Before the start of the 2023 Formula One championship, the International Federation had hinted that it would review the functioning of some DRS zones during the course of the season. This was confirmed in practice, as the Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Australia races underwent modifications, with further adjustments planned for next week’s Miami Grand Prix.
Ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the FIA intervened by making modifications aimed at reducing the help effect provided on such long straights. After last year’s race, teams and the Federation agreed that Baku’s long straights and the positioning of the DRS had made overtaking too easy with the new generation of cars.
For this reason, at the 2023 event, the Federation decided to reduce the DRS zone on the main straight, shortening it by one hundred meters compared to last season. Last year, the second of the two DRS activation points was designed 347 meters after turn 20, the last sharp turn that leads onto Baku’s long main straight.
For 2023, the race director’s circuit map indicates that the point has been moved 100 meters closer to the finish line, to 447 meters after turn 20, effectively reducing the distance that can be covered with the aerodynamic resistance reduction system active on the main straight.
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The detection point remains in the same place as last year, at the apex of turn 20. The second DRS zone also remains unchanged, with the detection point line set before turn two and the activation zone planned 54 meters after exiting that same turn.
This decision to shorten the Baku DRS zone is in line with the idea expressed by ex-Formula 1 director Ross Brawn before the start of the 2023 campaign regarding the sport’s efforts to improve the overtaking balance:
“The one thing we know is fans, and we know this because we don’t like it, they don’t like the ‘go down the straight, pop the DRS, overtake, drive fast, pull a gap’ all of that. In an ideal world DRS is used just to get on the back of someone, so you can really have a decent attack. I think we shouldn’t be afraid to reduce the DRS in places like Monza, because it does seem a bit ‘you get on the back of them, press the button, overtake.’ It’s a bit ritualistic, isn’t it? And so we shouldn’t be afraid to reduce the use of DRS where it’s clearly proving to be too powerful.” – Ross Brawn said at that moment.
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