Formula One news

Michael: "KERS is a fantastic thing for F1"

Sam Michael welcomes the new Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) with open arms, saying that it will be worth crucial seconds over the course of a Grand Prix distance. The Williams Technical Director also believes that any team not to using the device will soon be at large disadvantage in terms of overall performance.

Rubber glove to protect mechanics from electrical charge built up by KERS

The KERS system works by recovering kinetic energy built up during braking, and converting this to electrical energy which can then be used by the drivers to make use of a new boost button which will yield a regulatory 80 horsepower for 6.6 seconds per lap. The Williams device is unique in that it incorporates a mechanical flywheel which spins 40,000 a minute.

"KERS is a fantastic thing for Formula One," Michael explained. "Although we may not use our system in the first race, it will be effective and it's the kind of technology that Formula One should be embracing. The current KERS system is worth about 0.3 seconds per lap, but the lap time benefit will increase the power and energy available in the coming seasons. Although it's a tremendous challenge right now, we'll all look back in years to come and say it was the right thing to do."

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