Vettel concerned about KERS safety

Even though there are only a few months until the start of the new season, several teams have yet to start track testing of the new technology.

And with a number of outfits having had troubles in early testing, including most famously the BMW mechanic who suffered an electric shock during testing earlier this year, Vettel says he is wary of the progress being made.

"For next year, my personal concern to be honest is the safety aspect of this system. Will it be safe enough to race?" he told the official Formula One website.

"For a team racing with KERS the expectations are clear - it has to be quicker and it has to be one hundred percent reliable.

"But I think there is one thing that people underestimate at this stage: is it safe enough? We are a little over three months away from the start of the season, and now we are heading into the winter break.

"Then the teams will bring out their new cars and start testing again - and time is running short.

"My concern is that so far no one has had a real thought about safety. As I said, it has to be quicker, it has to be reliable, but under any scenario it has to be safe for us drivers - and all the people working around the car.

"Safety is the one thing I am afraid of the most right now. Hopefully the teams will improve that safety aspect and the FIA will take care of it as well."

Red Bull Racing are not expected to run their KERS until February, when their 2009 car runs for the first time. It means they will have around six weeks to get the device up and running properly if they want to race it in Australia.