On the other hand: The gear ratio might have to be adjusted to avoid hitting the rev limiter. So there would be a acceleration disadvantage for the parts of the track where you don’t use KERS…

Maybe I’m wrong, just my 2 cents…

@Keith: Thanks for the interesting summary.

Should be fun to see some of the cars all of a sudden pull away from the others.

Slipstreaming is something that has fallen of the F1 fan’s vocabulary over the past couple of decades because the aerodynamics-influenced era has negated it due to the “dirty” air thrown up by the leading car.

Actually with the standard ECU it shouldn’t be that hard to control or monitor. For starters the ECU can be programmed so that it is not possible to adjust it more than twice a lap and secondly, it will also record when it is used…

My question is, is it an either or scenario – ie the wing is either at x degrees or y degrees – where the driver simply pushes a button, or is it a constantly variable approach – where the driver would have a dial to adjust the flap between the 2 limits…

is this alright?… wasn’t that already changed few years ago?…

The pit limit increase is also a positive change, as is the increase in cameras per car. I could do without the rest, and the extra steward without a tie-breaking vote is pretty pointless.

The adjustable wing will probably be lowered on the main straight by all the teams I imagine, at the same time they use the KERS each lap. Then when braking from it, they flip it back to normal setting.

The real idea behind adjustable wing was probably in use for certain overtaking (less drag on straight = higher speed. Or when following very close, get some extra downforce).

Either way the aero changes already allow them to follow much closer than before.

With all the technical stuff now, closer this and that, I’m sure there’ll be much more driver errors.. and spectacular crashes.

Tim: I think you’re referring to the 1987 Austrian GP which was restarted twice

No, I remember somehing newer. It must’ve been somewhere in the years 1998-2002.
Perhaps was it at Monza, with the old first shicane being responsible for so much trouble at the start?
Hmmm…

- KERS cars weigh as much as cars without KERS.

- The difference is that without KERS, engineers have more ballast weights to place (as none is taken up by KERS) which can balance the car better.

- So the difference is that KERS cars might have slightly worse balance (center of gravity + front/rear balance) but get more power for about 6 seconds each lap.

- KERS will probably be used in the same way by all the teams every lap, meaning probably when coming onto some long straight where top speed is important. Kind of lame actually. It would be cooler if it was limited to X amount of times each race.

- KERS won’t make any difference at starts because of a lack of traction. Cars can’t even use their normal max power going so slow. They spin their rear wheels even in the mid gears. They need higher speeds with downforce and get in a higher gear (higher gear = torque multiplication = less strong pull) to be able to use max power.

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I wonder how they will ‘pre charge’ the Williams vacuum enclosed carbon disc up to a few hundred thousand RPMs.

Let me just say what a terrific recap this is. I was looking for one the other day for our Preview show tonight and you have done a mans job Sir! Of course I have come to expect no less from you..a pro in every sense of the word. Cheers mate.

Do you think BMW Sauber will be using the BMW iDrive system? HA HA!

Drove a 5 Series with that the other day, very classy. But I digress…

I’ve not seen anything in the rules about them not being allowed to use KERS in qualifying (or practice, for that matter), so no reason to assume they wouldn’t be.