The Bizarre KERS Concept Moves Forward
Formula One is in the throes of financial turmoil. So, what do they do? They move forward with the bizarre KRS concept. I thought we were trying to cut costs here!
What is KERS? A joke, but I digress. KERS stands for Kinetic Energy Recovery System. It is essentially the capturing of energy created under braking which can then be used to provide a short burst of power to the engine. If it sounds pretty hokey, it is. The idea is a remnant from the free spending days of Formula One when the leather wearing Max Mosley wanted to show the world that F1 could be eco-friendly. What a disaster.
The first issue with the KERS system is rather obvious. It is a new technology. Formula One teams are good at developing new technology, but they don’t do it cheaply. In a time when teams and the manufacturers behind them are staggering financially, developing the KERS program seems a bit odd. So, why are they doing it? The answer seems to be that they’ve already spent so much money that they might as well finish the program! A cliché about throwing good money after bad comes to mind, but I’ll keep it to myself.
The second issue with the KERS system is it has no purpose. The sophomoric reason given for its development is it will allow for a quick boost that will help with passing. As Mark Webber recently surmised, a driver that is being passed is just going to hit the boost as well and will “win” since his will come a second or two later and thus last longer!
Don’t get me wrong. Formula One needs help with the on course product. Watching a race like Hungary where nobody can pass is a tad boring. The best approach is not to come up with a strange boost system that sounds strikingly similar to what was used in the CART/Champ open wheel circuit in America. The better answer is to play with the aerodynamics on the cars to the point where closing up on a competitor doesn’t result in a loss of grip. Supposedly, that’s what this year’s regulations are supposed to do.
The KERS program is a mistake plain and simple. It costs too much, doesn’t do anything and is sure to be the cause of many race failures as it falls apart early in the season. Dump it!
Lemmy