Montezemolo: KERS introduction a mistake | FerrariChat
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Montezemolo: KERS introduction a mistake

Discussion in 'F1' started by natural, Dec 26, 2008.

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  1. natural

    natural Karting

    Dec 28, 2007
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    #1 natural, Dec 26, 2008
    Last edited: Dec 26, 2008
    Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo believes the introduction of KERS in Formula One is a mistake, and reckons it will not have road car application yet.

    The Kinetic Energy Recovery System will be introduced in Formula One next year, and Ferrari are playing catch-up with its development in order to have it ready for the start of the season.

    FIA president Max Mosley has defended the introduction of the system, as he reckons it will be a serious engineering challenge for the teams.

    Di Montezemolo, however, says using the system now is a mistake, as he believes it needs more time to be worked on.

    "It's not possible in one night to do everything. It's a process. Year on year. The KERS is a mistake," said di Montezemolo. "Whatever we discover there is nothing in common between F1's KERS and road car KERS.

    "But for 2012 KERS can be an important part of a new package that addresses properly the environmental concerns. KERS is the biggest part of F1 spending for 2009.

    "I'm not against the principle of KERS - it's very important to put in front of the teams research that benefits the environment - but the way it is at the moment is a mistake. It has to be a package looking ahead and we have three or four years to work on the whole engine/KERS package."

    The Italian was again critical of races like the Singapore Grand Prix, which he reckons take place at the wrong kind of circuits to offer a good show.

    "Having two or three Monte Carlos is too much," he added. "Next time we can race inside the Coliseum, or maybe inside the Papacy. This is not racing.

    "I don't think we need more boats, historic skylines. I think we need more race tracks where it's possible to overtake, where the public can enjoy the competition, not a place where a crash like Piquet had can destroy the whole race. One of the problems F1 is facing, is we need to improve competition, so that the racing is good not only when it rains or the safety car creates a situation.

    "If we look at the last 10 years we change many times the technical and sporting rules. Sometimes it's important to change, even if just to start the competition again from a blank page.

    "But it's like asking a football player to play in the rain with just training shoes, so he slips all over the course. It's artificial. I think we need the tech rules to improve he possibility to overtake.

    "New tracks, with good opportunities for overtaking. Real tracks, not touristic tracks. At least Monte Carlo has history. Having two or three of them is too much."

    Source: Autosport.com
     
  2. SrfCity

    SrfCity F1 World Champ

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    #2 SrfCity, Dec 26, 2008
    Sounds like LdM is trying to step on the breaks of the out of control F1 train.
     
  3. GuyIncognito

    GuyIncognito Ten Time F1 World Champ
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    #3 GuyIncognito, Dec 26, 2008
    sounds to me like LdM has been thumbing through the big book of excuses.
     
  4. Remy Zero

    Remy Zero Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #4 Remy Zero, Dec 27, 2008
    what he actually says is all true. U guys really think Singapore and Valencia was fun?
     
  5. WOLFMAN

    WOLFMAN Formula 3

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    #5 WOLFMAN, Dec 27, 2008
    LdM has said, what many were thinking. This includes those new ridicules night racing in Singapore……
    Mosley wants to cut down cost in spending millions of dollars. On the other hand all teams are spending more on the KERS development.
     
  6. kraftwerk

    kraftwerk Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #6 kraftwerk, Dec 27, 2008
    I would imagine he would not be complaining about KERS if Ferrari were ahead in the development of it!!

    The rest I agree with.
     
  7. Etcetera

    Etcetera Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #7 Etcetera, Dec 27, 2008
    KERS in a racing environment should have been a joint effort from the start. Why? Mixing high energy electronics that are quite possibly underdeveloped and not fully understood on top of the stress of a deadline, and you've got a recipe for disaster.

    Who wants to be the happy ***ker that isn't grounded and yet is handling the refueling rig? How many track marshals are going to get a jolly good tazering whilst attending to a serious crash?

    The whole KERS thing is bull****, start to finish. It adds a dangerous element of risk in a sport that has spent the better part of 2 decades removing unnecessary risk.

    On top of all this, KERS isn't green. When you have lots of F1 parts variously boated, flown via large Boeings and driven via Semi to to race venues all over the world, I'd wager that that actual pollution that the F1 cars put out is a tiny part of the whole.

    If F1 wanted to be green, then it wouldn't make the the teams run all over Hell's Half Acre for races. It would hold race venues primarily in a collection of countries that are close together. Sure, there would be outlayers like Australia and North America, but the core of your races would be held in a collection of countries that lay in close proximity to each other. Jetting off to China is sure as hell green in my mind as is running slipshod all over the middle east.

    The only green that BE cares about is the green going into his coffers. It's time BE and Mad Maxxx left for good, for the good of the sport.
     
  8. Far Out

    Far Out F1 Veteran

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    #8 Far Out, Dec 27, 2008
    There's a company near Munich that develops a reluctance motor based half electric, half mechanical KERS system, a high performance version for F1 and a lower performance version for street use. F1 has not been so close to street car technology in a LONG time...
     
  9. rdefabri

    rdefabri Three Time F1 World Champ

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    #9 rdefabri, Dec 27, 2008
    Guys, F1 is a mess. The polarized opinions here prove as much.

    There was a time when Jackie Stewart was villified for being so vocal about driver safety. There was one problem though - as 3 times world champion, he had alot of influence.

    LdM, being the head of the most important constructor in F1, has influence. The things he is saying resonate with me 100%. KERS is a bad idea, the night race in Singapore is lame, the loss of historic venues blows, no North American race is idiotic...the list goes on. If he's able to bring about change by being vocally dissenting, I am all for it. Who cares if it's self serving? By it's very nature, racing is. I, for one, stand behing LdM - I want to see the Ecclestone / Mosley regime get a dose of their own medicine.
     
  10. wetpet

    wetpet F1 World Champ
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    #10 wetpet, Dec 27, 2008
    yup, maybe next year we can do better than constructor's champion. Oh, no we can't.
     
  11. wetpet

    wetpet F1 World Champ
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    #11 wetpet, Dec 27, 2008
    the thing about the venues is really stupid. Sure america and canada pay less fees for the race. That's because they shouldn't have to pay high fees. F1 should want to be here. Singapore pays high fees for the exact opposite reason. There is no other reason to go there. And it's why monaco pays the lowest, because they can't cancel it. Why should canada pay the same as singapore? are millions of Singaporeans going to become F1 fans? are they going to start buying millions more of the constructor's cars? Why this race isn't developed in the US, the largest car market by far, i just can't fathom. Especially from an economic standpoint.
     
  12. of2worlds

    of2worlds F1 World Champ
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    #12 of2worlds, Dec 27, 2008
    LdM raised lots of valid points about the state of F1. However if Bernie and Max don't like an idea it simply won't happen. Nothing will come of the endless complaints. Ferrari will show up on the grid next year just like they always do.
    CH
     
  13. parkerfe

    parkerfe F1 World Champ

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    #13 parkerfe, Dec 27, 2008
    Just wait until F1 loses the great leadership of BE when he retires and bozos like LdM try to govern F1 by committee...F1 will then be in a real mess...
     
  14. parkerfe

    parkerfe F1 World Champ

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    #14 parkerfe, Dec 27, 2008
    As Asia continues to grow a middle class allowing more of it's population to buy cars, the F1 constructors will sell more cars there making them much more important than North America where almost everyone already has a car.
     
  15. fastback33

    fastback33 Formula 3

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    #15 fastback33, Dec 27, 2008
    They should just make the teams run road car motors and be done with it.
     

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