Formula One news

Teething troubles for KERS, explains de la Rosa

Pedro de la Rosa has expressed his disappointment over the new Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), having witnessed the performances of his McLaren team in the first two races of the new season. McLaren - along with Ferrari, Renault and the BMW of Heidfeld - are amongst the few to install KERS in their 2009 car.

No testing will be taking place until after the last race

The device, which makes use of kinetic energy built up during braking, allows drivers to use this for an increase in engine power during races. The energy behind the added boost is stored in the car's battery, and can be used by drivers for a maximum of 6.6 seconds per lap, giving up to 80 brake horsepower extra.

Despite this, however, the expensive device also brings its disadvantages, as the unit can weigh anything from 35 to 40 kilogrammes (5.5 - 6.2 stone). "If it were as easy as removing it and going faster and we would have done," McLaren test and reserve driver de la Rosa said bluntly. "We're not losing performance by using it, it's not just for commercial reasons - it simply gives us an improvement. We do need to work on other aspects of the car to get a jump over the others though, but we are not risking results by using KERS."

The Barcelona-born driver is adamant that McLaren are not sacrificing performance by using the system, as he continued to explain that KERS does not drastically change the overall handling of those cars using it. "The stability of the car is nearly identical if you remove KERS from it," he added. "That's what we saw pre-season, therefore meaning that it does not really make a difference for anyone using it."

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