Wat are the new systems thats changed?
I know about kers but don't really understand how they work e,g when they brake they recharge a battery that then boost the engine?
anyother changes that someone who is informed can put in easy to understand terms ty.What has changed so much in this seasons car to see Hamilton and Ferrari struggle?New regulations have been implemented in 2009, which included different aerodynamic solutions aimed at improving overtaking to give fans a better show. Also a new technologically advanced system (KERS) has been introduced, but optional, not mandatory, for teams in 2009. I will explain KERS later on. However, the main part of your question as to why Ferrari and McLaren are not so competitive has to be attributed to the interpretation of the new regulations. You may have heard of the diffuser issue this season. In very simple words, one of the rules was made to have a flat bottom part of the car to limit downforce and speed and also preventing an air vortex behind the car thus allowing easier overtaking. But the rules were not written very well and some team found a loophole in those rules which allowed them to legally create a double-decker diffuser which actually increased downforce and speed and made overtaking difficult. All that in contrast to the spirit of the regulations, but perfectly legal. McLaren and Ferrari did not exploit that loophole and they found themselves behind in performance. A court case was brought up to determine the legality of those double-decker diffusers and the verdict was that they were legal. At that point the teams without the special diffusers had to start thinking of catching up and modify their cars to exploit that aero solution. This is probably the main reason for Ferrari and McLaren being behind. There are other reasons as well (reliability, etc.).
KERS: It 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.
Most commonly kinetic energy is removed using friction brakes, turning the kinetic energy into heat energy that goes towards warming up our planet that little bit more. With KERS, that energy is not lost but stored somewhere to be used to drive the car - that somewhere could be in a battery (chemical energy) in a flywheel (mechanical), in an accumulator (hydraulic) and in many others ways too. This stored energy can then be reused to give extra power to the engine with the regulations allowing maximum KERS power of 60kW and energy release of 400kJ in any one lap. In simple terms this means 60kW for a little over 6 seconds to boost the car each lap.
KERS needs more than just energy storage to be a complete system - it needs devices to translate the energy between its various forms of kinetic, electrical and chemical. This energy translation comes from an electric motor-generator unit (MGU) which can turn the kinetic energy of the car into electrical energy and vice versa.
However, such translation devices normally weigh in the region of 50kg and require a lot of space: two things which Formula 1 teams go to great lengths to avoid. It was therefore paramount that the MGU weighed as little as possible.
What does KERS mean for the fans?
Well, the additional 60kW boost (which equates to 80HP), limited to 400kJ per lap, will reduce lap times by between 0.2-0.3 seconds and, there are clear benefits in using the system from a standing start. But to get the most from KERS, the whole system needs to be as lightweight and compact as possible; otherwise this advantage can quickly disappear. The weight of each team's solution is therefore a closely guarded secret, but when you consider that every 10kg of unnecessary weight can cost 0.35 seconds per lap, it's no wonder so many cars and drivers have been on diets over the winter.
In reality, though, there are other more subtle effects that get in the way of achieving the theoretical 0.2-0.3 second lap time reduction, such as weight distribution, not just longitudinally (front to rear) but also vertically. It would be easy to lose all of the KERS lap time potential if these points are not well considered. But, provided you can settle upon the ideal solution and get the gearing of your car right, the 60kW boost to the engine should aid overtaking, at least between KERS cars and non-KERS cars. Of course, it's still in the earliest stages of development and as the teams learn how to optimize KERS as a racing tool, the advantages are likely to become more apparent as the year unfolds.
Safety and reliability of KERS are also paramount issues not yet optimized by the teams who are using the system (Ferrari, McLaren, BMW and Renault).What has changed so much in this seasons car to see Hamilton and Ferrari struggle?The basics are a taller and thinner rear wing and a wider front wing, also most winglets are banned for this year, all of this reduces mechanical load on the car and cleans the air flow behind the car as they have smoother lines, this makes overtaking easier, the reason the FIA want this is because they want more exciting races, not precessions.
Also the introduction of KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) which stores energy when the cars brake, meaning that cars fitted with the system have a 6.6 sec boost per lap which the drivers can access using the 'boost' button on the steering wheel. This is all to help overtaking. The disadvantages of KERS is that it is heavy and its presence masses up the balance of the cars, also they are quite large so the fuel tank size must be reduced so that it can be accommodated.
Go to www.formula1.com which has guides to the rule changes and season preview stuff and information about technical issues on cars, including a look at the diffuser row.
hop this helps, bit of an essay i know, soz.What has changed so much in this seasons car to see Hamilton and Ferrari struggle?You have already got the answer to your question, but I just felt like joining the party :P
The specific reason that Mclaren and Ferrari are struggling is that they were still developing their cars up until the last 3 races of 2008. This meant that they had not had the full force of the team working on the car, and therefore they were behind on development. Only a little behind compared to some teams, but miles behind Brawn who began their development at the beginning of 2008. So I don't think that it is that the teams couldn't handle the changes on the cars, but they just didn't have the time to act upon them well enough.
