DRS still does more harm than good but hopefully its days are finally numbered · RaceFans

Three years into Formula 1’s overhaul of its technical regulations, which was intended to create closer racing and easier overtaking, the series is no closer to ending its dependence on the Drag Reduction System.

It was introduced in 2011, just two years after another shake-up of the aerodynamic rules which was also intended to aid passing. Once thought of as a short-term sticking plaster, after 14 years and two more aerodynamic overhauls (one of which, in 2017, clearly made passing much more difficult) F1 hasn’t been able to wean itself off push-button passing.

Many of those watching would like to see it kick the habit, and so do some of those in charge. When the latest regulations change arrived in 2022 the FIA’s head of aerodynamics Jason Somerville said “we’d very much like to phase out DRS if we can.” But F1 now seems more reliant on DRS than before, not less.

Formula 1 chief technical officer Pat Symonds insists the latest rules are a triumph. “We set certain objectives when we did the ’22 car, one of them was for the cars to be able to follow each other closely,” he told the official F1 website recently.

“And we certainly achieved that, we achieved it, actually, probably better than I ever expected we would do.”

Yet F1’s alterations to the DRS rules over the past three seasons indicates it’s not the new-shape cars which is helping drivers pass but the same old sticking-plaster solution.

After the first season with the new cars the FIA experimented with shortening F1’s DRS zones at some tracks over the opening races of 2023. But drivers complained that made overtaking too hard and the zones were left unchanged for later rounds.

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For this year the DRS regulations have been relaxed. Previously drivers could not start using DRS until two laps after the start. This has now been reduced to a single lap.

The result of this is overtaking has often become a foregone conclusion. At most circuits drivers know that if a rival is gaining on them quickly enough, usually due to a difference in tyre age, then trying to defend a position is a waste of time.

If what fans want to see is exciting dices for position and thrilling overtaking moves, DRS is doing more harm than good. For years it was believed DRS could be tuned to create close racing rather than slam-dunk passes. But the reality is there are too many variables to implement DRS in this perfect way: Track configuration, weather conditions, tyre grip, car performance and more.

Because of this DRS tends to produce one of two outcomes: Predictable ‘slam-dunk’ passes or trains of cars which cannot pass.

Two examples from the last two races, both involving Fernando Alonso, demonstrate this. Alonso is an intelligent racer who knows how to exploit the shortcomings of DRS to his ends, though in Australia it landed him in trouble.

The Albert Park circuit in Melbourne uniquely has four DRS zones, more than any other circuit. There a driver knows that once a rival gets close enough they stand no chance of defending their position.

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This was precisely what drove Alonso to commit his extreme penultimate-lap move ahead of George Russell. The stewards took a dim view of him decelerating sharply 100 metres earlier than usual, even braking, in what appeared to be an attempt to dupe Russell into slowing excessively and dropping back (rather than a deliberate attempt to provoke Russell’s crash which resulted from Alonso’s unorthodox driving).

While Alonso crossed the line on that occasion, his driving at Suzuka was more subtle and successful. The Japanese circuit is at the other extreme to Albert Park, as it only has room for a single DRS zone. Some drivers executed brilliant passes outside the zone, in the Esses or heading into the daunting 130R. Those with the luxury of not needing to rush their passes could back out of such opportunities and wait for the DRS detection line and the certainty of an easy pass, as Valtteri Bottas did with Pierre Gasly on lap 12.

Others manipulated the DRS zones to defend their positions. As in Melbourne, Alonso, having again worked his Aston Martin slightly higher up the order than it belonged, tried to use this to his advantage. As the laps ticked down he backed off, allowing Oscar Piastri to get just close enough to open his DRS, increasing his chance of keeping Russell behind.

“Very clever” race engineer Chris Cronin observed when he spotted Alonso’s tactics. “I’m happy to do the same again,” he added a few laps later. Although Piastri eventually lost the place, Alonso successfully held his position.

While the racing intelligence displayed here deserves respect, it underlines how DRS frustrates the goal of improving the racing in F1. Those running the sport seem to have given up on phasing it out. As a result overtaking moves have become less remarkable and more routine.

But perhaps there is finally cause for optimism. Moveable aerodynamics are expected to play a much greater part in F1’s next set of regulations in order to allow cars to continue achieving current lap times using power units which rely more heavily on electrical energy.

The upshot is it may not be possible to create as powerful a ‘switch’ as F1 drivers currently have under the 2026 regulations. If that finally forces F1 to work out how to encourage closer wheel-to-wheel racing instead of push-button passes, it will be a welcome and overdue change for the better.

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