While Grand Prix racing chiefs have had a full season to fully understand the impact of the new generation of ground effect F1 cars, the focus is now on fine-tuning elements of the regulations .
One aspect that became an annoyance for many in 2022 was how easily drivers passed other cars once they were within DRS range.
On many tracks, overtaking becomes almost unavoidable once a driver enters the one-second range where they can activate their DRS.
There are fears things will get even worse next year with F1 experimenting in sprint races with allowing DRS to be used after the first lap, rather than following two laps of action as is currently the case.
Brawn, who is set to step down as F1’s managing director of motorsport, said annoyance at the DRS’ easy moves was something shared by organizers and spectators alike.
“The only thing we know is the fans, and we know that because we don’t like it, they don’t like ‘going down the straight, blowing the DRS, overtaking, driving fast, getting a gap ‘ all that,” he told Motorsport.com in an exclusive interview.
“I think in an ideal world, DRS is only used to get on someone’s back, so you can really have a decent offense.”
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari F1-75, Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522, George Russell, Mercedes W13
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Brawn cites that one of the key ideas that needs to be pushed is for DRS zones to be used as places where drivers can get closer to the cars ahead, rather than just making an instant pass.
He says the example of Melbourne, where there has been controversy this year over lobbying to get rid of one of the DRS areas, showed this well.
“If you remember, they had four DRS zones and someone managed to persuade them to take one out, which was very annoying,” Brawn said.
“These DRS zones weren’t about overtaking there, but about getting behind someone’s back so you could attack them in the next complex. And that’s the ideal world.
He added: “I think we shouldn’t be afraid to lower the DRS in places like Monza because it seems a bit ‘you get on the back of them, push the button, overtake’. It’s a bit of a ritual, isn’t it?
“It’s not very impressive. We should therefore not be afraid to reduce the use of DRS where it is clearly too powerful.
While F1 remains hopeful that one day the cars will be good enough for racing that DRS will not be needed at all – as could happen with active aero from 2026 – Brawn says that for the instant overtaking assistance is a must.
“I think DRS is a useful tool where we want to put cars behind each other and they can pull alongside on a bend and have a wheel-to-wheel battle,” he said. declared.
“It’s just a judicious use of DRS. That’s what it takes. It will always be a tool that we have to use. Maybe with active aerodynamics that will change.
While Grand Prix racing chiefs have had a full season to fully understand the impact of the new generation of ground effect F1 cars, the focus is now on fine-tuning elements of the regulations .
One aspect that became an annoyance for many in 2022 was how easily drivers passed other cars once they were within DRS range.
On many tracks, overtaking becomes almost unavoidable once a driver enters the one-second range where they can activate their DRS.
There are fears things will get even worse next year with F1 experimenting in sprint races with allowing DRS to be used after the first lap, rather than following two laps of action as is currently the case.
Brawn, who is set to step down as F1’s managing director of motorsport, said annoyance at the DRS’ easy moves was something shared by organizers and spectators alike.
“The only thing we know is the fans, and we know that because we don’t like it, they don’t like ‘going down the straight, blowing the DRS, overtaking, driving fast, getting a gap ‘ all that,” he told Motorsport.com in an exclusive interview.
“I think in an ideal world, DRS is only used to get on someone’s back, so you can really have a decent offense.”
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari F1-75, Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522, George Russell, Mercedes W13
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Brawn cites that one of the key ideas that needs to be pushed is for DRS zones to be used as places where drivers can get closer to the cars ahead, rather than just making an instant pass.
He says the example of Melbourne, where there has been controversy this year over lobbying to get rid of one of the DRS areas, showed this well.
“If you remember, they had four DRS zones and someone managed to persuade them to take one out, which was very annoying,” Brawn said.
“These DRS zones weren’t about overtaking there, but about getting behind someone’s back so you could attack them in the next complex. And that’s the ideal world.
He added: “I think we shouldn’t be afraid to lower the DRS in places like Monza because it seems a bit ‘you get on the back of them, push the button, overtake’. It’s a bit of a ritual, isn’t it?
“It’s not very impressive. We should therefore not be afraid to reduce the use of DRS where it is clearly too powerful.
While F1 remains hopeful that one day the cars will be good enough for racing that DRS will not be needed at all – as could happen with active aero from 2026 – Brawn says that for the instant overtaking assistance is a must.
“I think DRS is a useful tool where we want to put cars behind each other and they can pull alongside on a bend and have a wheel-to-wheel battle,” he said. declared.
“It’s just a judicious use of DRS. That’s what it takes. It will always be a tool that we have to use. Maybe with active aerodynamics that will change.