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.

HRT’s team boss has admitted installing KERS is an unlikely goal for the struggling Spanish team this year.

Luis Perez Sala said the new F112 was designed to accommodate the energy-recovery technology, but qualifying comfortably within the 107 per cent rule is a better target for now.

“We have a car we are yet to discover,” he told El Confidencial.

Indeed, HRT travelled to Australia last month having hardly run its new Cosworth-powered car, and failed to qualify for the season opener.

“It is designed to carry KERS but in the short term we will not (use it). We don’t think we’re going to race with it this year,” he added.

“So, in this respect, it’s not perfect. Right now, we have assembled the car in a hurry and so the private testing at Mugello, just after Bahrain, will be very important to us.”

Sala, having rebuilt HRT following the departure of team boss Colin Kolles, was speaking from HRT’s new headquarters at the Caja Magica (Magic Box).

“After Bahrain, we will have the cars here. From the Spanish grand prix, we will begin to function more effectively.

“In China and Bahrain we will improve things in the car and the team, but it is a slow process that will last all year.

“As I sit here (in Madrid), some people are in Valencia, others in Germany, England … the cars are flying to China and we need to address issues of reliability, not just performance.”

It is a tough situation for HRT, but Sala concedes that the ‘paddock perception’ of the team is that it has gone backwards since debuting in 2010.

“It is really our first year,” he insists.

He reveals that Bernie Ecclestone, once a staunch critic of the struggling backmarkers, is “quiet”.

“We have not had any problems, I think he is calm,” said Sala.

It is also a busy time off the track for HRT, as many rival teams are busily signing the new Concorde Agreement for 2013.

“There are teams that are more advanced than others; for us, the negotiations are still at the beginning,” he said.

The most obvious goals right now, Sala insists, are to have “a team that works together, has a reliable car and a small team that can develop it, and we’re around 105pc off the pole”.

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’ 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 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.

Virgin has confirmed that its newly launched MVR-02 car is not designed to accommodate a KERS system.
Along with Lotus and HRT, the three teams are the only ones in formula one who will not benefit from the energy-recovery technology in 2011.

Car designer Nick Wirth defended the decision on the basis that Virgin has other priorities.

“The fact is it (KERS) is extremely expensive and extremely heavy and it is worth about three tenths of a second — we’re after three seconds,” he said at the car’s launch in London on Monday.

And continuing driver Timo Glock agreed that Virgin is not going to be pushing the frontrunners in 2011.

“Realistically you do not make up three or four seconds over the winter, but hopefully we can be closer to the midfield teams,” said the German.

Wirth said the design team’s biggest focus has been reliability, with hydraulics proving the achilles heel in 2010.

He confirmed that while Virgin tried a radical Renault-like forward-exiting exhaust in its computer simulators, the team ultimately opted for a more conservative solution.

“We understand why they (Renault) are doing it, but you need to be a team like Renault from the financial, human and technical resources standpoint to implement it.

“So we’re happy with our solution,” German reports quote Wirth as saying.

Glock told Auto Motor und Sport: “Compared to our competitors we can’t afford to have such radical solutions.”

And the 28-year-old smiled as he confirmed that the fuel tank will be big enough this season.

“That’s not going to happen to us again,” he said. “This time our tank is too big!”

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.”

More details about the shape of radical new regulations for 2013 have continued to emerge.

Earlier, it was reported that most teams have essentially agreed that the field will in future be powered by 1.6 litre, 4 cylinder turbo engines, with the cars featuring 80s-style ‘ground effect’ aerodynamics.

Monday’s reports also said drivers will be limited to using just five of the 650 horse power engines in 2013.

The online magazine GPWeek has now revealed some additional details of the new formula.

The publication said the turbo engines will run at about 10,000rpm, and feature an efficient limit on the fuel flow — culminating in a ‘green’ formula that some insiders believe might entice manufacturers back onto the grid.

KERS will also play an increasing role in F1′s future regulations, with additional heat-recovery technology to likely augment the existing hybrid systems.

Additionally, the cars’ sidepods will be moved forwards to increase driver protection, and the size of the wheel rims is expected to increase in future years.

The basis of the 2013 rules are likely to be outlined in more detail after a forthcoming meeting of the World Motor Sport Council.

Magneti Marelli is reportedly offering a KERS system to formula one teams for a price of US $1 million per season.

The Sesto San Giovanni-based company is a Fiat subsidiary and electronics specialist that was involved with Ferrari’s energy-recovery technology deployed in formula one last year.

It has already been reported that Ferrari-powered Sauber is considering using a Magneti Marelli system next year, as is Red Bull, whose engine supplier Renault also turned to the Italian company for its KERS in 2009.

Autosprint reports that Toro Rosso, also powered by Ferrari, could also use a Magneti Marelli KERS in 2011, as well as the new teams Virgin, Lotus and HRT.

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.

Cosworth is tweaking the design of its formula one engine in order to accommodate KERS systems in 2011.

Although already permitted by the technical regulations, the teams voluntarily agreed to not use the energy-recovery technology this season.

But for 2011, the FOTA ban will lapse, and teams currently powered by Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault have indicated they will fit KERS systems to their cars.

Williams has also indicated it will run KERS in 2011, and as well as the British team, Northampton based Cosworth also currently powers Lotus, Virgin and HRT.

“We have to make several new configurations to our V8 and also change some of the accessories,” Cosworth’s business director Mark Gallagher is quoted by Autosprint’s Italian-language auto.it.

He confirmed: “Our partners will be able to use KERS if they so choose.”

(GMM)

Jun.9 (GMM)  KERS should only return to the F1 grid next year if every car is fitted with the energy-recovery technology.

That is the claim of Sir Frank Williams, whose Grove based team is reportedly keen to see KERS make a comeback in 2011.

Williams has its own hybrid technology company, whose unique flywheel KERS unit was fitted to the Porsche 911 GT3 R at the recent Nurburgring 24 hour race.

FIA president Jean Todt is pushing hard for the F1 teams alliance FOTA to overturn its gentleman’s ban on KERS.

KERS therefore already features in the technical regulations, but – if the FOTA ban is dropped – its use is voluntary.

“I am a strong supporter of the use of KERS,” Williams is quoted by the Dutch publication formule1.nl.

“The automotive industry is working on reducing CO2 emissions, and for that reason alone formula one must take the lead.

“But it should be compulsory — either we all use it, or we all do not,” added Williams.

Interestingly, the 68-year-old suggested that if Williams does use KERS in F1 next year, it would not be the flywheel system produced by Williams Hybrid Power.

“Our system works well and is being used by Porsche in long distance races,” he confirmed.

“But it is bigger than the electrical systems.  As we now drive with bigger fuel tanks, it no longer fits in a formula one car.  It would make our car like a London double-decker!