Current runaway F1 2011 World Championship leader
Sebastian Vettel has called upon
Red Bull Racing to ramp up its efforts to develop and refine its KERS technology, fearful that if it doesn't get on top of its issues soon, the team's dominance will not last.
Both Vettel and – even more notably – team-mate
Mark Webber have found themselves plagued by persistent KERS troubles this season to-date, the Adrian Newey-designed RB7's sole real weakness.
Although the defending world champion increased his margin atop the title standings by a further 17 points last time out in the European Grand Prix, the truth is that the opposition is making inroads into Red Bull's superiority – with McLaren-Mercedes rival
Jenson Button overcoming Vettel for victory in Montreal, and Ferrari's
Fernando Alonso not a million miles away in Valencia. But for the difficulties in overtaking there, both men could feasibly have pipped the German to glory in Monaco, too.
What's more, there are suspicions that the FIA's imminent ban on off-throttle blown-diffusers as of the upcoming British Grand Prix at
Silverstone will hurt RBR more than most – particularly in the qualifying stakes – and Vettel insists that in order to avoid conceding its advantage, the energy drinks-backed outfit needs to resolve its KERS glitches...and fast.
“The competition has caught up, as we have seen again,” the 23-year-old is quoted as having said by German newspaper
Bild. “The last races have all been close. The time has come where I need the extra power.”