Ross Brawn has revealed that Honda ran a fully working, near-2009 specification Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) at last week’s test in Jerez.

KERS, which stores energy otherwise lost during braking and converts it into power, is allowed to be used in Formula 1 cars from next year – but many teams have expressed doubts as to whether their systems will be ready for the start of the season and some have experienced high-profile teething problems.

Yet Honda appears to be bang on schedule with its unit and Brawn is confident that his team has made significant progress while working on KERS in Jerez.

"The test was a critical stage in our development of KERS,” he said.

“Although installed in a 'mule' car, the KERS system was fully functioning and very close to 2009 specification.


“Alex [Wurz] was able to give an invaluable input into the track behaviour of our KERS system and highlight several areas we need to focus on.

“A very valuable test and I am extremely pleased with the performance and the progress we have made with the system."

Wurz, who was at the wheel of the KERS-equipped test ‘mule’, added that developing the energy-storing device is presenting a fascinating challenge for the team.

“It was good to spend three days in the car this week and we were able to achieve a great deal of beneficial work,” he said.

“Today we ran our KERS system which was a very interesting and promising experience.

“Every time that we run with KERS, we learn more and start to fully understand its possibilities.

“It's such an interesting challenge and one that we look forward to developing further over the next few tests."

2.5 New systems or technologies:
Any new system, procedure or technology not specifically covered by these regulations, but which is deemed permissible by the FIA Formula One technical Department, will only be admitted until the end of the Championship during which it is introduced. Following this the Formula One Commission will be asked to review the technology concerned and, if they feel it adds no value to Formula One in general, it will be specifically prohibited.

Any team whose technology is prohibited in this way will then be required to publish full technical details of the relevant system or procedure.

Gearboxes must now last four entire race weekends with only the ratios being changed

Front wing width increased from 1,400mm to 1,800mm

Central 500mm of front wing to be an FIA-specified, single element profile

Front wing minimum height reduced from 150mm to 75mm. Front wing leading edge more than 250mm from car center line may now be 1,000mm ahead of front wheel center line (previously 900mm)

From 400mm to 700mm outboard of the car center line, front wing configuration appears to be free within a 550mm chord and 200mm vertical depth bounding box

Front end plates effectively take up the outer 150mm of wing assembly span

Driver may adjust incidence angle of a single outer front flap section each side over a six degree range a maximum of twice per lap

Maximum width of bodywork between front and rear wheels 1400mm as before, but more than 100mm above the reference plane must now form single continuous curved surfaces with no radius less than 75mm and no protrusions within defined volumes

Rear wing width reduced from 1,000mm to 750mm, height increased from 800mm to 950mm

Rear wing end plates increased in area from 230,000 square mm to 330,000 square mm

Diffuser outer sections more than 75mm from car center line must start in line with rear wheel center line. Maximum diffuser height increased from 125mm to 175mm. Outer diffuser sections may now extend to 350mm behind rear wheel center line. Maximum diffuser width 1,000mm.

Formula 1's manufacturer teams say they would reject any moves towards standard engines, but would be open to more restrictive engine regulations if necessary.

Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley have both hinted that switching to a single F1 engine - which manufacturers could still put their individual badge on even though the units would be technically identical - could be the solution to the sport's spiralling costs.

But Toyota team president John Howett believes this suggestion is politically motivated, and would be contrary to F1's spirit.

"I could say controversially that the negotiating stance historically in Formula 1 has been to put an extreme proposal on the table and then that encourages the teams to move in a direction, so we may just be, at the moment, purely in a negotiating tactic," said Howett.


"I think that the teams have a lot of ideas to actually save money but at the same time not destroy the core DNA or value of Formula 1.

"Hopefully for once we can put politics behind these discussions and really focus on the facts, the real issues and then we will find, I am sure, good solutions.

"I think that the danger is that a knee-jerk reaction could be catastrophic.

"I think a lot of the manufacturers are concerned about having a spec engine, because one of the core interests is at least having some differentiation in the power unit."

Honda's Nick Fry agreed with this stance, and reckoned that the manufacturers could come up with suitable proposals while protecting F1's technical integrity.

"I think certainly from the Honda side and I suspect from some of the other manufacturers' sides we would like to preserve the ability to design and make that engine as it is part of our brand identity," he said.

"But making the specification a lot more prescriptive, making it a lot cheaper, is something I think that many of us would support.

"In our case we are the largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines in the world, it's the core of the company.

"But on the other hand, a specification engine or a prescriptive engine, where the design was very, very tight, the materials were very tightly controlled, but we had the ability to put our brand identity on it in that we were designing it, we were making the thing, then that's a very different proposition and I think you would be able to reduce the costs very significantly by doing that.

"So I think the end result may not be massively different but the thinking behind it is very, very different."

Mosley will meet with the newly-formed Formula One Teams' Association following the Chinese Grand Prix to discuss cost-cutting plans.

The FIA has already announced that if FOTA cannot come up with suitable proposals, it will impose its own regulations to reduce expenditure.

But Mario Theissen - whose BMW Sauber team also opposes standard engines - is optimistic about FOTA's progress.

"In my view the ongoing discussions under the umbrella of FOTA are the most constructive I have seen in Formula 1 because it is clear to all of the teams that we have to do something, we have to achieve something and it only works if we come to a joint proposal," he said.

"I am sure within a few weeks or months we will be able to come up with proposals which will really make a difference to what we see today in terms of costs, in terms of improving the spectacle and the commercial viability of Formula 1."

Formula One racing’s governing body, the FIA, has invited tenders for a third party supplier of engines and transmission systems to be used by competitors in the 2010, 2011 and 2012 world championships.

However, existing teams and engine suppliers could still be allowed to build their own engines, providing they are to the same standardised design specified by the third party supplier.

The move to a single engine is one of several ideas being proposed by the FIA as a means of further reducing costs and increasing competitiveness in the sport, which already has a freeze on engine development.

5.4 Engine modifications :
5.4.1) The engine block and engine head castings,machining completed,
must be those of a car engine equipping a
car model of which the FIA has ascertained the series production
of at least 2500 units in 12 consecutive months.
Each engine must be homologated by the FIA, and described on
an homologation form for Formula 3 engines.
5.4.2) The original engine block and cylinder head may be
modified by the removal of material, but addition of material is not
permitted. However, it is permitted to sleeve an engine block, by
welding if necessary, that originally is not fitted with sleeves, to
modify or close the lubrication holes in the cylinder head, close
standard injector holes or to use helicoils.

The FIA has revealed that it is willing to consider alternatives to standard engines for 2010-2012, provided the other options are sufficiently cost-effective.

On Friday the governing body opened a tender for the supply of single engines and gearboxes from 2010, prompting speculation that the FIA had decided to impose engine standardisation before the Formula One Teams' Association had submitted its own proposals.

But the FIA has now released more details of the meeting it will have with FOTA tomorrow, where introducing standard engines will be just one of three options presented to the teams.

The other suggestions on the table are restricting existing engines to equalise performance with a new low-cost single engine, or massively reducing the cost of customer engine deals.

The FIA document lists the following possibilities:

"Option 1: A homologated engine produced by a single supplier after an invitation to tender, with the current suppliers free to build an identical engine themselves (but not the gearbox), subject to rigorous controls.

"Option 2: A consortium of teams obtains an engine to current rules but at much lower cost from a single supplier. Engines from other sources to be subject to rigorous controls to eliminate differences in performance.

"Option 3: A proposal from FOTA, backed by solid guarantees, for the supply of complete power trains to independent teams for less than €5 million per team per season to include 30,000 km of testing and all on-track assistance."

The FIA's explanatory notes also reveal that all such proposals are intended as interim measures prior to a total change in the engine rules for 2013.

"The FIA would like to see a modern high technology power train in 2013," said the FIA document.

"We envisage a down-sized DI engine with exhaust energy and heat recovery, coupled to an electrically actuated gearbox.

"However, we are completely open to new ideas.

"The only preconditions are (i) that the costs of development, maintenance and unit production for the power train must be an order of magnitude lower than is currently the case and (ii) power trains must be available to independent teams at minimal cost."

The governing body is also asking FOTA to suggest other areas on the car that could be standardised to save costs - including suspension, underbodies and wheels.

The document reiterated the FIA's desire to urgently reduce the cost of participating in F1, suggesting that it wants costs to come down sufficiently that the 'television money' provided by Formula One Management can cover the majority of teams' annual expenditure.

"The FIA’s view is that Formula 1 can only be healthy if a team can race competitively for a budget at or very close to what it gets from FOM," it said.