What is DRS in Formula 1?

BBC News

6 days ago

DRS in Formula 1 stands for Drag Reduction System - a device controlled via the steering wheel that allows drivers to increase speed and overtake.After pressing the DRS button, a flap on the car's rear wing opens, reducing drag by allowing air to flow through the wing.DRS can only be used in designated zones on circuits, primarily along straights. These zones are determined by detection points.A driver must be within one second of the car in front at the detection point in order to use DRS, which helps drivers overtake and escape the 'dirty air' created by the car ahead.It is only available in dry conditions and is disabled during wet races.The system - first introduced in 2011 - was implemented to increase the chances of on-track overtaking.Drivers are notified via their steering wheel display when DRS is available.In practice sessions and qualifying, DRS can be used freely within the activation zones to help set faster lap times.The number of DRS zones varies by circuit - for example, Monaco has just one, while the Australian Grand Prix features four.
What will happen to DRS in 2026?
DRS will be removed in 2026 as part of new Formula 1 regulations.Instead, all cars will be able to activate a low-drag mode on straights at any time, regardless of proximity to another car.Two separate power-boost modes will replace DRS on the steering wheel.'Z-mode' opens elements on the front and rear wings to increase downforce and speed through corners.Drivers can switch to 'X-mode', which reduces drag to maximise straight-line speed.These modes will be available in specific zones around each track and can be activated manually by the driver.
'It was only ever meant to be a temporary solution'
The idea behind the DRS overtaking aid was to create a sticking-plaster solution to the problem created by aerodynamics in F1.That is, make the car's performance dependent on downforce, and overtaking will always be hard because the disruption to the airflow over a car behind another reduces its grip and makes it hard to follow closely.DRS was meant to simulate a slipstream - a straight-line advantage to the car behind - and the plan was to make overtaking possible, not inevitable.Trying to balance those demands has not always been easy - sometimes overtaking has been too easy; sometimes it still is.It was only ever meant to be a temporary solution. And when the current regulations were conceived, the hope was that it could be discarded, because following would be a lot easier. It became apparent even before they were introduced in 2022 that would not be the case.Now, another rule-set has forced another solution. But it's not because DRS hasn't worked; it's because the rear wing opening has had to be added to the front wing doing something similar to balance the energy demands of the new cars with their new hybrid engines.From 2026, there will be a 'push-to-pass' system that gives an extra boost of electrical energy for the car behind. It's arguably even more artificial than DRS, and whether it will work is far from the only question hanging over the new rules.
What have the drivers said?
There were mixed views from F1 drivers about the new regulations when they were announced last summer."I have spoken to some drivers who have driven it on the simulator - I haven't - and they said it's pretty slow so we will see if it's the right direction or not," said Lewis Hamilton at a drivers' news conference in 2024. "We have just got to make sure the cars are efficient, fast and a step forwards and actually racing is improved."McLaren's Lando Norris said: "I guess there are reasons for it but I don't want it to go the opposite way. Especially with how complicated it is."You could have massive gaps and then people are going to say it's boring again. Right now it is as exciting as it has been for a very long time."This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.
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