In the fantastic battle for victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix between the Monegasque driver and Verstappen, the effectiveness of the DRS was key.
As well as setting up something of a cat-and-mouse game between Leclerc and Verstappen in the DRS detection zone before the final corner, as each tried to trick the other into overtaking him and losing the DRS option, that device It was essential in most of the overtaking of the race.
While there was some hope that F1’s 2022 rule changes would allow for good racing without relying so heavily on DRS, drivers believe it remains an absolute necessity.
Charles Leclerc, who finished second behind Verstappen in Jeddah, believes that without DRS there wouldn’t be much action at the moment.
“I think DRS should stay for now, otherwise racing would be very boring,” he said.
“As much as following another car is now better than last year, which is a very positive thing, I still think it’s not enough to get rid of DRS.
“It’s part of that and I actually quite enjoy it. It’s part of every driver’s strategy in terms of defense and overtaking, and it’s part of racing.
Saudi Arabian GP winner Verstappen admitted that DRS provided him with the only means by which he could overtake Leclerc and take victory.
“If he hadn’t had DRS, it never would have happened to him,” he said after the race. “I think cars are still too sensitive [when following another]. And of course some tracks are easier to pass than others. But for me without DRS I would have been second.
While the switch to ground effect cars was intended to improve racing, the drivers believe there are still things in the regulations holding them back when it comes to fighting for position.
Max Verstappen added: “I think you follow the cars better now, it just depends on the tyre. Just like with the hard tire you were able to follow more closely, the other compounds, and this depends on the track, they just fall apart. As soon as you follow someone for a few laps, you lose the tires.”
“Also, the weight of the car pushes the tires to the limit. So that’s something we have to consider for the future,” finished the Red Bull driver.
Carlos Sainz considers, however, that perhaps the effectiveness of DRS could be analyzed, and its importance reduced without losing it completely.
“Without DRS, it’s almost impossible to overtake nowadays,” he said. “What has improved is the predictability of the car following another and it has given us much more predictable balance and the ability to follow more closely in the corners.
“But without those three or four tenths that the DRS gives you on each straight, it would be impossible to pass, also because the slipstream is lower than last year.”
“However, we may need to consider making the DRS effect a bit less, so that we don’t have the differences we see today, where some overtaking can be too easy.
