Gascoyne admits KERS for Lotus unlikely

Mike Gascoyne has admitted it is unlikely Team Lotus’ 2011 car will ever feature a KERS system.

The Renault-powered T128 was designed without the energy recovery technology in mind, but chief operating officer Keith Saunt said last month: "We might end up with it, who knows?"

"We will discuss it with Renault, but for a small team like us, KERS is a very high cost," technical director Gascoyne told Auto Motor und Sport.

"We would need to change the chassis significantly, as at the moment there is no room for KERS," he said.

But Gascoyne is not ruling out a change of mind, especially as arguably the biggest benefit of running a KERS system this year is expected to be the race start.

"It would not be good if we’re among a few of our direct opponents in qualifying and then before the first corner we lose three or four places because we lack that extra power on the line," he explained.