Marussia needs a KERS system to catch up with its direct rivals.

That is the admission of team boss John Booth, who told the Russian website championat.com that he is looking into adding the energy recovery technology to next year’s Marussia package.

“First of all, I want to say that while it is said it (KERS) is a ‘green’ technology, in reality it’s just a serious waste of money,” he said.

“But in our situation it’s time to start thinking seriously about KERS. Of the gap to Caterham, five or six tenths is due to KERS,” added Booth.

“So we are thinking seriously about it for 2013, but so far there is no decision.”

Both admitted the start of the 2012 season has been a disappointment so far for Marussia, which in its first two years was called Virgin.

He said the team has recently completed a phase of serious restructuring.

“We had a good team of people before, but now we have a good team of designers. Though we have been in F1 for three years, I have the feeling that we were actually born in July 2011.”

Both is undoubtedly referring to the split mid last year with former technical chief Nick Wirth, and the relocation to a new headquarters.

Departing technical director Sam Michael’s last grand prix with the Williams race team will be Korea in October.

Jacques-Armand Dupuis, writing for France’s autohebdo.fr, reported that the Australian is not sure if he will then revert to a factory-based job or be sent on ‘gardening leave’ as the British team looks ahead to 2012.

“Most of the technical directors go to the races, but the (new) structure at Williams means that he will not.

“Mark Gillan is the chief engineer and he will be in Japan and Korea and he will then take my place,” said Michael, who has been linked with a move to Force India.

Dupuis reported that moves to Mercedes and Ferrari have also been touted for the 40-year-old.

“Everything is open for the future,” insisted Michael.

Meanwhile, after Williams experimented with a no-KERS configuration for Rubens Barrichello at the Nurburgring, Michael confirmed that the energy recovery technology will return to the Brazilian’s car this weekend.

Williams is experimenting with a no-KERS configuration aboard Rubens Barrichello’s car this weekend at the Nurburgring.
Before the recent Silverstone race, we reported that Force India was toying with not using the energy recovery technology to see if the differences in weight-ballast and brake-balance had a positive effect.

The Silverstone based team ultimately decided to keep KERS aboard.

It has now emerged that Williams is experimenting with a no-KERS setup on Barrichello’s car this weekend, in conjunction with a new diffuser.

Technical director Sam Michael said the decision to leave the system off the Brazilian veteran’s car is to “give us more information going forward”.

“On Rubens’ car we chose not to race with KERS here in order to get some more data for comparison,” he added.

Barrichello ultimately qualified 14th behind his teammate Pastor Maldonado.

Team Lotus has struck a deal with its technology partner Red Bull to use a KERS system in formula one.
Malaysian Tony Fernandes’ small team is this year using the hydraulics system and gearbox run by the reigning championship-winning outfit in 2010.

And Finland’s Turun Sanomat newspaper reports that, next year, the green liveried team will take yet another step forward because its Red Bull parts will be the ones currently used on Adrian Newey’s dominant RB7.

And the KERS to be used by Team Lotus, Turun Sanomat continued, will be the Magneti Marelli system that is developed in cooperation with Renault and Red Bull.

Fernandes confirmed: “Yes, we have agreed with Red Bull on KERS.”

Red Bull might be an odd choice as KERS supplier for Team Lotus, given the team’s struggles with the technology so far in 2011.

Newey said last month that energy recovery is “Not really our forte. We are an aerodynamics and, sort of, chassis composite engineering group rather than a KERS group”.

Team Lotus’ latest sponsor deal will mean the outfit runs KERS technology in 2012.
Team owner and boss Tony Fernandes announced this week the green T128 cars will begin running General Electric branding from Silverstone in July.

Asked by CNN if the wide-ranging agreement will lead to Team Lotus running energy-recovery technology in F1 next year, he said: “Without a doubt. Definitely, next year, we will have KERS … so it’s a big plus, not only financially, but technologically”.

In 2011, Team Lotus is one of only a few teams not already using KERS technology.

Red Bull will decide whether to use KERS for the rest of the Monaco grand prix weekend after Thursday’s practice sessions.
The technology has caused problems for the otherwise dominant team so far in 2011, and at Monaco its influence is questionable due to the many tight corners and absence of significant straights.

The energy-recovery unit in Sebastian Vettel’s car functioned only intermittently en route to a narrow victory over Lewis Hamilton in Spain last weekend.

“I was playing around with the buttons and the brake distribution so it wasn’t an easy race and obviously McLaren and Lewis especially gave us a very, very hard time,” he said.

His teammate Mark Webber told Auto Motor und Sport in Monaco: “We will test with it on Thursday.”

German Vettel admitted that removing KERS from the RB7s after practice is an option.

“If we have some problems again, we need to consider if it makes more sense to concentrate fully on the driving,” he said.

An unnamed team principal has criticised formula one’s so-called ‘green’ energy-recovery KERS technology.

“It gives us a green look,” the boss is quoted as saying by Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper.

KERS gives drivers a power ‘boost’ after collecting heat energy from braking and charging a battery.

“In reality, KERS is used only for acceleration and forces up the (car’s) weight, so that in the end the fuel consumption is higher.

“That’s not to mention the question of what happens to the batteries when they’re finished,” the unnamed F1 chief added.

Red Bull has fixed its KERS problems ahead of the weekend’s Turkish grand prix, the team’s F1 consultant Dr Helmut Marko has confirmed.
The championship leaders have had problems with the energy-recovery technology so far in 2011 aboard the otherwise-impressive RB7 car.

Red Bull vowed to get to the bottom of the issue in the three week gap between China and Turkey.

“Our KERS system is fine, over the Easter break we have made some modifications,” Austrian Marko told the German newspaper Bild.

It was believed the main problem was overheating.

“It is much better now,” added Marko. “It works.”

Championship leader Sebastian Vettel, although losing to McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton in China three weeks ago, is confident not only for Turkey but also Barcelona two weeks later.

“The next two tracks should be good for us,” the German is quoted as saying by Kleine Zeitung.

Mike Gascoyne has admitted it is unlikely Team Lotus’ 2011 car will ever feature a KERS system.

The Renault-powered T128 was designed without the energy recovery technology in mind, but chief operating officer Keith Saunt said last month: “We might end up with it, who knows?”

“We will discuss it with Renault, but for a small team like us, KERS is a very high cost,” technical director Gascoyne told Auto Motor und Sport.

“We would need to change the chassis significantly, as at the moment there is no room for KERS,” he said.

But Gascoyne is not ruling out a change of mind, especially as arguably the biggest benefit of running a KERS system this year is expected to be the race start.

“It would not be good if we’re among a few of our direct opponents in qualifying and then before the first corner we lose three or four places because we lack that extra power on the line,” he explained.

Team Lotus has confirmed reports that the 2011 car does not feature a KERS system.
We reported recently that HRT and Virgin will also be starting the forthcoming season without the energy-recovery technology.

“The decision made the design job slightly easier, because packaging it in the car is always a bit more of a headache,” chief designer Lewis Butler said in the Team Lotus Notes magazine.

Confirmed head of aerodynamics Marianne Hinson: “It’s the same for us in aerodynamics — no KERS is actually easier because packaging all the bits you need for it is actually quite limiting for some of the aero shapes you need in some areas.”

Lotus is not ruling out installing KERS at a later date, but chief operating officer Keith Saunt suggested it is not necessary for the team to take its next step.

“If KERS was going to get us from eighth to sixth then we’d have it,” he said. “But when you look at the weight of it and some of the engineering challenges, I think it’s a good decision not to start with it.

“We might end up with it, who knows?” added Saunt. “But if we did we’ve got a lot of experienced people who could turn their hands to it.”

Fernando Alonso has tipped key technical rule changes for 2011 to contribute to more “spectacular” racing.

The Ferrari driver admitted that the return of energy-recovery KERS boost buttons next year, and the debut of moveable rear wings usable only by drivers who are closely chasing a rival, are “crucial” to the sport’s next season.

“Each year there are rule changes to encourage overtaking, but I think that the ones in 2011 are really significant,” he is quoted by the Spanish media at an event involving Santander boss Emilio Botin.

“I think that, finally, it will be much easier to overtake and hopefully the racing will be spectacular,” Spaniard Alonso added.

Asked what his personal goal for 2011 is, the 29-year-old admitted: “When you are at Ferrari, the world championship as a target is obligatory.

“We will have a better car than this year and the goal remains the same as always,” added Alonso.

“We know how difficult is our task because of the competitiveness of Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes, so we need to work hard to find something they do not have.”

Finally, Alonso was asked by a young questioner if he will be drinking Red Bull over the winter period to build his energy for 2011.

“No … no,” he smiled.

Sauber’s 2011 car will be unveiled at Valencia on January 31; the day before winter testing begins.

The Swiss team announced on Friday that the Ferrari-powered C30 will be launched at Valencia’s permanent Ricardo Tormo circuit, the scene of the first group test of the 2011 pre-season.

It is likely many teams will also be testing their new cars at the Spanish venue.

“The new car is on schedule,” a spokesman for the Faenza based Toro Rosso team told f1today.nl. “We are planning to have it for the first test in Valencia.”

And after Lotus said it will begin 2011 without KERS, it seems likely that Toro Rosso’s STR6 will be fitted with the energy recovery technology.

The Faenza based team’s Swiss driver Sebastien Buemi was in the simulator this week to prepare for 2011.

“There will be quite a few new tasks in the cockpit next year, with the re-introduction of KERS and the use of an adjustable rear wing,” he said.

“I am not going to tell you anything (more) about the STR6, let’s just say it definitely looks impressive!” added Buemi.

Lotus has not changed its mind about running a KERS system in 2011.

In May this year, team boss Tony Fernandes said the Norfolk-based team had “good reasons” to build the 2010 car’s successor without the energy recovery technology.

Another new feature of the technical rules for 2011 is an adjustable rear wing to help boost overtaking.

“We will have the adjustable rear wing but not KERS for the start of the season – it’s in development – really because of engineering resource,” technical boss Mike Gascoyne told edp24.co.uk.

“Over one lap, it’s still not a big plus for its effort, involvement and negatives. Strategically off the start and in races, then yes,” he said.

“But at the start of the year, KERS is not going to be the thing that gives us the step up.

“It’s all the other things, and we’ve taken the choice to concentrate on all those because if we don’t get them right, KERS isn’t going to make a difference.”

Lotus’ new engine supplier for 2011 is Renault, so Gascoyne confirmed that when the team is ready to run with KERS, it will be the French marque’s unit.

“Renault are very keen on green technologies and KERS, so it’s something we will be pushing,” he said.

The price for customer teams of Mercedes’ 2011-specification KERS system has reportedly increased from an original EUR 1 million to 6 million.

Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports that F1 teams initially agreed that customer supplies of the energy-recovery technology next should cost purchasing teams just 1 million euros.

A further 5 million euros per team could then be spent on developing the systems.

But instead of receiving 1 million euro invoices from Mercedes, customer teams McLaren and Force India are reportedly being charged 6 million each.

The report, published on Wednesday, speculated that Force India in particular will not be able to afford the inflated price, in addition to its 9 million euro bill for Mercedes’ 2.4 litre V8 engines.

On the bright side for Mercedes’ KERS customers, the German marque believes it can supply a system next year weighing just 21 kilograms, compared to the 25kg system in 2009.

It is believed the other KERS manufacturers – Ferrari, Renault and Williams – are not going to follow Mercedes’ lead by increasing the price of their KERS systems.

Sam Michael, technical director at Williams, is surprised at the reports about high development costs.

“We have estimated the cost of our KERS at half a million pounds (sterling),” said the Australian, “and it will not weigh more than 25 kilograms.”

Sauber has not decided whether or not to run KERS in 2011.

With the car weight limit increasing next year and the weight distribution to be fixed, Force India’s chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer said this week that there is “no other option” than to use the energy recovery technology.

But Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport had said that while the bigger teams are all planning to go with KERS, the new teams are almost certainly not.

And the publication said it is not clear if middle of the grid teams like Sauber and Toro Rosso will use KERS next year.

Hinwil based Sauber is still developing the C29, but work has also begun on the team’s 2011 car.

But technical director James Key said the KERS decision has not yet been taken. “It is certainly a possibility,” he said, “but we are still weighing it up and will decide later on.”

Team boss Peter Sauber said recently that Sauber will definitely not be using the system developed and raced in 2009 by former owner BMW because it is “air-cooled with far too many disadvantages”.

If Sauber was to opt for KERS in 2011, it is believed the team would buy a Magneti Marelli system for 1 million euros through customer engine supplier Ferrari.