From GMM
The number of Formula 1 cars running KERS - the Kinetic Energy Recovery System - has dropped to just five - and possibly just four for Sunday's Chinese grand prix.
The fact caused Mark Webber to remark on Thursday that the sport would probably not miss the controversial energy re-use technology if it disappeared altogether.
"It's turned into a bit of a mess hasn't it, the whole KERS thing," the Australian, who as a GPDA director has safety concerns about the systems, said.
BMW's Robert Kubica trialled KERS for the first time in practice on Friday, but it is possible the unit will be extracted from his car overnight.
Neither Ferrari is using the systems this weekend, and it has emerged that Nelson Piquet was the only Renault driver fitted with a KERS in Shanghai practice.
The loss of KERS has cost Ferrari even more performance, the Italian team admitted on Friday.
"I can say our fight for the championship is ever more compromised," Felipe Massa said in China.
The Brazilian said that as a result of not using KERS, "we are losing even more performance".
Team boss Stefano Domenicali said it is not true that not suffering the weight handicap of the heavy KERS technology improved the handling of the car.
"Let's not forget, (this car, the F60) was designed to carry this system," he said.
photo:Red Bull
The number of Formula 1 cars running KERS - the Kinetic Energy Recovery System - has dropped to just five - and possibly just four for Sunday's Chinese grand prix.
The fact caused Mark Webber to remark on Thursday that the sport would probably not miss the controversial energy re-use technology if it disappeared altogether.
"It's turned into a bit of a mess hasn't it, the whole KERS thing," the Australian, who as a GPDA director has safety concerns about the systems, said.
BMW's Robert Kubica trialled KERS for the first time in practice on Friday, but it is possible the unit will be extracted from his car overnight.
Neither Ferrari is using the systems this weekend, and it has emerged that Nelson Piquet was the only Renault driver fitted with a KERS in Shanghai practice.
The loss of KERS has cost Ferrari even more performance, the Italian team admitted on Friday.
"I can say our fight for the championship is ever more compromised," Felipe Massa said in China.
The Brazilian said that as a result of not using KERS, "we are losing even more performance".
Team boss Stefano Domenicali said it is not true that not suffering the weight handicap of the heavy KERS technology improved the handling of the car.
"Let's not forget, (this car, the F60) was designed to carry this system," he said.
photo:Red Bull