Category: KERS

Hamilton takes pole at the first ever Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 0

Abu Dhabi / F12009 / Formula 1 / KERS / Mclaren / Qualify

Hamilton takes pole at the first ever Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton has claimed pole position for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this evening in the Middle East, after going over two thirds of a second quicker than his nearest rival in qualifying. Despite leading Q1 and Q2 earlier in the qualifying hour, strong competition from Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber forced the Briton to go for broke, and ultimately eased ahead of the Red Bulls to take his fourth pole position of the season.

With the tyres proving difficult to warm up for a single-lap run, all drivers opted for one multi-lap stint on the harder tyre in Q3, with Hamilton emerging from the pitlane in time for just four flying laps compared to his rivals’ five. After scuffing his first flyer by running wide at turn 17, Hamilton bolted to the top of the timesheets with a 1m41.773s on the second time of asking.

Hamilton takes second win of 2009 season at Singapore Grand Prix 1

F12009 / Formula 1 / KERS / Mclaren / Race

Hamilton takes second win of 2009 season at Singapore Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton cruised to a comfortable Grand Prix victory in Singapore tonight, claiming the ten points on offer after a faultless drive from pole position. Starting at the front of the grid, with KERS and a considerable fuel load on-board meant Hamilton was always going to be the firm favourite for victory, but the Briton had to work hard for his reward at the toughest race on the F1 calendar.

At the start, Hamilton got away cleanly and led by the first corner while behind, Nico Rosberg benefitted from starting on the clean side of the track to jump Sebastian Vettel. Further behind Webber was able to hold off the stern challenge of Fernando Alonso on the opening lap, but only by running off the circuit. Ninth-place Barrichello made a super getaway to gain two places by the end of the first lap, while team-mate Button crucially got past Nakajima to climb to 10th.

Raikkonen wins in Spa as Ferrari’s first win of season 0

F12009 / Ferrari / Formula 1 / KERS / Race

Raikkonen wins in Spa as Ferrari’s first win of season

Kimi Räikkönen took Ferrari’s first victory of 2009 in a thrilling Belgian Grand Prix this afternoon, after being pushed until the very last lap by Force India’s Giancarlo Fisichella who scored his team’s first podium and points in second place. Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel put in an equally impressive drive to finish third.

After starting sixth, KERS helped Räikkönen to consolidate second place by the end of the first lap, by which time the field was bunched up behind the safety car following a four-car crash at Les Combes, taking out championship-leader Jenson Button. But once the safety car pitted, the crucial moment of the race saw Räikkönen overtake Fisichella out of Eau Rouge thanks to his KERS.

Webber takes maiden F1 victory in German Grand Prix 0

F12009 / Formula 1 / KERS / Race / Red Bull

Webber takes maiden F1 victory in German Grand Prix

Mark Webber dominated this afternoon’s German Grand Prix, as he led home the second consecutive Red Bull 1-2 in front of team-mate Vettel’s home crowd. Webber had the KERS cars of Kovalainen and Massa to thank for his win, after holding Vettel behind in the first stint, and then delaying potential race winner Barrichello.

Webber and Barrichello made decent get-aways from the grid, but the Australian was soon handed his penalty for colliding with the Brawn on the run-down to turn 1. He was able to serve his penalty and still emerge ahead of the chasing pack, laying the crucial foundations for his first F1 victory. His only rival for the victory win, the three-stopping Barrichello, then saw his chances evaporate when a fuel rig problem lost him valuable seconds on his second stop, paving the way for comfortable Webber triumph.

Vettel leads Red Bull double at Silverstone 3

F12009 / Formula 1 / KERS / Race / Red Bull

Vettel leads Red Bull double at Silverstone

Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull delivered an annhialating blow to the field at Silverstone today when the German cruised to a dominant victory in Britain, with team-mate Mark Webber securing the team’s second 1-2 of the season some 15 seconds adrift in second place. With the nearest non-Red Bull car finishing over 40 seconds adrift of Vettel, the updated RB5 proved impossible to match as the team closed the gap to Brawn GP atop the drivers’ and constructors’ championships.

While the Red Bulls scampered off into the distance, Barrichello was locked in a battle with Felipe Massa and Nico Rosberg for the final podium place, with the Brazilian taking advantage of a long second stint to take the place. Ferrari’s Felipe Massa drove strongly to rise from 11th on the grid to fourth at the flag, jumping Williams’ Nico Rosberg during the final round of stops.

Renault F1 Team explains KERS 0

F12009 / Formula 1 / KERS / Overtaking / Renault

Renault F1 Team explains KERS

KERS is the new buzzword of Formula 1. We know that it’s supposed to encourage overtaking and lead the sport towards a greener future, but just how does it work and how effective is this new technology? The ING Renault F1 Team is here to explain…

The basics: what exactly is KERS?

Let’s start with a definition: KERS stands for Kinetic Energy Recovery System and was introduced by the FIA to direct the Formula 1 engineering community towards developing greener technologies. Kinetic energy is energy stored in motion and can be thought of as the energy that is required to stop that motion. For example, stopping a bicycle, a car or a train is all about removing its kinetic energy.