Ron Dennis says KERS device will filter down to production car industry and McLaren are not trying for fast testing laps.
McLaren CEO Ron Dennis opened an exhibition in London on Wednesday (March 11) showing 20 examples of technology spun-off from the Formula One motor racing industry.
The exhibition called "Fast Forward: 20 ways F1 is changing our world" is held at London's Science Museum and displayed items from the worlds of entertainment, leisure, medicine and space exploration which Read more

Ron Dennis says KERS device will filter down to production car industry and McLaren are not trying for fast testing laps.
McLaren CEO Ron Dennis opened an exhibition in London on Wednesday (March 11) showing 20 examples of technology spun-off from the Formula One motor racing industry.
The exhibition called "Fast Forward: 20 ways F1 is changing our world" is held at London's Science Museum and displayed items from the worlds of entertainment, leisure, medicine and space exploration which all used techniques pioneered or perfected for racing.
Dennis, an engineer with over 40 years experience in motor racing and Formula One, said that he hoped the exhibition would inspire young people to take up engineering and push technology forward.

"You have to understand the fundamental requirements of being an engineer, either a mechanical or electronic engineer, you have to go through the basic science. But you know they are arduous routes through to a point at which we have some of the most brilliant scientists and engineers in this country. That arduous route has to be stimulated and you have to inspire young people to go through it. And that is what this museum is all about. It's about inspiration and motivation."
Among the exhibits were a wheelchair with a tough carbon fibre shell, a bicycle with full electronic telemetry, a knee brace with hydraulic dampers to protect the joints of people like soldiers and a rubber boot which uses tyre tread techniques to prevent slipping in greasy, wet conditions.
Another exhibit was a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) device made by Flybrid. This is a mechanical device that takes the energy of braking for a corner, converts it to electrical or mechanical energy and then releases it back to the engine so that the car receives a boost which can be used for overtaking.
Such devices are due to be introduced into Formula One this season but few teams will be using it when the season begins on March 29 in Australia. This is because the technology is currently complex, heavy and problematic.
McLaren is one of the few teams expected to use KERS from the start and Dennis said it presented a formidable engineering problem.

"It means that the battery technology is probably some of the most leading in the world," he said.

"The ability to make a motor-generator which is extremely compact.
that allows you to harvest the energy of the car under deacceleration or to propel the car under acceleration. That science and also the control systems between the hardware of this energy device through to the storage is extremely complex, actually controlling the energy, storing the energy and discharging the energy, all of that at a time when you are trying to create optimisation in the balance of the car.

"So this harvesting process can be very destabilising because of course it produces a braking force on the rear wheels. It's an interesting technology that will, not in its Formula One form, find its way onto cars, but what it will do is it will stimulate the technology and we will be looking at more compact and more efficient systems coming faster to production cars."
Latest testing times from Barcelona have shown McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen down in ninth place out of 11th with Ferrari, Williams and Brawn at the top but Dennis was not worried by this.

"It's quite interesting this time of the year all our testing is centred around optimising the car for the race but the inevitable publicity that surrounds test performance sees some of the less experienced teams or some of the teams that are seeking money actually running their cars with the objective of doing one fast lap," Dennis said.

"Of course one fast lap is very important when it comes to qualifying but is relatively unimportant when it comes to the race. And the disciplined teams are working hard on a sustainable pace. We have got optimisation not only of the performance of the car but also developing the car in such a way that the tyres don't degrade through the event. So really the performance of McLaren and its competitors aren't really going to be known until probably two or three races into the season, even Australia isn't going to be a strong indicator, because of course everybody has got gremlins in their car so they are trying to avoid manifesting themselves into the car and not finishing. So really it is three or four races before you can really determine who is competitive and who is going to be fighting for the world championship." Close