Now that F1’s 2022 rules package has produced cars that can closely follow each other, the sport no longer needs the push-to-pass aid of the 2010s.
When the wing-stalling Drag Reduction System (DRS) was introduced to Formula 1 cars for the 2011 season, it was a competition-enhancing potion for a series that had struggled to create close racing. The DRS allowed cars to race closely without the “dirty” air trailing behind one car to destroy the ability for another car make a pass. DRS remained something of a necessary evil throughout the following eleven years, as minor aerodynamic changes made their way across the grid. None of those aero tweaks significantly reduced the race-spoiling dirty air behind a leading car.
But, this year, F1 made a radical adjustment toward a new aerodynamic concept, one that derived significant downforce from the floor of the car. That, in turn, greatly reduced the need for air to pass over a car cleanly for the aerodynamics to work well. Through four races and a sprint qualifying session, that changes have looked transformative. So, with the problem actually looking something close to solved, why does F1 still have a race-changing half-measure in place?
This weekend, we saw both sides of what DRS actually accomplishes. In Saturday’s qualifying race at Imola, a track where passing is difficult with or without DRS, Max Verstappen was able to follow Charles Leclerc closely for much of the race. He waited until the second-to-last lap to deploy DRS in his pole-winning pass. In a wet-into-dry race on Sunday, Sky F1 broadcasters spent much of the race bemoaning that the system was not yet active. When it actually did come back into play, trains of cars that had formed laps earlier still could not actually easily pass each other, as every car behind the group leader leveraged the same DRS advantage. In short, DRS cost us twice. We were robbed of the drama of a race-winning battle in the sprint race, but were not rewarded with meaningful passing in the actual race, but instead the trains of cars that form in the mid-pack of so many F1 races .
In races where DRS is expected to be the winning move, gamesmanship around which driver leads at the deployment zone has been the source of more than its share of drama. Last year, the memorable championship battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen was marred in part by their aggressive DRS-based gamesmanship at both Brazil and Saudi Arabia. In the latter race, Verstappen was penalized post-race for his part in a brake check during an awkward exchange between the two. That same gamesmanship has showed up in each of Verstappen and Leclerc’s early battles for race wins this season, as gaming the timing of DRS’s push-to-pass deployment became more important than whether or not a pass would happen.
Yes, removing DRS means fewer total passes. It also means longer battles, the sort of battles where passes develop over time and feel earned. It preserves the moments we love about auto racing, the big risks on corner entry with big reward, and only at the cost of the predetermined, formulaic, artificial passing we have today. Now that these cars can actually race closely, we might as well let them.
Keyword: Formula 1 Doesn't Need DRS Anymore