KERS chews up tires

The Ferrari team claims that the new Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) is resulting in tire worries for the team. The unit, which allows drivers to make use of a small boost of power during the race, adds an estimated 40 kilograms of weight to the car and it is this, the Italian team says, which is causing the problems when using the Super Soft Bridgestone tire compound. “The softer tires have caused many problems for Ferrari, as well as other teams," team principal Stefano Domenicali explained to Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport. "An important thing to understand is that the performance of the tires is linked to the use of KERS – there are many things that we need to understand these days."

Reigning World Champions for constructors, Ferrari has already admitted that Felipe Massa was using too aggressive a strategy in Melbourne, as they switched their driver to a 3-stop strategy during the Grand Prix; despite the shorter stints, the Ferrari still struggled with the Super Soft tires. "Kubica had a strategy like ours, but the BMW did not destroy its tires like we did, especially at the rear" Domenicali continued. "Something we must consider is the weight distribution of the car and how it affects the tires, particularly with KERS onboard – we need to discovery how to solve this problem, but still be able to use KERS".