skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Amid the attention attracted this year by both DRS and the performance characteristics of the Pirelli tyres, the return of KERS has been somewhat swamped in the public eye. Yet there’s a firm case to suggest that it, too, has played its own crucial role in enabling the significant increase in overtaking for 2011, with the system being variously used to boost drivers into the ‘DRS zone’ (i.e. less than one second behind the car in front), during the overtaking manoeuvre itself, or even to defend against a car behind with DRS in operation. While no hard data exists on this point, anecdotal evidence suggests KERS plays a role in nearly every overtaking manoeuvre for cars equipped with the system - as well as providing a valuable area of cutting-edge research into electronics and battery technology; in fact, exactly what the philosophy of Formula One has always been about.
How does the Mercedes-Benz KERS work?
The Mercedes-Benz KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) has been developed by Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines in Brixworth, UK with the support of Mercedes-Benz R&D in Sindelfingen, Germany - a process that also resulted in significant knowledge transfer to series production of hybrid technology. The KERS is made up of the Motor Generator Unit (MGU), the Power Electronics (PE) and a number of batteries that make up the Energy Storage System (ESS). When harvesting power that would otherwise be dissipated as heat through the braking system, the MGU works as a generator, providing three-phase electricity to the PE. This converts the electricity to DC voltage, and stores the energy in the battery. The process works in reverse when the driver requests boost, with the generator unit becoming a motor to supplement the engine power. The processes of harvesting and boosting are both approximately 80% efficient.
How large is the Mercedes-Benz KERS?
The motor in the MGU is approximately ten times smaller than commercial automotive units, while the battery is around eight times smaller than those commercially available. Overall, there are approximately 3,500 parts in a single KERS! It is a true example of cutting-edge engineering.
What is the lap time benefit of KERS at Monza?
The lap time gain from full use of KERS is over 0.4s at Monza. This compares to a lowest value so far this season of approximately 0.3s per lap in Hungary.
Why is Monza such a potent circuit for KERS usage?
The best-case scenario for KERS boosting is relatively slow corners followed by very long straights - exactly what Monza features plenty of. There are four times in the lap (out of Turns 2, 7, 10 and 11) when the car accelerates from relatively low speed to near terminal velocity, and this means that there is a relatively large lap-time benefit from boosting out of any of these four corners. Typical KERS deployment in Monza would see four boosts per lap, which are delivered to the wheels 20ms after the button is pressed.
As well as high speeds, Monza features heavy braking. Does that make it a good circuit for harvesting energy?
The cars spend over 12% of the lap (more than 10 seconds) on the brakes in Monza, with the braking event for Turn 1 seeing them shed around 265kph. However, Monza is actually the most marginal circuit of the year for KERS harvesting, owing to the low number of braking events during the lap: just six in total (Turns 1, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 11).
* Official photo and details courtesy of MERCEDES GP PETRONAS *
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished in P4 as best-placed Mercedes-Benz driver at the seventh race of the season in Brands Hatch.
Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) and Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) scored points with P5 and P7. Eighth-placed Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) secured the final point at his 70th DTM race. Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) also finished in the Top 10. David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class), Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class), Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) and Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished in positions twelve to fifteen.
A total of 21,000 spectators visited Brands Hatch across the DTM race weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday).
Race summary
The start: The race begins in wet conditions. Because of the rain, the drivers complete two parade laps and the race distance is reduced by one lap to 97 laps. Gary Paffett finishes lap one in fifth place, while Ralf Schumacher maintains P6. Christian Vietoris moves up one place and is tenth. David Coulthard moved up three places to 13th.
Lap 4: Bruno Spengler overtakes Miguel Molina (Audi) and moves into eighth position. Vietoris also passes Molina to take ninth place.
Lap 10: Coulthard now in P11.
Lap 12: Spengler overtakes Jamie Green and is seventh.
Lap 16: Vietoris moves up into P9.
Lap 24: The pit stop window is now open, and both Green and Coulthard come in to make their first stops.
Lap 26: Maro Engel makes his first mandatory pit stop.
Lap 32: Vietoris pits for the first time.
Lap 36: Susie Stoddart comes in for her first pit stop and draws up in front of her crew.
Lap 43: Schumacher makes his first pit stop lying in sixth place.
Lap 45: The rain is now falling heavier again. Paffett, currently in P4, comes in to make his first mandatory pit stop, and reemerges ahead of Mike Rockenfeller (Audi) and Schumacher.
Lap 46: Schumacher overtakes Rockenfeller. Green pits for the second time.
Lap 56: Third-placed Spengler comes into the pit lane to make his first mandatory pit stop.
Lap 70: Paffett, Schumacher and Coulthard come in for a second set of fresh tyres.
Lap 71: Spengler comes in for his second and final mandatory pit stop.
Lap 85: Green gets the better of Oliver Jarvis (Audi), moving up into eighth position.
Final lap: After 88 laps and a total distance of 169.752 km, Gary Paffett comes home as the best-placed Mercedes-Benz driver in P4 at the seventh race of the season in Brands Hatch. Owing to heavy rain, the race ran to the 70-minute time limit rather than the full planned distance. Ralf Schumacher gained one position from sixth on the grid to finish in fifth place. David Coulthard gains four places in the course of the race to finish twelfth.
Comments after the race:
Gary Paffett (AMG Mercedes C THOMAS SABO-Class) – Fourth:
“Fourth place is obviously not ideal, but given the circumstances, it’s a decent result. I was fastest this morning in warm-up, so it could have gone better for us in the dry, but it was a tough race in the wet. I dropped down a couple of places at the start and after that, couldn’t initially keep up with the pace of the leaders. In the second half of the race we were more competitive, and I kept closing on Edoardo Mortara in third place, but unfortunately in the end it wasn’t enough.”
Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Fifth:
“Although the rain made conditions tricky, this was a good race for me – I’m more than satisfied with fifth place. My C-Class was really quick today, and the crew did some excellent work – so a special thanks to them.”
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) – Seventh:
“Unfortunately the heavy rain really didn’t suit me – starting eighth on the grid, the spray meant I had very poor visibility out on track. That’s why I drove carefully in the beginning to avoid taking any risks, and not make any mistakes. Many thanks to my team for their quick work in the pits, which enabled me to move up a place – that won me two valuable points in the overall standings. I’ll be back on the attack over the next three races, aiming to score as many points as possible.”
Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Eighth:
“I’m of course not too happy with eighth place in the race, in view of starting from fourth position on the grid. It was an eventful race for me – on the first stint I went into the gravel, then I spun: both incidents cost me a lot of time. Still, I fought my way back into the points and I overtook Oliver Jarvis just before the finish for eighth place.”
Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Tenth:
“Unfortunately, I didn’t get away well. Timo Scheider forced me over to the outside of the track in turn one, causing me to drop down the field a few places. My C-Class had plenty of speed after that and I moved up a couple of positions. Unfortunately, my car sustained some damage in a collision with Miguel Molina. It wasn’t easy to drive from that point onwards. My team did a great job and we had a good strategy – but today unfortunately, more just wasn’t possible.”
David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Twelfth:
“I moved up four places during the race, but all in all I had a poor day. Racing in the wet is certainly more entertaining for the spectators, but I always prefer dry conditions. It’s a shame, because my C-Class was quick today.”
Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 13th:
“Sadly, the race didn’t go according to plan for me – even though I’d hoped for rain. I got off to a decent start from eleventh on the grid and moved up a few places. Unfortunately, I lost some time in a pit stop and then later on I received a drive-through penalty – after that, 13th was the best I could achieve.”
Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 14th:
“The heavy rain meant this wasn’t an easy race for any of the drivers. The conditions were so bad that at times I had problems keeping the car on the track. At least I had an exciting duel with Renger van der Zande, but overall I’m afraid this wasn’t a good weekend for me.”
Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 15th:
“Unfortunately, I just wasn’t quick enough today. Actually, I fancied my chances more in the wet than yesterday in the dry, but unfortunately, it didn’t turn out that way. We must now sit down together and analyse the data to find the cause.”
Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“Our performance in the wet today wasn’t as strong as usual, but the points standings are now almost level at the top of the table with just three races to go this season. The battle for the title starts here and Bruno Spengler is in with an excellent chance. Congratulations to Audi on their one-two-three finish.”
Source: Daimler AG
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
The 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix will be a race of anniversaries, including 100 Grands Prix for MERCEDES GP PETRONAS driver Nico Rosberg and 200 for the Mercedes-powered 2009 World Champion Jenson Button. But it will also mark a technological milestone for the sport, as the 2.4 litre V8 engine, competes in its 100th race. Here’s a summary of what the engine has achieved since its very first appearance at the 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix…
What has been the history of the 2.4 litre V8 engine since it was introduced in 2006?
Although the engine architecture and capacity has remained the same for the past five and a half seasons, the V8 engine has been operated under a wide variety of regulations. In 2006, development was free, although the engine had to last for two race weekends. For 2007, the engine was homologated (the start of the ‘frozen’ era) and had to last for two race weekends only including Saturday and Sunday - teams were free to use a different engine on Friday, to encourage them to run during practice, and ran to a maximum rev limit of 19,000 rpm. These rules remained in force for the 2008 season. Since the start of 2009, each driver has been able to call on a pool of eight engines for the entire season, and the maximum engine speed has been fixed at 18,000 rpm. In both the 2009 and 2011 seasons, the engine was also adapted to incorporate the KERS hybrid system.
What are the basic specifications of the engine?
The 2011 engine is codenamed FO108Y and is designed and developed by Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines in Brixworth, UK. It has a maximum capacity of 2.4 litres, while its architecture is fixed at eight cylinders in a ‘V’ configuration, with a bank angle of 90 degrees. The engine’s minimum weight is fixed by regulation at 95 kg, and it develops over 750 bhp.
How much mileage does the V8 engine now do?
Since the start of the 2006 season, the Mercedes-Benz V8 engine has completed a total of 102,427 race kilometres – 89% of the possible total. Under the 2006 rules, each individual engine had a life of around 1,000 km, while each engine now completes approximately 2,000 km.
How many wins has the Mercedes-Benz V8 engine taken?
The most successful season for the engine was in 2009, when it took a total of 10 race wins (59% of the season total), 10 pole positions and five fastest laps – as well as both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships. The least successful season was in 2006, when the engine won no races. Since the engine was homologated for the start of the 2007 season, it has taken a total of 32 wins from 81 races - a winning percentage of 40%.
What other statistics has the engine accumulated?
In its 99 races so far, the engine has achieved 30 pole positions, 25 fastest laps and a total of 94 podium finishes with four teams - MERCEDES GP PETRONAS, McLaren-Mercedes, Brawn GP and Force India.
Has the engine achieved any particular milestones?
The Mercedes-Benz V8 was the first engine to score three race wins with one engine: in 2009, Jenson Button used engine FW049-01 to win races in Bahrain, Spain and Monaco. The unit went on to be used for Friday practice in Germany and Hungary, accumulating a total of 2,016 km. It also scored two pole positions (Spain and Monaco) and spent 72% of its racing laps in the lead. In the same season, engine FW058-01, used by Lewis Hamilton, also became the first hybrid-equipped engine in Formula One history to win a race, at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
* Official photos and details courtesy of MERCEDES GP PETRONAS *
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Lausitzring, Germany, Jun 19, 2011
• Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) finished in third place to secure his third podium of the season at the fourth DTM race at the Lausitzring
• Spengler is now second in the championship, one point behind behind new leader Martin Tomczyk (Audi).
• Five Mercedes-Benz drivers in the Top Ten
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) was the top-placed Mercedes-Benz driver in third position at the fourth race of the season, held at the Lausitzring circuit. After securing victory at the season opener at Hockenheim and second place in Zandvoort, it’s the third podium of the season for the Canadian driver.
Five AMG Mercedes C-Class drivers finished in the Top Ten: After 52 laps, Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class) came home in fourth place behind Spengler. Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class), Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) and Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) finished in positions six, nine and ten. DTM rookie Vietoris’ ninth place was his best ever DTM result.
Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) improved on his starting position of 17th to finish twelfth. David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) and Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) came 13th and 14th respectively. Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) was unable to start because of a technical problem.
Across the race weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), a total of 63,000 spectators visited the Lausitzring circuit to watch the DTM race.
Race summary
The start: Bruno Spengler is on pole for the tenth time in his DTM career, and defends his lead. Jamie Green runs in second place, Gary Paffett moves up one place and ends the first lap in fourth. Maro Engel moves up four places to P12. Susie Stoddart had technical problems before the start and is not competing.
Lap 2: Martin Tomczyk (Audi) overtakes Green in the battle for second place. Spengler maintains his lead of 2.4 seconds.
Lap 8: Three Mercedes-Benz drivers in the top 4: Spengler still leads from Tomczyk, with Green and Gary Paffett behind them in P3 and P4.
Lap 10: David Coulthard and Ralf Schumacher move up after overtaking Edoardo Mortara (Audi) and go into P13 and P14 respectively.
Lap 13: The pit stop window is open and Paffett is the first Mercedes-Benz driver to come into the pit lane. Christian Vietoris also pits for fresh tyres.
Lap 14: Coulthard pits for his first mandatory stop.
Lap 15: Spengler comes in for his first mandatory stop in the lead. He goes back out in tenth place. Jamie Green pulls into the pits, emerging ahead of Paffett.
Lap 22: Ralf Schumacher in third place comes in for his first pit stop. Spengler, Paffett and Green are in P3, 4 and 5.
Lap 26: Maro Engel is the first Mercedes-Benz driver to complete his second mandatory pit stop. Vietoris also comes in for his second stop.
Lap 27: Renger van der Zande pits for the second time.
Lap 30: Second mandatory pit stop for Paffett. He reemerges in P6.
Lap 32: Spengler pits for a second time and emerges in fifth place.
Lap 33: Second and final pit stop for Schumacher.
Lap 42: Green overtakes Miguel Molina (Audi) and moves up into fifth place.
Final lap (Lap 52): After 52 laps and a total distance of 180.856 km, Bruno Spengler is the best-placed Mercedes-Benz driver, taking the third podium spot. Gary Paffett is fourth and Jamie Green secures sixth place. Christian Vietoris and Maro Engel complete the Top 10.
Comments after the race:
Bruno Spengler (Mercedes-Benz Bank AMG C-Class) – Third:
“You can’t really be disappointed if you get onto the podium in such a hotly contested racing series as DTM - especially when it’s such a close race as we’ve had here at the Lausitzring. Martin Tomczyk put in a magnificent performance today to take a well deserved victory. At the same time, though, we’ve banked six valuable championship points. We’re intending to hit back in the next race at the Norisring, and I’m already looking forward to that.”
Gary Paffett (THOMAS SABO AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Fourth:
“I'm relatively happy with my result. Thanks to making a good start, I moved up one position, moving into fourth place. After a great pit stop, I was even able to pass Jamie. Throughout the race, my speed was a match for Bruno’s, who finished on the podium.”
Jamie Green (AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Sixth:
“After my second place in qualifying, I'm not pleased with sixth place. I lacked the necessary pace in the race. I also had some bad luck as a result of pit stops, dropping a couple of positions.”
Christian Vietoris (Junge Sterne AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Ninth:
“Ninth place is a good result for me. However, I am a little disappointed, because my first DTM point was within reach. Unfortunately, I dropped down a few places on the first lap, but managed to move back up during the race. We are on the right track.”
Maro Engel (GQ AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Tenth:
“Tenth place, after starting in 16th position is not too bad a result. Unfortunately, the weekend didn’t run entirely smoothly for us, and we couldn’t find our usual speed - in the next race at the Norisring, we want to regain our form from earlier this season.”
Ralf Schumacher (Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) – Twelfth:
“I'm not happy with twelfth, but at least the race itself went better than the rest of the weekend. The second stint was really fun and my C-Class ran really well. I lost a little time on the first stint perhaps, but not much more was possible today.”
David Coulthard (Deutsche Post AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 13th:
“Unfortunately, I had problems with the car’s balance and couldn’t find my rhythm in the race. It was impossible for me to do better than P13. It was just not meant to be today.”
Renger van der Zande (stern AMG Mercedes C-Class) – 14th:
“I lost several positions right at the start. I got the impression that I was nudged by several other cars. I was short on speed during the race, but I’m also taking a few positives from it, namely that I’ve put in a fair few kilometres today and gained more DTM experience. I think I’ve familiarised myself with the car now and feel sure that I’ll soon be scoring better results.”
Susie Stoddart (TV Spielfilm AMG Mercedes C-Class) – retired:
“Today was just bad luck. My C-Class was running great this weekend, and we were really fast. Unfortunately, I started losing brake fluid. My mechanics did everything they could, but they weren’t finished in time for the start. That's part of racing, so now I’ll just have to focus on the next race at the Norisring.”
Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport:
“Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. After five successive victories and nine P1 finishes in eleven races at the Lausitzring, we didn’t have the speed to win today. Our race setup certainly wasn’t optimum today. We intend to correct that in time for the Norisring in two weeks. Congratulations to Martin Tomczyk and Phoenix-Audi on an excellent performance.”
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
