2014 to see more powerful KERS
New 1.6 liter V6 turbocharged engines will be introduced as manufacturers attempt to reduce fuel consumption levels with the KERS hybrid technology also integrated. RenaultSport F1 deputy managing director (technical) Rob White told the Red Bull website that the lack of power from the engine will be partly compensated by an increase in performance ten times that of the current KERS units.
"It will be much more potent than KERS is now," White said. "In 2011 KERS is limited to 60kW power, using 400kJ of energy per lap. The equivalent numbers for [the new engine] are 120kW – so twice as much power – but more importantly, up to 4MJ (4,000kJ) will be available to the driver each lap.
"Basically it will contribute performance ten times greater than the 2011 KERS. We've become used to the cars using 60kW for a few seconds a lap. What we're talking about is twice as much power for much, much longer."
[Editor's Note: Isn't that taking it too far? How artificial will the racing become if all passing is done as the result of pressing a button for more power?]