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05/15/2008 - 12:34 PM
Baelen, Belgium
Ecclestone (left) and Dennis: staking out positions on KERS. (LAT photo) ยป More Photos
It was great to see Lewis Hamilton hustle past Felipe Massa in the Turkish Grand Prix, but it really brought home how rare it is to see a pass for the lead in F1 that doesn’t involve a pit stop or wet weather. In 2009 we may see a little more passing, thanks to combination of new aero rules and the introduction of Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems.
Having been lurking in the background for some months, KERS came into sharp focus when team principals met with Bernie Ecclestone at the Spanish GP a few weeks ago. The encounter took place in the hospitality area of the Toyota motorhome, which meant that journalists, photographers and cameramen observing through its windows were give a unique insight into the dynamics of the meeting, during which the subject of the Max Mosley scandal was also discussed.
Some 10 months before their cars are due to race with KERS systems, some teams have expressed doubts about the introduction of the technology. KERS has been championed by Max Mosley on the basis that it will force manufacturers to spend money on something that will ultimately be relevant to road cars, and because its “green” credentials will be a boost for the image of the sport. And, in theory, it will also improve the show, as drivers will have what amounts to a “push-to-pass” button.
KERS has been especially embraced by Honda and BMW, but in Spain Mercedes (via Ron Dennis), Renault and Ferrari all expressed their doubts, noting that introducing such a massive investment program at the time of an economic downturn was not appropriate.
There is also some question of how relevant the technology is. Some are convinced that there will be direct benefits for road cars; others say that racing is such a specialist activity that any systems built for F1 will not help the industry to any significant degree.
Although some were keen to have KERS postponed beyond 2009 or even abandoned altogether, it was soon apparent that such a move was not going to happen – even allowing for the doubts over Mosley’s future, since it was highly unlikely that KERS would be shelved while he was still in power.
The debate instead focused on the FIA’s longer-term plans for KERS, and the degree to which its importance will be increased in the coming years. Indeed, the whole discussion was prompted by a letter sent by Mosley to the teams in mid-April, and which he regarded as a basis for discussion.
In the rules as already set as of 2009 teams are allowed to draw 60kW from one axle, which will make available 400kJ of energy per lap. This will be equivalent to a boost or push-to-pass button which will give a driver an extra 80hp for around 6.7 seconds per lap.
In his letter,
This was regarded as too much too soon, even by the ardent supports of KERS. The teams eventually agreed that while KERS will be coming in 2009 after all, there should be a delay before the FIA goes too far down the route. The majority view was that any such plans should be put on hold until the basic system is seen in action in 2009, something that seems eminently sensible.
Dennis was particularly vocal in Spain, and later said he got frustrated because there were people in the meeting – also attended by technical directors – for whom keeping a lid on costs was not a priority.
“I didn’t get heated, I got passionate,” said Dennis. “It was a meeting about costs. It was very driven by various views that people have – that was what the meeting was constructed for, to determine future development of KERS. And obviously not everyone agreed.
“What I find particularly frustrating is that a lot of people that were there are not the people who sign the checks. I was keen to make very clear that the consequences of us not finding a constructive way forward. I’m just passionate, and I voiced my opinion about that. That’s the only thing that was an issue. It was just a commercial issue.
“We were there to express opinions, and we expressed opinions. At the end there was consensus. A lot of people got passionate, but as I said the frustration is when someone is strong, but they don’t sign the checks, it gets a bit hold on a second, it’s all very well to sit there, but you don’t sign the checks.”
Dennis said the team is not opposed to KERS in principle:
“This program, as Norbert [Haug] will confirm, is predominantly a Mercedes-Benz program working in conjunction with us. Of course this is part of the powertrain. We’re not against anything. I was just trying to make a point that we needed to have consensus.
“It’s so frustrating when people are speaking absolute common sense and they just want to follow a path which gives us time to learn and time to understand the implications, and then one or two people say, “Well, you know...” It’s just frustrating. I didn’t lose my cool. Someone seems to think I lost my cool, but I never did, I was just passionate.”
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