Who's running KERS and will it damage the racing?

[marcush.]

exactly.
In 2009 you could use the KERS to jump quicker cars and maintain track position.This will be less of a possibility with the adjustable flap.
So the startline advantage running kers is in fact not important anymore.

they have reduced KERS to a powerboost for a few seconds ...with laptime potential maybe 3 tenths IF you are able to package it without aerocompromise (as you need cooling and physical volume for the drive ,high voltage electronics and the high voltage storage it seems impossible NOT to need to accept an aeropenalty.The net result will be a bad return for the moneys invested.

[WhiteBlue]

It is well known that KERS has been artificially held back by a crippling specification. Without the restriction to the rear wheels, 60 kW of power and 0.4 MJ of energy KERS would be playing a much bigger role than 0.3 s per lap. Despite all the artificial restrictions all leading teams are convinced that KERS will play an important role and will initially compete with a system this year.

If there is a point of criticism it is not the existence of KERS but the implementation with a bad compromise. This criticism does not end at the unreasonable restrictions. The way the power is applied is also flawed in my view. The acceleration and braking power should be controlled simply by the way the driver pushes the respective pedal. He should not be required to fiddle with buttons on the steering wheel. This flawed push to pass mode has been introduce with the aim to "improve the show". We already know that it does not deliver on this objective if the whole grid has KERS. That much has been learned in the 2009 season.

One hopes that the adjustable rear wing will be tuned carefully to help passing but not to guarantee it. If a car is just 0.3 s per lap faster in clean air I do not see a justification to tweak the rear wing rule so that it automatically passes on the straight. If a car has a 1 s performance advantage and still cannot pass I would see a point in helping that car to pass. We will see what kind of stance the F1commission will adopt in that question.

[Formula None]

Well said WB. We will get to see an introduction of a superior KERS regulatory framework at Le Mans this year. We will have to wait for F1 to do the same in 2013.

[andrew]

I can see KERS making very little to no difference as the drivers will for the most part be deploying KERS in much the same locations on each track. I guess the intention is good in the theory of saving fuel, though carrying the added weight of the KERS unit would surely increase fuel consumption. Basically KERS is just a push to pass gimmick which only masks over the real problems which restrict the amount of overtaking. I'm not sold on KERS yet.

Adrian Newey's judgement on KERS is different and I would be inclined to follow his expertise. Source

As I said previously, I am reserving judgement until the end of the season. At the moment, I still think KERS is a gimmick that will not solve F1s overtaking problems. This may change at the end of the season but based on 2009 I was completely unimpressed by it.

[WhiteBlue]

I can see KERS making very little to no difference as the drivers will for the most part be deploying KERS in much the same locations on each track. I guess the intention is good in the theory of saving fuel, though carrying the added weight of the KERS unit would surely increase fuel consumption. Basically KERS is just a push to pass gimmick which only masks over the real problems which restrict the amount of overtaking. I'm not sold on KERS yet.

Adrian Newey's judgement on KERS is different and I would be inclined to follow his expertise. Source

I still think KERS is a gimmick that will not solve F1s overtaking problems.

I agree to the push to pass part. KERS is supposed to regenerate waste energy and not to fix something that has it's root in aerodynamics. Push to pass is curing the symptoms and leaving the cancer intact.