From GMM
Red Bull admitted it did not use KERS at any time on Saturday or Sunday after Sebastian Vettel dominantly won the Australian grand prix.
Team boss Christian Horner said the energy-recovery systems in Vettel and Mark Webber's cars were actually removed altogether after Friday practice.
"We ran it on Friday, but we felt it was a potential risk. It's quite a complicated technology and Adrian (Newey) being Adrian, he wouldn't compromise the aerodynamics of the car."
Vettel had an easy run from pole to the first corner, with the KERS system in Lewis Hamilton's car not pushing the Briton to the front of the field. He finished the race in second place with a badly damaged floor.
McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh dismissed suggestions the car might not pass scrutineering: "There's plenty of precedent of damaged cars. I wouldn't think it's a problem," he said.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso finished fourth, behind the impressive podium debutant Vitaly Petrov, who in the sister Renault R31 finished eleven places ahead of Nick Heidfeld.
Sauber's Sergio Perez defied expectations by changing his Pirelli tyres only once to finish seventh on debut.
Australian fans were disappointed to see Mark Webber only fifth. Helmut Marko, Red Bull's motor sport director, said said Webber suffered with a chassis problem: "Neither the hard nor the soft tyres really worked for him. His tyre wear was also significantly greater than Sebastian's."
Australian Grand Prix Results – March 27, 2011 :
1 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB7-Renault) - 58 laps 1.29'30"259 - 2 stops
2 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren MP4/26-Mercedes) - 22"297 - 2 stops
3 - Vitaly Petrov (Renault R31) - 30"560 - 2 stops
4 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari 150) - 31"772 - 3 stops
5 - Mark Webber (Red Bull RB7-Renault) - 38"171 - 3 stops
6 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/26-Mercedes) - 54"304 - 2 stops
7 - Sergio Perez (Sauber C30-Ferrari) - 1'05"845 - 1 stop
8 - Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber C30-Ferrari) - 1'16"800 - 2 stops
9 - Felipe Massa (Ferrari 150) - 1'25"100 - 2 stops
10 - Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso STR6-Ferrari) - 1 lap - 3 stops
11 - Adrian Sutil (Force India VJM04-Mercedes) - 1 lap - 2 stops
12 - Paul Di Resta (Force India VJM04-Mercedes) - 1 lap - 2 stops
13 - Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso STR6-Ferrari) - 1 lap - 2 stops
14 - Nick Heidfeld (Renault R31) - 1 lap - 3 stops
15 - Jarno Trulli (Lotus T129-Renault) - 2 laps - 3 stops
16 - Jerome D'Ambrosio (Virgin VR02-Cosworth) - 3 laps - 3 stops
Best lap: Felipe Massa 1'28"947
DNF
10° lap - Pastor Maldonado
19° lap - Michael Schumacher
19° lap - Heikki Kovalainen
22° lap - Nico Rosberg
49° lap - Rubens Barrichello
50° lap - Timo Glock.
Drivers’ Championship: 1.Vettel 25; 2.Hamilton 18; 3.Petrov 15; 4.Alonso 12; 5.Webber 10; 6.Button 8; 7.Perez 6; 8.Kobayashi 4; 9.Massa 2; 10.Buemi 1
Teams’ Championship: 1.Red Bull-Renault 35; 2.McLaren-Mercedes 26; 3.Renault 15; 4.Ferrari 14; 5.Sauber-Ferrari 10; 6.Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1
** Unofficial Results **
Red Bull admitted it did not use KERS at any time on Saturday or Sunday after Sebastian Vettel dominantly won the Australian grand prix.
Team boss Christian Horner said the energy-recovery systems in Vettel and Mark Webber's cars were actually removed altogether after Friday practice.
"We ran it on Friday, but we felt it was a potential risk. It's quite a complicated technology and Adrian (Newey) being Adrian, he wouldn't compromise the aerodynamics of the car."
Vettel had an easy run from pole to the first corner, with the KERS system in Lewis Hamilton's car not pushing the Briton to the front of the field. He finished the race in second place with a badly damaged floor.
McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh dismissed suggestions the car might not pass scrutineering: "There's plenty of precedent of damaged cars. I wouldn't think it's a problem," he said.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso finished fourth, behind the impressive podium debutant Vitaly Petrov, who in the sister Renault R31 finished eleven places ahead of Nick Heidfeld.
Sauber's Sergio Perez defied expectations by changing his Pirelli tyres only once to finish seventh on debut.
Australian fans were disappointed to see Mark Webber only fifth. Helmut Marko, Red Bull's motor sport director, said said Webber suffered with a chassis problem: "Neither the hard nor the soft tyres really worked for him. His tyre wear was also significantly greater than Sebastian's."
Australian Grand Prix Results – March 27, 2011 :
1 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB7-Renault) - 58 laps 1.29'30"259 - 2 stops
2 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren MP4/26-Mercedes) - 22"297 - 2 stops
3 - Vitaly Petrov (Renault R31) - 30"560 - 2 stops
4 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari 150) - 31"772 - 3 stops
5 - Mark Webber (Red Bull RB7-Renault) - 38"171 - 3 stops
6 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/26-Mercedes) - 54"304 - 2 stops
7 - Sergio Perez (Sauber C30-Ferrari) - 1'05"845 - 1 stop
8 - Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber C30-Ferrari) - 1'16"800 - 2 stops
9 - Felipe Massa (Ferrari 150) - 1'25"100 - 2 stops
10 - Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso STR6-Ferrari) - 1 lap - 3 stops
11 - Adrian Sutil (Force India VJM04-Mercedes) - 1 lap - 2 stops
12 - Paul Di Resta (Force India VJM04-Mercedes) - 1 lap - 2 stops
13 - Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso STR6-Ferrari) - 1 lap - 2 stops
14 - Nick Heidfeld (Renault R31) - 1 lap - 3 stops
15 - Jarno Trulli (Lotus T129-Renault) - 2 laps - 3 stops
16 - Jerome D'Ambrosio (Virgin VR02-Cosworth) - 3 laps - 3 stops
Best lap: Felipe Massa 1'28"947
DNF
10° lap - Pastor Maldonado
19° lap - Michael Schumacher
19° lap - Heikki Kovalainen
22° lap - Nico Rosberg
49° lap - Rubens Barrichello
50° lap - Timo Glock.
Drivers’ Championship: 1.Vettel 25; 2.Hamilton 18; 3.Petrov 15; 4.Alonso 12; 5.Webber 10; 6.Button 8; 7.Perez 6; 8.Kobayashi 4; 9.Massa 2; 10.Buemi 1
Teams’ Championship: 1.Red Bull-Renault 35; 2.McLaren-Mercedes 26; 3.Renault 15; 4.Ferrari 14; 5.Sauber-Ferrari 10; 6.Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1
** Unofficial Results **