Sebastian Vettel stormed to pole position for this weekends Australian Grand Prix by almost eight tenths over McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, but how?
Rumours coming out of the Australian paddock suggest that Red Bull are using a ‘start-only’ KERS system.
Whilst it is just speculation at the moment, comments from both Mark Webber and Vettel suggested the reports could be spot on.
“We didn’t run it today for reasons we will keep in the team,” said Webber.
Whilst Vettel added: “We didn’t use it in qualifying.” When asked why, he replied: “Not fully charged.”
Why would Red Bull not use a system which can provide an extra three to four tenths per lap?
The benefit of not running KERS includes weight distribution. The unit weighs around 25kg, including batteries, this is a massive dead weight when the system isn’t being used.
Red Bull look to have opted to run a smaller system, with less batteries, saving significant weight. It charges at a far slower rate than the standard system which has to be fully charged come the next lap.
The Milton Keynes team may have opted to run the system at the start of a race only, because this is where it provides an advantage. Off the line, KERS can give a driver a seven to eight metre advantage. Running without the system completely, as seen in 2009, would certainly result in the duo losing places into turn one – using a smaller system, which is pre-charged before the start, would give the team the necessary starting boost, without the extra weight downside.
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