Formula One's new KERS energy recovery system will come at a heavy cost for the opening long-haul races, Red Bull technical head Adrian Newey said.

"We will race it when we feel we are ready to race it and when we feel it is definitely a benefit and also when it can justify its cost," he told reporters at the launch of the team's new RB5 car in southern Spain.

"The air freight costs are fairly significant for all this stuff."

KERS will give drivers a short, additional burst of power at the push of a button thanks to the systems that recover kinetic energy generated by the brakes.

The systems are not mandatory and teams have reserved judgement on whether they will be in a position to use them at the season-opening race in Australia on March 29.

This season opens with four long-haul 'flyaway' races in a row, with Malaysia, China and Bahrain following on from Melbourne.

Red Bull will use the same system as engine partner Renault and team principal Christian Horner said the lithium-ion batteries required special handling.

"The costs of the special containers and couriers that you need to use to transport the batteries worldwide are significant," he said.