Alonso expecting Renault to run KERS

Alonso confident in Renault's KERS programmeRenault will probably begin the 2009 world championship with a functioning Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) aboard the R29, according to the team's Spanish race driver Fernando Alonso. The French team has been a vocal opponent of the energy re-use technology's introduction this year, and has developed its system in collaboration with Magneti-Marelli, who are believed to have struggled with its battery-based units. Renault is even yet to fully turn on its KERS at a winter test track, but Alonso told Eurosport: "Our system is truly competitive, it is working well with no problems. I think we will start the championship with it and without many concerns, but we have to test it first. I hope ours is better than the others.

” Red Bull Racing will also use Renault's KERS as part of its customer engine package in 2009, but the drinks company's motorsport advisor Helmut Marko would not confirm if the debut of the system will be made in Melbourne. He told Austria's laola1.at: "As soon as it is reliable and offers a competitive advantage, we will use it."

Source: GMM

Manipe F1 Gossip trail: Week 4

Formula One's first pre-season test of 2009 was completed last week, with rain and hail battering the teams' chances of development just weeks before the season-opening Grand Prix. As usual, rumours were everywhere to be read with stories about Ferrari, KERS, Bourdais and more all revisited below.

We begin this week's On the Gossip Trail with rumours about the legality of Ferrari's new F60. Launched on 12th January, the F60 is the only car to date to feature exhaust pipes that extend from the bodywork, with all other 2009 contenders featuring embedded exhaust outlets, something which has raised more than a few eyebrows in the paddock. A total of three team chiefs believe the exhausts are illegal, and at the Scuderia's first official pre-season test in Mugello last week, the F60 was seen running with noticably shortened exhausts, suggesting that the team has indeed noticed its mistake. It's likely the controversial exhausts will disappear altogether at the team's next test in Bahrain in February.

Next to the hot topic of KERS, and the possible use of the device in 2009. The Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems have received widespread criticism from all quarters of the sport, and it has been revealed that many teams could spend large parts of 2009 without it. BMW, who has been a staunch advocate of the innovative technology, may not even race the device from the start of the year, while at the other end of the scale, Toyota may not race with KERS at all in 2009. Most other teams are hoping to have their devices ready for Australia, but failing that, will look to introduce it mid-season, a risky option given the ban on in-season testing.

Meanwhile, although KERS may be causing some confusion within F1 circles, there have been quiet whispers suggesting that both Toyota and Renault's involvement in F1 after 2009 may be in doubt. A weakening global automobile market has already forced Honda to withdraw, while Toyota could be forced to quit if their 2009 performance is not up to scratch. Renault, meanwhile, are reportedly shedding 100 staff at their base in Enstone, while the expected withdrawal of title sponsor ING from 2010 will not help the team's cause.
Finally this week to rumours suggesting that 2008 Toro Rosso driver Sébastien Bourdais will be given a second chance in the cockpit of an F1 car when he is confirmed as the team's second 2009 race driver. It is being reported in France that it is only a matter of time before Bourdais is confirmed as Buemi's 2009 team-mate, ending Takuma Sato's hopes of returning to the sport. It's said that Bourdais's close links with Red Bull gave him the nod over the Japanese driver.

Source: Manipe F1

Ferrari tested unique KERS solution

Ferrari, albeit a fierce critic of Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS), worked on an innovative solution for its 2009 system. The Swiss publication Motorsport Aktuell reports that, parallel to a more conventional in-house project, engineers at Maranello devised a system whereby the KERS batteries were located in the front nose of the F60. The solution would have negated one of the teams' main concerns about deploying KERS in 2009: that the location of unwanted ballast in the centre of the car disrupts the ideal weight distribution towards the front. During initial testing of the new Ferrari, reports indicated that one of the problems encountered was in the area of the front wing. The front nose solution for KERS would also have resulted in the need for high-voltage cables to run through the cockpit. The saga goes some way to explaining Ferrari's negative attitude about the entire KERS deployment, given the vast sums of money spent already by the team.

Ferrari's initial KERS project, developed by Magneti-Marelli, also struck technical trouble, and the more conventional third solution tested recently at Mugello reportedly delivered a questionable performance benefit. Toyota has already announced that KERS will not be fitted to its TF109 in Melbourne, and with two months to go until the season opener, most other teams are undecided. Toyota's chassis boss Pascal Vasselon told ITV: "At the moment our estimation is that KERS will be detrimental on almost all circuits, because of the weight and the difficulty to manage braking.

Source: GMM

KERS better than expected for Ferrari

Even though just a few weeks ago Ferrari were doubting the development of their KERS system, the Italian team is now feeling much more upbeat and admits to much progress over the winter break. The Scuderia have been testing at Mugello all week long, and have had the new system in place and functioning. Both Kimi Raikkonen and his former race engineer, Chris Dyer, were present at the Tuscan circuit while testing the new F60.

"Both days we had positive results with the KERS. The system works well like every other new part of the car," Raikkonen told Italian newspaper 'Gazzetta dello Sport'.While now chief engineer for the team, Dyer also had positive remarks about the system, "I'm not saying every lap, as the drivers maybe want, but we make use of it fairly often to study its safety. It's an interesting thing, a challenge from a technical point of view."

Source: F1 Technical