| The world is a place where greed and speed have | | | | sustained, even for another season. |
| predominated, but recently even the gods of pace | | | | KERS could change the face of F1 forever |
| have acknowledged that they either have to | | | | One of the ideas that has manifested itself in KERS, |
| embrace environmentally friendly options or become | | | | or kinetic energy recovery systems, is that of |
| extinct like the dinosaurs of old. | | | | harnessing the energy lost during braking by re-using |
| 'Earth Car' gets the Formula 1 ball rolling | | | | it to boost acceleration. When you consider that |
| Team Honda was the first of the Formula 1 teams | | | | racing cars have to brake from speeds of over |
| who turned talk into tactics and two years ago they | | | | 200mph to 50mph in 2.5 seconds, then it is a given |
| opted to make an environmentally conscious | | | | that an enormous amount of energy is lost through |
| statement by branding their cars not with corporate | | | | braking and the consequent heat loss associated with |
| labels but an untarnished and uncorrupted map of | | | | braking. |
| planet earth. | | | | Energy allotments may be introduced |
| Granted, this small contribution to the burgeoning | | | | Another idea that looks fit to materialise is that by |
| problem of carbon gas emissions didn't do anything | | | | 2011 each Formula 1 team would be given a parcel of |
| practical, other than to constantly remind us of the | | | | energy for each race on the Formula 1 calendar. This |
| failings of Formula 1 and FIA bosses to take this | | | | parcel would shrink year by year and the team that |
| challenge to heart. | | | | wins the race would be the team that has utilised the |
| The motorsport moguls have every intention of | | | | energy the most efficiently and effectively. |
| becoming the high-tech pioneers and unequivocal | | | | This would mean a major shift from a sport where |
| leaders in the ongoing battle against climate change, | | | | fuel consumption has always been the major |
| one of the unpleasant facts of life that has the | | | | contributing factor, to a sport where the effective |
| potential to destroy us all. | | | | energy use of the racing car is paramount. |
| FIA President, Max Mosley, and company have | | | | Team Honda's battle to reduce their carbon footprint |
| effectively outlawed any further development on | | | | Team Honda have made a concerted effort to |
| petrol engines and have instead put their formidable | | | | reduce their carbon footprint by |
| financial backing and expertise behind innovative and | | | | - introducing a recycling scheme at the Honda plant |
| a more hybrid approach to the development of | | | | - providing incentives to their work force to cycle or |
| increased power. | | | | walk to work |
| Biofuels a solution | | | | - using low energy light bulbs throughout and installing |
| Formula 1 can learn something from the United | | | | solar panels on the roofs of all the trackside motor |
| States where the Indy cars have been running on | | | | homes |
| ethanol for quite some time now and there is plenty | | | | - holding video conferences instead of flying to |
| of discussion around the possibility of utilising biofuels | | | | meetings |
| instead of the dangerously low reserves of fossil | | | | - turning off all lights and computers at night |
| fuels left in the world today. Formula 1 racing cars | | | | It is worth remembering that it's not only the |
| currently burn nearly a litre of fossils fuels per | | | | grandstanding gestures that make the difference but |
| kilometre, an equation that cannot possibly be | | | | a whole range of little ones too. |