F1 eyes reduced DRS influence for next year
Dec.12 - Formula 1 is considering shortening various DRS overtaking zones for the 2023 season.
A goal of the new technical rules that debuted last year was to improve the quality of the racing and the chances of overtaking.
But many think the existing drag reduction system (DRS) innovation, enabling chasing drivers to open their rear wings within designated zones, actually made passing too easy.
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Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR22, leads Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin AMR22, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari F1-75, and Esteban Ocon, Alpine A522
"At some places we may have to reduce the DRS zones," FIA technical director Nikolas Tombazis told motorsport-total.com.
"We don't want overtaking to be inevitable or even easy. It still has to be a struggle. We have to find the right balance there."
Departing F1 managing director Ross Brawn agrees: "We know that the fans don't like it when a driver just opens DRS, drives past and then opens a gap.
"I think in an ideal world, DRS would only be used to get close enough to someone in order to launch a decent attack," he added.
"I think we shouldn't be afraid of reducing DRS in places like Monza because it seems a bit like getting behind someone, pushing a button and going past."
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It's about God-damned time!!
Leave it to race-craft and talent to pass. Too many times I watch as whole race strategies are based on DRS - an arbitrary measure that awards anyone within the envelope to get a free 15 kph. What a crock.
I don't yearn for the time in F1 when the drivers were fat and the tires were skinny - but a time where raw talent, perfectly executed and the cars abilities determine who is out front.
Zone lengths are a non-issue, so what would be the point?
The following alternative would be better & also a good experiment:
No DRS use in the Belgian GP Sprint & only on the S/F straight in the race.
Similarly, Baku's longest full-throttle section could be DRS free for the race itself but available for other sessions, & likewise, for Interlagos & Montreal.
In all these cases, DRS would be available for all activation zones in practice & qualifying sessions as per usual.
Spa more critically, though, as Kemmel straight is the only circuit section where easy-looking passes have truly been a thing since 2011 (something people should accept rather than constantly exaggerate reality).
People should only look at tracks where overtaking has traditionally been a struggle or even Monza (where low-drag rear wing configurations make DRS relatively ineffective) to realize DRS guaranteeing a passing move is far from regularity.
I suppose it's all about "The Show". Let's give second and third-string teams a chance to get and stay close to the car ahead, and maybe we'll have dodgey moves under braking, or locked-up axles and dramatic crashes. There was plenty of that before DRS.
"Striking a balance" is a concept not well understood by the EU-centric regulatory juggernaut, who strive mightily to regulate common-sense.
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