After the first two races of the 2022 Formula 1 season, in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, one of the highly discussed topics has been the Drag Reduction System (DRS), which has divided the opinion of Formula 1 fans, paddock insiders and drivers for many years. The cars of 2022 are able to follow each other more closely and offer more exciting action, but it is common opinion, at least among drivers, that without the Drag Reduction System it would still be very difficult to overtake.
Max Verstappen admitted that without the help of DRS he would never have been able to get the better of Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc in Jeddah and even the Maranello team’s drivers have made statements that are all leading in the same direction: still too early to deprive the cars of the highly criticized device.
DRS still essential for Formula 1
“I think we will have to continue using the DRS, otherwise the races would be boring,” said Charles Leclerc at the end of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit – “Even if it is now easier to follow the car ahead, I think the improvement is not that big as to already run without the DRS. It is part of the defense and attack strategies of every single driver. It is part of the competitions.” – the Ferrari driver explained.
The Monegasque’s considerations are echoed by team mate Carlos Sainz: “At the moment I think that without DRS it would be almost impossible for us to overtake. The behavior of the car when it is near another one has improved a lot, the car is more predictable, but without those two or three tenths that the DRS can provide, it would be impossible for us to overtake. The tow effect is less effective than last year.” – the Spanish driver added.
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The idea of compromise
At the same time, Carlos Sainz launches an interesting idea that could certainly be appealing to many: “I think the DRS should stay, but perhaps we will have to try to reduce its effectiveness so as to avoid seeing overtaking moves that are too easy”. To do this, it would be enough to simply reduce the section of the mobile wing, something certainly quite simple and feasible if it were to be seriously considered by the top management of the category.
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