The Drag Reduction System (DRS) is a controversial driver-controlled device intended to aid overtaking and increase the chances of racing wheel-to-wheel in Formula 1.
The system, which involves the driver opening a flap on their rear wing to reduce drag levels and gain top speed when less than a second from the car in front, was introduced in 2011. Continue on use despite the new rules that F1 has introduced in 2022.
But, as was the case when it was first adopted more than a decade ago, DRS remains a source of controversy among F1 competitors and fans.
Why is DRS used in Formula 1?
DRS is primarily a passing aid. It was introduced in 2011 to make overtaking easier. It allows drivers to increase straightline speed by offloading rear wing drag through a slot that can be opened when a car is less than a second behind the car in front. Drivers can also use the system in free practice and qualifying laps, even when riding alone and with no one in front.
The device is often criticized because by pressing a button to increase speed, drivers can artificially gain time on rivals in front.
Therefore, it is often claimed that this detracts and reduces the ability to perform a risky overtaking manoeuvre. Former F1 driver and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya, famous for his daring overtaking in the pre-DRS era, likened the device to “giving Photoshop to Picasso.”
But DRS is not a simple “overtaking button” that automatically means to overtake the car in front. While there have been many occasions where your speed increase has been deemed too great and therefore overtaking has occurred well before the braking zones on the straights, the device is generally intended to aid overtaking. when drivers would get caught in dirty, turbulent air following another car.
A DRS signal on a circuit
However, as the latest generation of F1 cars have been designed to allow drivers to follow more closely by reducing the ‘dirty air’ effect, many people expected that this would mean the removal of DRS. While that is a target of F1 bosses for years to come, it will still be used in the short term.
Ever since the aerodynamics produced by wings became an integral part of F1 car performance in the late 1960s, it has had a direct effect on how closely cars can track each other.
But as inter-engine parity in the pre-2014 era meant teams could rarely rely on a huge lead to stay ahead of or overtake a rival’s car, smaller performance gaps put greater emphasis on the effect of ” dirty air” at the races.
That is the phenomenon of air that has already been pushed by a car and lands directly in front of the car just behind it, leading to unpredictable handling and increased tire wear due to making the Formula one skid more. 1.
In the era around the turn of the millennium, the problem of “dirty air” was so great that teams used to slow down a chasing car to try and overtake them when their rival pitted, significantly reducing overtaking on the track . That, in turn, was criticized by fans as it devalued F1.
DRS continued to be used in the turbo hybrid era, which upended F1’s competitive order in a big way until the end of 2021. From 2022, F1 has reverted to ground effect rules to reduce the effect of dirty air and increase the rhythm in wheel-to-wheel battles.
While it is generally accepted that this has worked, the altered aerodynamics have reduced the slipstream effect. That, added to the fact that the championship achieved greater equality in engine performance until the new 2026 regulations are released, means that DRS continues to have a great impact on overtaking manoeuvres .
Rear spoiler and DRS activator on the Williams FW44
What is F1’s DRS and how does it work?
DRS uses an actuator that controls a flap in the middle of an F1 car’s rear wing that can be opened when drivers press a button on the steering wheel upon reaching a designated area of each circuit. Those portions of the tracks are known as DRS “Activation” zones. The open flap reduces the surface area of the rear wing and thus serves to reduce aerodynamic drag, rapidly increasing straight line speeds.
In racing, the use of DRS is allowed when a driver is within a second of the car in front, even if that car is being lapped. In practice and qualifying, DRS can be used whenever you want, but only within set activation zones. Until 2013, drivers could use DRS at any point on the track to reduce drag in a qualifying run. That led teams to implement setups that were perfect for qualifying, but hindered drivers trying to compete wheel-to-wheel in the race.
The one-second gap between cars is measured at specific points before the DRS zone, known as the “detection” point. There, electronic tarmac timing systems measure the distance between two single-seaters. If a car is measured to be less than a second behind another, a signal is sent to the car, allowing its DRS to activate in the next zone.
Drivers are usually informed that they can use DRS by activating the dash lights on their steering wheels. For the car in front, teams usually radio their drivers that a rival is within range of DRS. The attacking driver will manually activate DRS by pressing a button on the steering wheel, which can be positioned on the front or rear of the steering wheel, depending on the driver’s preference.
If driving with DRS on and the rear wing open, drivers will deactivate DRS and close the lid the next time they take their foot off the accelerator or press the brake pedal. The button on the steering wheel also closes the rear flap if it is pressed a second time.
Red Bull Racing trabaja en el DRS del RB16B
Drivers may choose to close the wing before braking into a corner, if they are concerned that downforce could cause instability on corner entry.
Drivers don’t have to activate DRS if they’re within a second of another car. Also, pressing the button too soon means it won’t open at the desired point, causing a delay before the wing can open when it’s supposed to open.
The DRS cannot be used in the first two laps of the race or after restarts from a standstill or in a rush after safety cars or red flags. The FIA Race Director stewards can also disable DRS at their discretion if conditions are deemed unsafe, for example in the rain. A car going off the track or leaving pieces at a certain point can also cause DRS to temporarily deactivate in a specific area.
Drivers defending position can only activate DRS if they are also within a second of the car in front of them. That usually occurs in a phenomenon known as a ‘DRS train’. Basically, that nullifies the benefit of DRS, because if everyone has DRS activated, there are no big differences in speed, and therefore the distances remain stable.
It is also common for a driver defending position to re-implement his use of electric power through the hybrid elements of modern F1 powertrains; what is usually referred to as the ‘overtake’ button, although some teams call it the ‘SoC’ (state of charge) button, to accelerate faster down a straight. This is usually implemented as an option to reduce the chance of being overtaken by a car with active DRS at the end of a trigger zone .
Michael Masi, former race director, at the installation of a DRS zone
How many DRS zones are there on F1 circuits?
The number of DRS zones varies from track to track and the number is also determined by other track characteristics.
Typically, every main straight on every track is a DRS zone. But if a circuit has a bad reputation in terms of ease of overtaking, extra zones can be created, and the same can happen on circuits with little sharp corners. Examples of such a track would be the long, winding sections in the final corners and towards the main straight in Baku or between turns 9 and 11 in Miami.
At the recent 2022 Australian GP, the redesigned track originally had four DRS zones. The idea there was to use two of the zones, the pit straight and the new section of corners that replaced the old chicane, to allow drivers to close in on rivals and then try to overtake with DRS in the other two zones, in curves that in themselves favored overtaking with large braking zones (3 and 11).
The DRS zone between Turns 8 and 9 on the 2022 Albert Park layout was removed for safety reasons ahead of the final free practice session following concerns from certain teams. This meant that the most DRS zones used in an F1 qualifying session or race remains three.
Although DRS can be used on corners that have very shallow angles, and on some tracks the FIA may not even consider such turns to be corners as such, it is generally not safe to have an open rear wing slot on almost no turning action.
Although the reduced drag would increase top speed, the corresponding lack of downforce greatly reduces the control of the car. That can lead to big crashes as DRS zones often end at the end of long straights or acceleration points.
For certain specific corners, the FIA has allowed drivers to try doing them with the DRS open.
One famous example was at the 2018 British GP, where a third zone was included that ran down the main straight at Silverstone and through the first two very fast corners. But two big accidents at the first corner, Abbey , by Romain Grosjean and Marcus Ericsson respectively, saw an area removed for 2019 that has not been used again at Silverstone in the following two seasons .
Romain Grosjean, Haas F1 Team VF-18
The possibility of a DRS failure can lead to drivers being shown the black flag with an orange circle if their rear wings get stuck open.
If that happens, the driver will be forced back to the pits to allow the mechanics to manually close the flap and then not use it again if it can’t be fixed. An example of a DRS failure leading to an accident came at the 2018 Italian GP, where Ericsson crashed hard at the first Monza chicane when the DRS on his Sauber car did not close as expected when braking at high speed.
