are defined by the grip of the tires, not the ability to generate stopping power.
Robby:
You're living in a dream world. There's no way to get enough electric energy into a car to make an EV compete against an F1 car. An F1 car uses about 2 liters of fuel a lap, it would flatten a Tesla-sized battery (53KWh) every 5 laps or less. And the Tesla pack weighs 300kgs, these cars only weigh 600kgs total.
BlackbirdHighway 10:18AM (6/08/2009)
If it's voluntary, and they don't feel that the performance gain is worth it, then I don't see why the need for a ban. Nobody is forcing anyone to use it, so they can all just voluntarily not use it.
With no ban, if somebody actually figures out how to make it work better and gains an advantage, then more power to them!
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Joe 11:03AM (6/08/2009)
The problem is it is pretty much restricted so nobody can get an advantage by using it. Which makes it pointless.
They need to unrestrict its usage, and then everybody will be using it.
why not the LS2LS7? 11:38AM (6/08/2009)
KERS is just a ludicrous joke anyway. It's just an expensive way to get push to pass.
The amount of total boost is capped not just by rule, but by the low energy density of the storage systems. Even at the current storage limits, the system adds a lot of weight to the car.
There are better and cheaper ways to get push to pass. There are better and cheaper ways to save fuel. F1 should look into these and throw KERS out the window.
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Avro 12:02PM (6/08/2009)
Since Minimum weight requirements must be met, KERS doesn't actually add to the weight of the car. It does however limit the engineer's flexibility to balance the car and reduce fuel tank capacity.
I would love to see more creativity as well. But with looser rules, there is also a much higher chance for a very one-sided season with one team always ahead of the others. This wouldn't be fun to watch, and clearly that's why these commitees exist, to balance out these different factors.
In my own speculation, I think that the teams are going for the ban because the expenses that must be spent for KERS development might not translate to a car that is that much faster. Having a standard component that all teams have access to would solve that, and I believe it is an option that is still being considered.
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tnk 6:05PM (6/08/2009)
And how would that be different from this season? The same team has one 6 out of 7 races so far and are already 40 points ahead in the constructors championship. And this after all of these stupid rules banning aerodynamic enhancements on the body, shrinking the rear wing, KERS, etc. None of it has changed the nature of F1 a bit. It is however, costing the teams a lot of money as due to the inconsistency of the rules from season to season, they have to redesign their cars in very significant ways. The new rules are pretty much a fail and they should loosen them up significantly and just let em race.