Massa's Blog: Yet another step forward in performance terms

I have had a busy few days since the Turkish Grand Prix, so time has gone by quickly and now I’m heading off to Barcelona for the fifth race of the season, which I hope will show more signs of the progress we had clearly made in Turkey. After a couple of days at home in Monaco, I headed for Rome where I attended a function for our partner Shell, after which I stayed in Italy spending three days at Maranello.

I had the usual race preparation meetings with the engineers, although much of the time was in the simulator, with it set up to replicate the Catalunya circuit where we will be racing this weekend. To be honest, from a driver’s point of view, the simulator is most valuable when you are using it to learn a new circuit, like we did last year for Korea and will do again for India, this year’s new venue. The work I was involved in this week was more for the benefit of the car, the 150° Italia, as I was testing the new updates we plan to use starting from Friday.

A session in the simulator is very much like a normal test at a race track: we start running at 9 in the morning until around 1, when we have a break for lunch, which we take in the simulator area itself and then we start again running from around 2.30 to 5 in the afternoon. After that, just like at the racetrack, I have a debrief with my engineers. Usually with the simulator, you start doing a run just to get acclimatised to it and then you start doing runs that last five or six timed laps. You can immediately see the results of what you are doing so, based on that, you decide what changes to make to the car and go out again. In one day in the simulator, you can try many more things than you could do at the track, because in the “virtual” environment, it is much quicker changing things on the car than at the track. Also, you don’t waste time in the simulator with “in” laps and “out” laps: for example at the Catalunya track on the simulator, you start the lap coming out of Turn 11 and then you can immediately begin your timed lap. When you press the button to finish, it’s like being back in the garage again. You talk to the engineers and anything you want changing on the car they can do almost immediately, or they can configure the car to test new updates or experiment with set-ups. The simulator is therefore much more time saving than testing for real.

Physically, a simulator session is much less tiring than driving the real car, because the G forces are less, but you are still driving, moving and working hard, but the physical effort required is far less. The best thing about the simulator? When you crash, nothing happens, absolutely nothing! Okay, you can feel something through the steering wheel but then the platform just stops and it’s over. When you first start using a simulator, you can find yourself going off line and even crashing but there is no harm done to you or the car.

Back in the real world, we have new parts we plan to use on the car in Spain and we are expecting to make yet another step forward in performance terms. We know how tough a time we had in the early part of the season, but hard work has seen us reduce the gap to the quickest cars and we plan to continue that way, especially in qualifying trim. If we make the car better for Saturday, we should also end up with an even more competitive car in the race on Sunday. I hope we are on the right road, because we now have Spain and Monaco just a few days apart and after that, we will have already completed six Grands Prix, or almost one third of the season. So it is a very important time for us and I have every confidence in the team that we can have a good Spanish weekend. The Spanish Grand Prix will be another interesting test of the effect of the new rules, with KERS and the DRS, although overtaking might not be quite as straightforward as in Turkey, as the main straight in Barcelona is not as long as the one at the Istanbul track. Of course, we have seen that tyre performance is possibly an even bigger feature than the KERS and DRS and from a driver’s point of view, it makes the racing quite interesting psychologically, as you have to deal with having a car that is really competitive for some laps and then finding your lap times dropping off and you are struggling to fight off the cars behind you. Then you fit new tyres and the whole situation changes again. It’s interesting for us and more importantly, very exciting for the race fans. Obviously, my team-mate will be the focus of most of the attention for his home race in Spain and Fernando’s arrival at Ferrari has made the Scuderia very popular with the Spanish race fans, so I hope we can both deliver a good result for them on Sunday.

Source: Ferrari.com

Q&A with Lewis Hamilton after Istanbul

"Things didn’t really come together in the race"

Fourth place in Turkey was a pretty satisfying result at the end of a somewhat unsatisfying weekend, wasn’t it?

“Yeah, I think it was a realistic result. I think that, if everything had come together, then we might have been able to get onto the podium. I think we had the pace but things didn’t really come together in the race: I had a bit of a scrappy start and then lost ground to the leaders, so fourth was pretty satisfactory. It could’ve been worse.

“And I think Sunday showed how close it is among the top teams: we saw at the weekend how strong Mercedes GP and Ferrari can be when they have a clear run at a weekend. But we also know that we didn’t really get the maximum from the package we expected to run in Turkey. As always, we’re fighting to bring lots of new parts to the track, and it isn’t always possible to run them either from a performance or reliability point of view.

“Even before first practice, we knew we were going to have to scale back our ambitions on the development front for this particular race. Of course, that’s disappointing but you have to look at the bigger picture: the championship will be won through consistency, so it’s better to score points with a decent result than risk a non-finish through a reliability failure despite having greater performance.”

You had a great tussle with Jenson out on the track did that bring back memories of last year?

“Only in the sense that it was a fair fight. We respect each other both as drivers and people; and I know that, when I’m racing Jenson, it’ll always be clean and fair he’s a driver you can really depend on in a close situation.

“It was good to have a little battle with him – but last year, too, it was for first position; this year, we were only fighting for the minor placings so it wasn’t as much fun. Still, I enjoy racing with KERS Hybrid and DRS it makes it more entertaining for the drivers and the fans. I think anything that makes the racing more exciting should be applauded and we’ve definitely had four interesting races so far this year.

“Sure, you don’t always win – and sometimes the system actually works against you, because it can make you vulnerable when you’re the car in front but, in general, I like the new rule-changes this year.”

There now look to be four teams in with a shot at winning races does that make your job harder?

“At the start of the season, we certainly expected Ferrari and Mercedes GP to be competitive – and, even when they couldn’t quite deliver on their winter testing performance in the first three races, we knew it was only a matter of time before they got back into their stride. So seeing their pace at Turkey wasn’t a surprise it was actually more of a surprise that they hadn’t shown it since the start of the season.

“Having more teams in the fight works both ways – it makes it harder to score good points if you’ve got lots of other drivers taking points off each other, but on the flipside, it should make it harder for anyone to decisively pull ahead in the points table which was something we saw last year.

“It didn’t work out for us in Turkey but I’m already looking ahead to Barcelona – it’s a circuit where I’ve never won, so it would be a great boost for the team if we can get a great result there next week.”

Source: NextgenAuto

Mark Webber: 'KERS worked well'

Mark Webber has confirmed Red Bull's KERS worked well during free practice for the Turkish Grand Prix on Friday.

Red Bull has struggled with its KERS reliablility this season and Webber's car has borne the brunt of the teething problems. After working tirelessly on the problems over the Easter break however, Webber reported that the team had made progress.

"KERS worked pretty well this afternoon - each time we use it we get more experience so, so far so good," he said.

His team-mate Sebastian Vettel crashed heavily during the wet first practice session, meaning Webber had to carry out the team's development and set-up work alone in the afternoon. The Australian said the session had gone well and the data he gathered would be shared with Vettel.

"We learned quite a lot today," Webber said. "It's a pretty challenging venue here with the new regulations - so it was tricky for us all with the weather this morning. We had to fit a lot of our planned work in to this afternoon, but it went smoothly. Sebastian had an issue this morning which could happen to any of us; it just shows you can lose a session very easily. The team will share the data that we gathered this afternoon."

Source: ESPNF1

Sebastian Vettel not worried about KERS in Turkey

World champion Sebastian Vettel insists he is not worried about KERS in Turkey this weekend, despite the problems that have afflicted the system on the Red Bull this year.

Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Vettel said, “We have had some problems but have had. That’s why for this next race I am not worried.”

Red Bull left China three weeks ago with clearly the fastest car but far from the best KERS system, after Adrian Newey repackaged the Renault based unit over the winter for best aerodynamic performance, which has been the RB7′s strength.

The repositioning of KERS elements caused cooling problems at the first three races of 2011, but team consultant Helmut Marko insisted this week that the team used the Easter break to fix the system.

The world championship leader also revealed that the RB7 will have some other upgrades for Turkey this weekend.

“When I asked the team what (new) to expect, I received many answers,” Vettel answered cryptically. “You’ll have to ask them for yourself.”

Source: YallaF1

Harsh critic in Italy over Ferrari's anemic car

Italian Auto Sprint put thoroughly down all Maranello's accomplishments in their issue on Tuesday.

According to the paper 150 Italia -car's anemic aerodynamics is of such class that Ferrari only has two choices out of which one is hidious and the other one is horrible.

The hidious option is to try and catch up with the car's three months belated car project and develop it into more competitive. They say that Ferrari still only analyses their mistakes while their competitors are working fulltime making new updates to their cars.

The horrible option again would be to do what they did two years ago: stop the current car's development work and invest everything into next year. According to the paper this would be horrible for both the drivers as for the sponsors who have invested so much especially in Fernando Alonso.

– Although Red Bull would retire in the next races McLaren is also too far away to be reached by Ferrari. Ferrari has to battle with Mercedes and pray that Renault won't come cruising past them from behind, the verdict says about the current car.

Their attempt to improve their competitiveness in China didn't bring any results. Auto Sprint describes Ferrari as the red crab going backwards while the lead is improving.

As basis they compared the China-qualification from last year: Red Bull was now 0,85 and McLaren 0,55 seconds faster while the 'red crab' was 0,2 seconds slower than last year.

The magazine accuses Ferrari of making two basic mistakes. One is failing in estimation and the other one is arrogance.

The estimation went wrong when Ferrari abandoned the elastic front wing they had developed. Technical Manager Aldo Costa had admitted that they had worked with a front wing that bended more closer to the track but they gave it up because they didn't think it would have passed FIA's strictest test.

Now they are working long days in Maranello so that they could get as soon as possible a front wing that works the same way Red Bull's wing works. Yet it requires a lot of time to get it to function in a similar way because the wing changes all air flows in the car, which again requires in practice re-development of the whole chassis.

The accusation of arrogance again comes from Ferrari's decision to continue with the traditional suspension while seven other teams followed Red Bull's suspension-idea. Auto Sprint lists that the only teams who are in the same camp with Ferrari when it comes to their thinking are Hispania, Virgin and Sauber, who has to use the rear end inherited from Ferrari.

– When has some other team used Ferrari's development work the last time? It was in 2008 when Ferrari had the hole in the nose. After that nobody has even tried to copy Ferrari's ideas, Auto Sprint shoots.

According to the paper Ferrari sank down in the problems starting from year 2009 when testing was limited with a harsh hand and banned altogether during the season.

Also the problems in the windtunnel from 1988 are only highlighted. According to the paper Maranello's windtunnel is too short and everytime they test a car there they have to make artificial corrections to their calculations.

However KERS worked well in Ferrari. The paper reminds that it was KERS, which put Ferrari back in the winning strike when Räikkönen made the victoriuos pass with additional powers in Spa in 2009.

Turun Sanomat, Rooma

PERTTI LEPISTÖ

Courtesy: Nicole

Mark Webber desperate for Red Bull to fix KERS

Mark Webber has warned Red Bull will fall off the pace quickly unless it can resolve its KERS curse

Formula One's leading team has struggled from the start of the season with the power-boosting device.

Despite either having KERS part-functioning or not working at all, Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel managed to win the first two races and was second in China last week behind McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.

Webber carved his way through the field from 18th to third in perhaps his best-ever drive but says Red Bull won't be able to hold McLaren at bay for long unless its KERS issue is fixed.

"McLaren have a huge amount of experience with Mercedes from 2009 and they're doing a good job of it, and that's not an excuse," Webber said.

"It means that we have to work harder, we have to work as cleverly as we can and as fast as we can.

"Fortunately, we now have a bit of a break, so it will be a clear focus for us in terms of durability and consistency and also understanding the system.

"We have awesome guys on the case. With the limited experience we have, that's the way it is and we're still going okay in the constructors' championship, so let's regroup, get to (the next race in) Turkey and work hard on it."

Webber said the KERS problem was doing more than just slowing down Red Bull's cars.

"It's not only a performance thing but it's also incredibly disrupting in the garage. My car was rebuilt about four times this weekend," he added.

"It makes it so much harder for them in terms of making mistakes, when you open a car up and put it back together all the time, it's not easy."

Webber has yet to run a working KERS in a race this season, and Vettel has only had it part-time at the last two grands prix.

According to Vettel, the lack of KERS cost him his third win of the season in Shanghai.

Team boss Christian Horner said Red Bull would make the reliability of their KERS a priority during the three-week break to the start of the European leg of the season in Turkey next month.

Source: Herald Sun

Webber loses cool with journalist

Mark Webber lost his cool and was reduced to an expletive on Thursday as he faced the world’s press who tried to sum up his start to the 2011 F1 World Championship season.

A reporter in Shanghai dared to suggest that the Red Bull driver is to Sebastian Vettel, the reigning champion and two-time winner from pole in 2011, what Eddie Irvine was to Michael Schumacher all those years ago.

“Absolutely f***ing ludicrous question, mate,” he snarled.

Webber, with his contract running out with Red Bull, had an awful weekend in Australia and a KERS failure a week ago in Malaysia, but he vowed to fight back in China.

“He’s not just beating me, he’s beating everyone,” he insisted when asked about Vettel. “No one will turn up then, might as well stay at home. People always make the natural comparison between you and your teammate, and Seb is driving really, really well and is on top of a lot of things at the moment.

“It could be a lot worse than it is at the moment,” he added. “I am still performing pretty well, I believe, and also we’re learning a lot.”

As for his mental state two races down and 28 points behind, the Australian answered: “I’m fine mate. I think if you were much, much younger then obviously you’d be panicking. But I’ve been around the block.”

Source: YallaF1

Webber was 'killed' without KERS

Mark Webber concedes his Malaysian GP chances were all but over after he lost KERS on his way to the grid

Red Bull have struggled with the reliability of their KERS unit this season, which resulted in the team contesting the opening Australian GP without the power boost.

But, believing they had resolved their issues, the team opted to race it in Malaysia this weekend. Unfortunately for Webber, though, they were wrong.

The Aussie unit died while he was on his way to the grid on Sunday afternoon, forcing him to contest the 56-lap race at a serious disadvantage in the sweaty humidity.

Webber put in an admirable performance to finish in fourth place, only just losing out on a podium finish to Renault's Nick Heidfeld.

"It was a tough race," he told the BBC. "You get killed on the long runs without KERS and it's tough to clear people."

Webber's chances of chasing down Heidfeld for third were also hampered when he was forced to come in a bit earlier than scheduled for his final pit stop.

"I would've liked to have gone a bit longer on my fourth set of tyres so that I could have better conditions on my last set, but I was losing too much time behind Lewis (Hamilton) so had to come in earlier."

Source: Planet-F1

Alonso: The second gap is too much

Fernando Alonso says Ferrari were just not "competitive enough" to challenge for a front row grid slot at Sepang on Saturday

Ferrari failed to run with the Red Bulls and McLarens throughout the weekend and found themselves a second of the pace in Saturday's final practice.

As a result, the team opted to send Alonso out for just one flying lap in Q3 where he managed to put his car up into fifth place.

However, worryingly for Ferrari, the Spaniard was 0.932s down on pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel.

"It was not easy," he told the BBC.

"We found we were not competitive enough in morning practice, so it was again a conservative approach, and only do one run in Q3

"You have to risk but at the same time not too much. It is a stressful situation. "We did our job today, knowing we must improve. A second gap between pole position and us is too much."

The double World Champ, though, is feeling a bit more confident about Sunday's grand prix where he believes Ferrari's race-pace will allow him to challenge at the front.

"In the race I think it is much closer. I'm not so sure which conditions are better for us.

"The start will be interesting. Maybe we can overtake the Red Bulls here - we believe they do not have the KERS here.

"If it's raining here, everything is a gamble."

As for the title race, Alonso admits it's important to score as many points as possible while Ferrari resolve their pace issues.

"At the moment this is what we have, and we need to score as many points as possible every weekend, and maybe tomorrow with the weather conditions things can change in the race. We need to maximise and take any opportunity that gives us.

"I'm very optimistic for the Championship chances. This is a long Championship, many races, many things can happen.

"Last year it's true that we struggled in some races. I remember Turkey, I was out of Q3, I was P13, then one week later we fight for the pole position in Monaco.

"We have to be really concentrated. There is no secret, we need to improve, we must improve, for the next coming races, because we were not quick enough at the moment.

"But also we have to remain very calm and very focused, because the Championship is very long.

"We did only one race, and in that race we finished in front of Button, in front of Webber. We'll see tomorrow what is the final position, but in one lap pace, we are not quick enough."

Source: Planet-F1

Video: BBC F1 2011 - 1 Aus - Sebastian Vettel 'couldn't find' Kers button

When asked if he set his pole position time for the Australian Grand Prix without using the Red Bull's Kers system, Sebastian Vettel says no because he "couldn't find the button"



Source: FiftyBuckss

Mark Webber warns lawmakers not to take away the purity of Formula One

Red Bull driver Mark Webber has warned Formula One’s rule makers they risk destroying the ‘purity’ of the sport after introducing a host of measures designed to liven up races.

Drivers will have to cope with new moveable rear wings and the reintroduction of the KERS power boost system this season, both of which are meant to lead to more overtaking.

In addition, new tyre supplier, Pirelli, has produced a range of rubber which will need replacing with far greater regularity.

‘It is going to be as spectacular,’ Webber said ahead of Sunday’s season-opener in Melbourne. ‘But are we going too far to perhaps take the purity out of it? That is the thing that we need to get right.’

The drivers will be required to push more buttons than ever in the cockpit, something Webber, 34, likens to ‘tapping your head and rubbing your tummy’.

But he feels the biggest challenge will be getting to grips with the new tyres.

‘It opens things up more for mistakes on strategy, on pitstops, on calls from the cockpit and calls from the pit wall,’ he said.

Source: Daily Mail

Sebastian Vettel explains KERS and adjustable rear wing rules (Red Bull)

Source: NextgenAutoVideos

Lewis Hamilton says new tyres will slow F1 teams down

Formula One is on a go-slow, according to Lewis Hamilton, one of five world champions on the grid when the new season gets under way in Melbourne three weeks time.

The new season will herald a number of technical changes, including the introduction of an adjustable rear wing and the return of the kinetic energy recovery system (KERS), which will make life busier than ever for the drivers.

But it is another change, the arrival of Pirelli as the sole tyre provider, which has made the biggest difference. According to Hamilton it has made the cars slower. As McLaren prepare for their final testing session in Barcelona, Hamilton said: "There is more to think about in the car. But Formula One does seem to have slowed down

"The cars are slower on a race distance. Last year we had to make tyres last with heavier fuel load and now it's even slower. I did run the other day and it was painfully slow, it really was. Just not exciting, to be honest.

"The first run – I didn't think I was pushing very hard – and the tyres were finished after nine laps, down to the canvas. On the next run, I had to go easier. It was almost like doing an out lap and just about made it to 15 or 16 on a soft tyre."

McLaren already have their hands full as they try to close the gap between themselves and the pace-setting Red Bull and Ferrari cars, but all the teams will have to come to terms with the new, fast-wearing tyres, which is likely to result in more pit-stops and more changes in the running order.

"Over the years you have to change your style and adapt, while keeping the important part, which is the speed and aggression," Hamilton said. "Now the biggest step is how we are going to have to look after the tyres.

"You'll see it's going to be just as competitive this year, if not more. The regs are bringing the teams closer, making it more competitive, but not as hard-core competitive. In 2007 and 2008, the teams were so quick and pushing each other so fast at the front. They've now slowed down the cars a little, it's maybe a more even playing field."

Hamilton's team-mate, Jenson Button, has seen a very fast Ferrari in the early testing sessions. Fernando Alonso has been very quick in testing – both drivers have at Ferrari. "And they have been reliable," Button said. "They were doing 140 laps a day and a couple of days we did 55. Big difference.

"They are in a great position. I don't really know how quick they are. I know he [Fernando] did his quick lap on a supersoft tyre in Barcelona. We didn't have one. You can look at their long runs and say they are consistent and so they must have downforce. They look strong.

"Red Bulls are the same as last winter. They didn't look amazingly strong and got to first race and were massively quick. Then you have a gaggle of cars. The Toro Rossos look very competitive, they have done a great job, the Renault is a step behind that, even Force India … There are a lot of quick cars out there."

Source: The Guardian

Alonso: Too early to judge rear wings

Fernando Alonso is reserving judgement on whether the introduction of moveable rear wings will improve overtaking

Halfway through pre-season testing, all the teams, barring Hispania Racing who have yet to run, have had a taste of the new 2011 regulations.

These include the return of KERS and the introduction of moveable rear wings, both of which are intended to make passing easier by giving the driver a power or speed advantage over the car ahead.

Alonso, though, reckons it may not be as easy as the powers-that-be are hoping.

"We were able to try the adjustable wing in race conditions, but it is still too early to understand clearly if overtaking will be easier," he told Ferrari's website.

"We need to see if the 600 metre limit set by the FIA is not too restrictive, but we know this situation is still able to be revised.

"From the little we could see, I think it will still be very difficult to pass a car with similar performance to your own. The system works well on our car: we never had any problems, not even under braking."

And although both KERS and the moveable wings are adding to the drivers' workloads, the double World Champion believes the switch from Bridgestone to Pirelli tyres is the biggest challenge.

"It is the biggest change of the year and there is still a lot of work to do to adapt the car set-up and driving style to these tyres.

"From what we have seen so far, we will need to run different strategies with more pit stops. We managed to do around forty laps, not all at one go, on the same set of tyres, but we know that in the much higher temperatures of Bahrain, the situation will be very different."

Source: Planet-F1

VETTEL: 'NOW THERE'S ANOTHER JOB TO DO

It's a reinvigorated world champion who begins the 2011 defence of his title. The 19 races of last season would have taken their toll on anyone, but Sebastian is fit and ready for the fight

“At the end of last year I felt tired and needed a rest,” he said. “But I’ve had that rest now and I’m really looking forward to it again.”
And looking forward is a reminder that everyone, every driver, every team starts from the same position in March. “2010 is behind us. It’s a very proud memory, but now it’s 2011 and there’s another job to do, so we move to the next challenge, which is trying to do the same again.”

The same again, but with a different set of regulations and set of wheels under him.

The unveiling of the RB7 this morning is also the unveiling of new technologies and tyres for our German driver. Ho does he feel about the changes to car and rule book?

'2010 is behind us. It’s a very proud memory, but now it’s 2011 and there’s another job to do'

“KERS we know about already, we have seen the effect on the track in 2009, but the moveable rear wing is a bit of an unknown. No one has ever driven the car with that type of wing and it’s difficult to know how it will work: will overtaking be just about possible, which I think is the idea, or will overtaking become very easy and therefore artificial, which is what no one wants to happen.

“With KERS, the question is how good and how efficient your system is. Not just in terms of performance but in how quickly it recharges the batteries under braking and how much it upsets your car when you do apply it. Obviously, the teams that had it in 2009 have a little bit of an advantage, but we will just have to work hard on that.

“In the end, though, it is just one variable and there are always variables. We have different tyres to work with this season and we have to see how we deal with that. You just have to adapt and try to make your driving style suit the car. It happens every year and we will deal with it. It’s good, it definitely keeps you on your toes.”

Seb is our driver for the first two days here in Spain, before Mark takes over behind the wheel.

Source: Red Bull

Alonso vows to lose weight for KERS return

Fernando Alonso has joined Rubens Barrichello in vowing to lose some weight ahead of the 2011 season.

As in 2009, the return of heavy KERS systems is once again putting a higher premium on driver weight, despite moves to further increase the overall car-plus-driver minimum weight.

A report in Spain’s El Mundo Deportivo said Ferrari driver Alonso - who currently weighs in at 68 kilograms - wants to lose between 2 and 3 kg before Bahrain in March.

"The fans should get ready for me being thinner," the 29-year-old smiled during Ferrari’s Christmas celebrations at Maranello.

"With the return of KERS, every kilo a driver can trim can be used as ballast. So I’m going to lose a little weight," confirmed Alonso.

"I will also improve my athletic preparation for the longest championship in history because it will be necessary to be fully fit for ten months," he added.

Williams’ Barrichello admitted recently that his engineers had asked him to lose some weight before 2011 for the same reason.

Source: NextgenAuto

Formula One unveils ground-breaking carbon emissions reduction programme

The Formula One Teams Association [FOTA, whose membership comprises all current Formula One teams] is pleased to announce today that Formula One has inaugurated a comprehensive and externally audited carbon emissions reduction programme. In order to conduct the analysis that has informed the programme, FOTA commissioned the world-respected environmental research analysis organisation, Trucost, which has for several months been (a) researching and analysing the full range of activities performed by and within Formula One teams and their suppliers, and (b) advising FOTA re measures that will reduce carbon emissions now and in the future.

Trucost’s research and analysis shows that the carbon emissions caused by the testing and racing of Formula One cars is a small proportion of the total carbon emissions generated by Formula One as a whole, but it is important to emphasise that this research and analysis has encompassed Formula One’s entire supply chain. Formula One is, and must always be, the pinnacle of world motor sport. Equally, Formula One cars have traditionally provided an exciting and productive development platform for new automotive technologies, and must continue to do so. Many of those new technologies have ultimately been introduced into consumer production cars.

Turbocharging, fuel injection, variable valve timing and kinetic energy recovery systems [KERS] have all been developed within Formula One, and it is the intention of FOTA, in collaboration with the FIA, that Formula One should continue to pioneer technologies that are appropriate to the challenges faced by society today and in the future, and that are applicable to products that will benefit mankind in the longer term.

Modern Formula One is and must continue to be all about efficiency – and, whilst Formula One cars are and must continue to be very fast and very exciting, it is also necessary and desirable that their engines and powertrains are and must continue to be as efficient as possible. With that in mind, working closely with the FIA, FOTA has committed to working to develop new Formula One engine and powertrain regulations that will require all entrants from 2013 onwards to fit their Formula One cars with engines and powertrains that incorporate technologies designed to enhance fuel efficiency. At the same time, revisions to Formula One’s sporting regulations will enhance and incentivise the competitive benefit of further reducing fuel consumption.

Martin Whitmarsh (Chairman of FOTA and Team Principal of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) said: “The good news is that, in conjunction with the FIA’s and FOTA’s recent successful efforts to improve efficiencies and restrict resources applied to Formula One, it has already been possible to reduce Formula One’s total carbon emissions. “Moreover, building on what we have already achieved, and extrapolating what is now being planned, we anticipate that by 2012 Formula One will have reduced its total carbon emissions by 12.4% compared with 2009.

“With the support of all its member teams, FOTA has committed to the continuation of this programme, and has undertaken to maintain continuous and independent analysis and assessment in order to ensure that these carbon emissions reduction targets are met or bettered, and to investigate where further carbon emissions reduction opportunities may exist. Measurement and management, in other words. “In addition, the FIA and FOTA are already working together to tailor the 2013 technical regulations to ensuring that all engines and powertrains used in Formula One by that date will showcase, and provide a platform for the ongoing development of, technologies designed to enhance fuel efficiency. “This is a very exciting time for Formula One, and I am delighted that our sport has been able to take a global environmental lead in this way.”

Dr Richard Mattison (Chief Operating Officer of Trucost) said: “FOTA has used advanced techniques to measure greenhouse gas emissions across the sport – from the sourcing of raw materials to production, logistics and racing itself. It has identified ambitious reduction targets and will be working to further improve its efficiency over time. “Via this work, Formula One as a sport has demonstrated its commitment to becoming more environmentally efficient, and will continue to lead the way in developing innovations that will improve efficiency across the automotive industry globally.”

Simon Thomas, Chief Executive of Trucost, said, “Formula One is fundamentally about efficiency – how to squeeze performance within the restrictions of physics and the rules. There is a growing need to transition from fossil fuel dependency to an economy that is more carbon efficient. In keeping with this trend, the Formula One teams have collectively made a firm commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in a significant way. This is consistent with Formula One’s position as a leader in technological innovation and illustrates what can be achieved by organisations not traditionally associated with the environmental agenda. We also believe that the engineering excellence that exists within Formula One will have a part to play in the inevitable shift to more carbon efficient transportation”

Source: Ferrari.com

Red Bull to stay with Renault, eyes 2011 KERS deal

Red Bull will "probably" remain with Renault engine power into the 2011 season, team consultant Helmut Marko has revealed.

Team principal Christian Horner said earlier this month that while "happy" with the French supplier, "the engine has maybe 20 or 30 horse power less" than the leading Mercedes unit.

But Mercedes figures including Norbert Haug and Ross Brawn said subsequently that the German marque should not expand beyond supplying Mercedes GP, McLaren and Force India next year.

"As according to statements we apparently cannot have the Mercedes engine, we will probably stay with Renault," Austrian Marko is quoted by the German magazine Sport Bild.

And with the return in 2011 of energy recovery technology KERS, it is even possible that the relationship between Red Bull and Renault will expand.

"We will either use Renault's system, or we will buy it from their supplier Magneti Marelli and adapt it ourselves," said Marko.

Source: Motorsport

Ferrari to use KERS throughout 2011 season

Ferrari will run a KERS-equipped car in every race of next year's world championship, team boss Stefano Domenicali has revealed.

The confirmation was made after the F1 teams met in Canada to discuss technical matters relating to the 2011 season.

Adjustable rear wings are also set to debut in order to boost overtaking, and FOTA's ban on using energy-recovering KERS systems is to lapse.

Some teams including Ferrari had pushed hard to make the KERS systems much more powerful in 2011, but agreement has instead been made to lift the minimum weight of the car-plus-driver.

As the weight handicap was considered among the problems of the KERS debut in 2009, the minimum limit will rise from 620 to 640kg next year.

"The teams have agreed on that," Domenicali confirmed.

"We would have preferred to see a solution with much more energy being available (to KERS), but unfortunately an agreement could not be found."

It is understood that the reason for staying with a lower power output is that some manufacturers would have had trouble adapting their existing technology.

However, while it has been suggested that another major problem for KERS in 2009 is that the systems were voluntary to run, it has emerged that the units will not be compulsory in 2011.

Mercedes, for instance, is considering whether to use KERS next year, even though a programme has already been initiated by the Brackley based squad with a view to a 2011 implementation.

"We will make a decision (about KERS for 2011) within four to six weeks," said Ross Brawn.

Source: Motorsport.com

KERS set for 2011 return?

Renault and Ferrari offer a way for KERS to be brought back into F1 for the 2011 season

The KERS system could make a return to the F1 grid for the 2011 season after it was revealed that work is ongoing on cheaper and more powerful versions of the energy recovery system.

KERS was introduced into the sport last season but teams agreed to shelve the technology this year due to the costs involved.

However, Williams F1 technical director Sam Michael has now revealed that both Renault and Ferrari have offered to supply KERS at an affordable level with teams now left to decide on whether or not to bring the technology back.

“Basically, Ferrari and Renault put forward proposals that they could do KERS for less than a million euros,” he told Reuters following a meeting of the Formula One Teams' Association. "Those have been accepted but what Ferrari and Renault are both saying is that unless we increase the energy level from the current 400 kilojoules up to 600 or 800, to make KERS more beneficial, they are not prepared at this stage to commit that they will actually do KERS.

"I think that by Barcelona, the FOTA executive is due to try and make a decision on KERS for 2011. It's all pretty split at the moment on that. Renault will supply anyone who asks for it on the grid and Ferrari will supply any of their customers, anyone who is running a Ferrari engine."

Should KERS be reintroduced, Williams would more than likely develop its own system after increasing its stake in Williams Hybrid Power from 40 to 78 per cent.

Source: Crash